Digha’s Jagannath Temple on Sunday clocked one crore visitors in eight months of its inauguration.
Chief minister Mamata Banerjee inaugurated the temple on April 30 this year.
Footfall had been brisk since the temple’s inauguration. It saw over 20,000 visitors on Sunday.
The achievement of one crore visitors at Jagannath Temple came a day before Mamata is set to lay the foundation stone of Durga Angan in New Town, Calcutta.
“The arrival of the one crore devotees to the temple is not merely a numerical achievement, but it is the sacred affirmation of Lord Jagannath’s universal embrace,” said Radharaman Das, the chief priest and trustee of Digha’s Jagannath Dham.
“During these eight months, a large number of tourists from different states and several countries have visited the newly built shrine, besides the people of Bengal, of course. I offer my heartfelt thanks to chief minister Mamata Banerjee, whose far-sighted vision made this temple possible. Her initiative has not only strengthened Bengal’s spiritual heritage but has also created lasting economic opportunities for the
common people,” Das added.
Mamata on Monday will attend the foundation stone–laying ceremony of the new complex dedicated to Goddess Durga to be built on a 15-acre plot by the state government.
After the Jagannath Temple in Digha, setting up the Durga Angan in Calcutta is considered to be her second move apparently aimed at wooing Hindu voters ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections.
The Trinamool Congress leadership in private acknowledged that setting up the Jagannath Temple in Digha was Mamata’s masterstroke to woo Hindus at a time when the BJP has been desperately trying to consolidate Hindu voters in Bengal.
The Trinamool leaders believe that the upcoming Durga Angan will also woo Hindus, particularly those who take pride in Bengal’s Durga Puja, which received the Unesco’s intangible world heritage status in 2021.
A Trinamool source said the feat of one crore visitors in eight months at the Jagannath Temple was politically significant ahead of next year’s Assembly polls, as it established that people from all walks of life had accepted the temple as a religious destination despite a series of anti-campaigns by the BJP leadership.
Authorities of the Jagannath Dham in Puri had raised multiple questions over naming the temple as ‘Dham’.
“The one crore visitors have established that the Jagannath Temple in Digha has become a successful religious destination for the people. It means that the BJP’s effort to play down the importance of the temple has failed,” said a Trinamool Congress leader.
A source said that on Saturday evening, the temple committee finally counted a total of 99.84 lakh visitors. It was confident that the one-crore milestone would be reached on Sunday.
“Security personnel and police deployed at the temple’s three entry gates count the number of visitors every day. The database has confirmed that more than one crore devotees visited the temple by Sunday,” said Unice Rishin Ismail, the East Midnapore district magistrate.
Officials said they were expecting a huge footfall during the New Year and therefore held meetings to beef up security and increase amenities for visitors.
“We have recently held meetings with senior officials and police. We will ensure all necessary arrangements to handle the rush of devotees visiting the temple during the New Year,” the district magistrate added.