Servitors of the Shree Jagannatha Temple in Puri have expressed hope that the BJP leadership in Bengal will, after forming the government on May 9, address Odisha’s demand that the “Dham” suffix be dropped from the Jagannath shrine built by the Mamata Banerjee government in Bengal.

Odisha chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi had earlier written to Mamata to not refer to the temple as Jagannath Dham. Majhi has been appointed by the BJP leadership as the central co-observer for the election of the leader of the legislature party in Bengal, who would most likely become the chief minister.

The erstwhile royal family of Puri, Gajapati Maharaja Dibyasingha Deb, had also objected to the naming of the Digha temple as Jagannath Dham.

Odisha BJP vice-president Golak Mohapatra told The Telegraph: “After the new government is formed, the issue will be resolved. The word Dham will be dropped.”

Another senior BJP leader in Odisha said both Majhi and Union home minister Amit Shah, the central observer for the selection of the leader of the BJP legislative party in Bengal, “would certainly work” towards fulfilling the demand and “convince the new government to drop the word Dham”.

A veteran servitor of the Puri Jagannath Temple, Jagannath Swain Mohapatra, said: “We urge the new leadership in Bengal to immediately drop the word ‘Dham’ from Jagannath Dham. There can be Jagannath temples anywhere but there is only one Jagannath Dham, that is in Puri.”

Priyadarshana Patnaik, the convenor of Jagannath Sena, an organisation working to conserve the Jagannath culture, said: “After the change of regime, we are hopeful that the new dispensation will immediately withdraw the word Dham and put up a new signboard there, naming it Jagannath Temple, Digha. We urge the BJP leadership in Bengal, the Odisha government and the Centre to take steps to this effect. Even the Puri Maharaja had earlier raised the issue.”

Law minister Prithviraj Harichandan said: “The name of Lord Jagannath is revered globally. Unfortunately, some people have drawn comparisons between Jagannath Dham and the Digha temple for political reasons. However, Mahaprabhu has already given his answer.”

The Digha Jagannath temple was inaugurated on April 30, 2025, by Mamata. Soon after, it was named Jagannath Dham, Digha.

The scion of the erstwhile royal family of Puri, Gajapati Maharaja Dibyasingha Deb, considered the first sevak of Lord Jagannath, had said the Digha Jagannath temple cannot be called “Jagannath Dham”.

The Gajapati had cited scriptures to explain why other Jagannath temples should not be called Dham and that the use of the word would hurt the religious sentiments of crores of Jagannath devotees.

The Gajapati had said in a statement: “The Mukti Mandap Pandit Sabha ( the highest religious body in Puri) had mentioned that ‘the original Peetha (seat) of Shree Jagannath Mahaprabhu is Purushottama Kshetra’. Even if the idols of the Chaturdhamurti (the four idols of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra, Goddess Subhadra and Lord Sudarshan) are established in any other place other than Puri, they cannot be called ‘Jagannath Dham’, ‘Shri Purushottam Kshetra’, ‘Shri Kshetra’, or ‘Neelachal Dham’. Therefore, the Jagannath temple in Digha or the place cannot be called Shree Jagannath Dham, Shri Kshetra, Purushottam Kshetra, or Nilachal Dham.”

He had appealed to the Digha Jagannath temple trustee to refrain from using the word “Dham”.

The Gajapati had also maintained that the prasad offered to the deities in other Jagannath temples should not be called “Maha Prasad”. As per the scriptures, only the bhog at the Puri Shree Jagannath Temple can be called “Maha Prasad”.

Chief minister Majhi had said in his letter to Mamata: “Shree Jagannath Dham in Puri is one of the Char Dhams of Hinduism and holds unparalleled religious, spiritual and cultural significance, not just for the people of Odisha, but for millions of devotees across India and the world. The name ‘Jagannath Dham’ holds a unique and sacrosanct identity linked to Puri, and its usage in reference to any other temple or location hurts sentiment and emotion of millions of pilgrims, devotees, and the general public, besides diluting the distinct heritage of Shree Jagannath Dham, Puri.”