West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced that the Jagannath Temple in Digha will be inaugurated on April 30, 2025 (Akshaya Tritiya).
KOLKATA: A political confrontation has erupted between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) in West Bengal over the construction of a Jagannath Temple in Digha, modeled after the iconic shrine in Puri, Odisha. The project, funded by the state to the tune of over Rs 200 crore, is officially described as a cultural center. However, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s recent site visit and subsequent statements indicate that completing the temple before the 2026 Assembly elections is a significant part of her electoral strategy.
Digha, located in East Midnapore district, is one of Bengal’s most popular tourist destinations, situated 180 km from Kolkata. During her visit to the site on Wednesday to review its progress, Banerjee announced that the temple would be inaugurated on April 30, 2025 (Akshaya Tritiya). She was accompanied by ISKCON officials, including ISKCON Kolkata Vice President Radharamn Das, who has been included in the temple management committee.
“The Puri Jagannath Temple is famous. This temple will be different and unique. The temple will be divided into different sections. Unlike Puri, where khaja is offered, gujia and peda (types of sweets) will be given at this temple. There will be a special entrance, Chaitanya Dwar,” the Trinamool supremo stated.
Banerjee declared that from next year, Digha will also hold a Rath Yatra similar to Puri’s. The Bengal government has allocated around Rs 250 crore for the project, which is being built on a 20-acre plot near the seashore, close to the Odisha border.
During her visit, Banerjee announced a personal donation of Rs 5 lakh for the temple’s ceremonial golden broom. In Puri, a golden broom gifted by the Raja of Puri is used to sweep the roads before the chariots of the deities (Jagannath, Balabhadra, Subhadra) during the annual Rath Yatra.
Speaking to the media, Banerjee said: “This temple will have all facilities like Puri. It will have a separate ‘bhog’ arena. Like Puri’s famous ‘khaja’, a special sweet that is offered to Lord Jagannath, Bengal will also offer ‘goja’ (a special sweet). We are following all rituals. I have also spoken to Rajesh Daityapati of Puri. We are replicating the Dhwaja system which is there. Therefore, I have requested them to send a representative for our Mandir. We have spent more than Rs 250 crore and I am happy that our engineers have done it so well.”
“Marble idols are ready, and the tamarind tree idol will also be ready in some days,” Banerjee added. The complex will also feature an additional ‘Radha Krishna Mandir’ and ‘Bimala (Lakshmi) Mandir’.
Expressing gratitude to the engineers of HIDCO for their work, Banerjee stated, “This temple will attract tourists from across the globe. This temple will be there for thousands of years.”
In an update on social media platform X, Mamata Banerjee wrote: “Happy to announce that, as in Puri, we in West Bengal are also erecting a pride-inspiring temple complex for Lord Jagannath at Digha. The Lord, Balabhadra and Subhadra will be worshipped here too, Rathayatra also will be celebrated.” The marble for this temple has been sourced from Jaipur and Vietnam, according to administrative sources.
Senior government officials accompanying the Chief Minister noted that a considerable number of Bengalis are devotees of Puri Jagannath Dham. Banerjee conceived this idea in 2019, with construction commencing in 2022. The temple’s height is comparable to the Puri Mandir, featuring a similar structure and flag-posting ritual (Dhwaja ritual). The Dhwaja, placed atop the temple in Puri, will also be a feature here.
Banerjee reviewed the progress and formed a trustee board comprising the District Magistrate, the Superintendent of Police, Radharamn Das of ISKCON, and members of the Sanatani board.
Mamata Banerjee emphasized that the temple not only provides employment opportunities for those involved in its construction but would also boost tourism in the state, allowing visitors to Digha to witness the Jagannath Temple.
Sources indicate that over 200 laborers are working around the clock to expedite the temple’s completion, aligning with the Chief Minister’s vision.
WBHIDCO chief Suman Neyogi mentioned that the temple is being crafted from red stones imported from Rajasthan, aiming to replicate the Puri Jagannath temple. “We don’t know from where the stones of Puri temple were brought, but we are trying our best to make the temple of Digha as the replica of Puri Jagannath temple,” Neyogi stated.
At a time when minorities are being tortured in Bangladesh, the public face of ISKCON, Radharamn Das, has been made a member of the trustee board. However, the Opposition has criticized this move.
Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Suvendu Adhikari accused Banerjee of attempting to garner Hindu votes. He stated: “This is in fear. She wants to get Hindu votes in 2026, which she will not get because under her leadership, Kolkata will become Islamabad very soon. Moreover, she has kept ISKCON there because of this reason only. She has belittled Puri. I felt bad to see Radharamn Das standing there…”
Radharamn Das has been vocal about the persecution of Hindus in Bangladesh. Observers believe his presence with Banerjee in Digha is significant.
Suvendu Adhikari noted that the Jagannath Temple in Puri is one of the Char Dhams and that “replicating” it is unacceptable. “Jagannath dham is part of Char Dham. This is an insult to Lord Jagannath. She is building the temple as she knows that the Hindus here are uniting and won’t vote for her in the 2026 State Assembly elections. The State Government cannot spend money on religious works,” Adhikari asserted.
The BJP leader warned that he would bring priests from Puri and hold a religious gathering in Digha, about 180 km from Kolkata, to expose the Trinamool Government’s actions.
Adhikari claimed that Mamata was a “false” Hindu, asserting that while the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya was funded by donations from Sanatani Hindus, the Jagannath temple in West Bengal is being constructed using State Government funds. Adhikari also alleged that Mamata did not attend the inauguration of the Ram Mandir on January 22 due to her “appeasement politics”, alluding to her Muslim votebank.
“The West Bengal Government floated a tender under HIDCO, in the name of ‘Construction of Jagannath Dham Sanskriti Kendra at Digha.’ As per the State Government’s document, it’s a cultural centre, not a temple. As per our Constitution, no Government is allowed to invest Government money in religious places…. Mamata Banerjee is a liar,” he said.
Senior CPIM leader, Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya, told The Sunday Guardian: “Our party has consistently maintained that there is no difference between the BJP and the Trinamool Congress. Building a temple with Government funds goes entirely against our Constitution and proves that both parties use religion for political ends.”