The Jagannath temple in Digha, West Bengal. (image-X/jagannathdhamdg)

Digha, West Bengal: On April 29, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee stood before a Mahayagna, a state-funded ritual consecrating the Jagannath temple in Digha. The newly built temple is reportedly the first Hindu temple to be entirely state-funded. The amount is reportedly around Rs 250 crore.

While the TMC government led by Banerjee portrays the temple as a symbol of cultural triumph, concerns are growing about whether a secular state can build a religious temple.

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The temple’s construction violates Article 27 of the Constitution, which states that the use of public funds to promote religion is forbidden.

As the Chief Minister of a state in the secular republic of India, Banerjee has overseen the allocation of taxpayer money to religious rituals. Even though the official document describes it as Jagannath Dham Sanskriti Kendra, the website clearly states that it is a temple and not some cultural monument.

Notably, the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, although a project driven by the BJP and the Sangh Parivar, was funded by private donations.

According to reports, following the BJP’s rise in popularity in the state after 2019, a considerable shift has been observed in the TMC. Banerjee, embracing the recent Ram Navami celebrations and initiating the Ganga Aarti, are some instances of attempts to hold the Hindu electorate in Bengal, observed a report by The Wire.

During the temple’s inauguration, public access was restricted even though the entire project was funded by their taxes. The exclusive event invited some chosen MPs, MLAs, industrialists, film actors and singers. Even some TMC leaders were not invited, reported The Wire.

Modelled on Puri’s famous shrine, the Jagannath temple in Digha, a popular seaside resort in Purba Medinipur district, spans 22 acres and has been entirely funded by the West Bengal government.

Meanwhile, a controversy has erupted over the temple’s name, Jagannath Dham. Historically, it is a term reserved for the 12th-century Puri temple, one of the four primary pilgrimage sites of Hinduism.

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Religious scholars and priests from Odisha have objected to the use of the title “Dham”. According to them, it implies a status of sanctity that cannot be replicated nor claimed without distorting centuries of tradition.

The 8th-century philosopher and theologian, Adi Shankaracharya, had designated Puri as one of the four “Dhams” of India. The other three are Badrinath, Dwarka, and Rameswaram.