Digha's Jagannath Temple India's pride says Mamata ahead of shrine’s consecration

    Digha (WB), Apr 29 (PTI) The consecration ceremony of the newly built Jagannath Temple in West Bengal’s seaside tourist town of Digha will be held on the auspicious occasion of the 'Akshay Trithiya' on Wednesday in presence of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
    The temple at Digha, a replica of the 12th-century shrine in Puri around 350 km away, is “India’s pride”, the CM said adding that she told priests during a ritual that her gotro is ‘Ma-Mati-Manush’ (Mother-land-people), which is a slogan of the ruling TMC.
    Sacred water from various pilgrimage destinations has already been brought to the temple for the rituals associated with ‘pran pratistha’ (consecration), official said on Tuesday.

    Built on around 24 acres of land using red sandstone quarried from Bansi Paharpur in Rajasthan, the Jagannath Temple, also known as ‘Jagannath Dham’, is an "architectural marvel, a mixture of intricate carvings and traditional design”, they said.
    Devotees visiting the temple during its inauguration on Wednesday will be given 'gamchas' (traditional coarse cotton towels) to protect the body from heat, officials said.
    The chief minister who took part in the ‘Maha Yajna’ at the newly built temple during the day said people from all religions attended it.
    "You must see this (religion) from the heart. Religion cannot be preached by word of mouth. It is what touches the heart. Religion is people's trust, belief and love," Banerjee told reporters.
    At the ‘Maha Yajna’, around 100 quintals of ‘aam kath’ (mango wood) and ‘bael kath’ (bilva wood), and two quintals of ghee will be used, an official said.
    
    "Today when they (priests) asked me about my gotro, I told them I do not use my own gotro while offering puja. I offer puja using the 'Ma Mati Manush' gotro. I want them (Ma, Mati and Manush) to remain happy," Banerjee said.
    "At today's programme here everyone was our guest. There are people from the Puri Jagannath Temple, from the ISKCON, from Adyapith, from Dakishnewar, from Belur Math, Sanatan Dharma, and all religions," she said, adding that the captains of industries have also come here.
    The Bengal CM also performed the aarti with her own hands and offered the 'Dhwaj’ (flag) and three priests from the Puri Jagannath Temple climbed atop the Digha shrine to place it there.
    The chief minister said that the newly-built Jagannath Dham has emerged as an international tourist attraction.
    "Of course, this is a pride of Bengal and a pride of India also. We are proud of it because of the architectural work," Banerjee said.
    Banerjee said the main programme would start from 2.30 PM on Wednesday following which the 'Dwar Udghatan' would take place.
    A cultural programme would also be held.
    On Tuesday, the puja and Maha Yajna were held inside a temporary hut set up in front of the main temple of Lord Jagannath. A total of 57 devotees from Puri's Jagannath Temple and 17 monks from the ISKCON participated in it.
    The West Bengal government is planning to hold an annual ‘Ratha Yatra’ in the seaside tourist town of Digha following the inauguration of the newly built Jagannath Temple, an official said.
    The ‘Ratha Yatra’ will be similar to the grand religious event held in Odisha’s Puri every year, he said.

    The first such yatra in Digha is likely to be organised in June, the official said.

    “Chariots used in the ‘Ratha Yatra’ for the deities have already been built and kept ready,” he told PTI.

    “We have built three chariots similar to the ones in Puri, after consultations with the Jagannath temple authorities there,” the official said.

    The chief minister is likely to participate in this year’s proposed ‘Ratha Yatra’ in Digha, an official of the CMO said.
    The ‘Jagannath Dham’ has been developed by the Housing Infrastructure Development Corporation (HIDCO) at a cost of nearly Rs 250 crore. The day-to-day activities of the temple will be managed by the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON).

    The construction of the temple started in 2022, after Banerjee announced the project in 2018.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)