Amid a controversy over the Mamata Banerjee government’s use of the term ‘Dham’ for a newly built Jagannath temple in Digha in West Bengal, the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA), which oversees the affairs of the 12th-century Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri, has decided to patent names associated with the shrine.
A recent managing committee meeting of the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) in Puri has resolved to patent key words and symbols associated with the rituals and identity of the Shree Jagannath Temple.
“It has been resolved to patent all words associated with the rituals of the Shree Jagannath Temple, Puri. We will apply for patenting of terms such as Shree Mandir, Jagannath Dham, Mahaprasad, Shreekhetra, Purusottam Dham, and the temple logo,” said SJTA Chief Administrator Arabinda Padhee.
According to Mr. Padhee, unplanned buildings mushrooming around the temple — which diminish the spiritual and architectural heritage of the area — will be redesigned to reflect Odisha’s traditional architectural style. The State’s Urban and Housing Development department will be approached to formulate a guideline or legal framework to regulate construction around the temple, he said.
These regulations will also extend to the area surrounding the Shree Gundicha Temple, regarded as the abode of Lord Jagannath’s aunt. As per the decision, no building in these zones will be allowed to exceed a certain height.
However, it is the move to patent temple-related terms that has generated considerable public interest. According to SJTA Chief, the decision is aimed at preventing the misuse of these culturally significant terms by individuals or organizations, while preserving the sanctity, heritage value, and unique identity of the Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri.
Protests in Odisha over use of ‘Dham’ in Digha
The backdrop to this decision is a recent controversy over the consecration of a temple in Digha, West Bengal. The participation of sevayats (traditional priests of the Jagannath Temple) in the rituals there — and the naming of the Digha temple as a “Dham” — had sparked protests across Odisha. Several socio-cultural organizations staged demonstrations demanding that the term Dham be dropped from the Digha temple’s name.
Odisha has strongly objected to the use of Dham for the Digha temple, asserting that the term is traditionally and spiritually associated with Puri, one of the four cardinal pilgrimage sites (Char Dham) for Hindus.
Chief Minister Mohan Majhi even wrote to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee urging the removal of the term from the Digha temple. Puri’s titular king, Gajapati Dibyasingha Deb — who chairs the temple’s managing committee and performs the Chhera Pahanra (ceremonial sweeping of the chariots) during Rath Yatra — also requested the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) to intervene. ISKCON has since clarified that it is only one of the 27 trustees of the Digha temple trust and its role is limited to conducting rituals and worship.
Published – May 27, 2025 11:20 am IST
