West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday said she holds the Puri Jagannath temple in high esteem and has been a regular visitor as a devotee for years.
Reacting to the Odisha government’s objections over the naming of the newly constructed temple in Digha as ‘Jagannath Dham’, Banerjee told reporters that she could neither understand nor comment on how the BJP-led government chose to react to it.
"The Digha temple had come up adhering to all rituals and scriptures, with one of the Doyitapatis (servitors) of Puri temple himself deciding on the religious norms and practices to follow," Banerjee said.
"Let the Odisha government do whatever it likes about the Digha Jagannath temple. I have deep respect for the 12th-century shrine. I am a devotee of Lord Jagannath. But can’t there be another Jagannath temple in Digha?" She said hundreds of people from Odisha are visiting the Digha temple. "So why is the Odisha government so upset," she asked.
Stating she doesn't know much about the intricacies of scriptures and rituals, Banerjee claimed, "We consulted experts and priests and went by their words." "Which is the greater religion? The religion of humanity is supreme to me. I love people. I love humanity and for me, that is true religion," she added.
Asked about the statement made by Puri Gajapati King Dibyasingha Deb, who said the Digha temple cannot be referred to as ‘Jagannath Dham’, Banerjee said, "I have full respect for his views."
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