Overview

• The Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) suspended senior servitor Ramakrushna Dasmohapatra for 30 days, citing indiscipline and false claims about sacred wood used for idols at the Digha Jagannath Temple.
• An internal SJTA probe confirmed that the idols at the Digha temple were crafted by a Bhubaneswar sculptor, refuting Dasmohapatra’s claim they were made from Puri temple’s surplus sacred wood.
• Odisha authorities and spiritual leaders, including the Puri Shankaracharya, objected to the Digha temple being called 'Jagannath Dham,' asserting that the title is exclusive to Puri’s 12th-century shrine.
• The suspension has intensified political tensions, with West Bengal’s TMC accusing Odisha’s BJP government of interfering for political motives, while BJP leaders welcomed the disciplinary action.
• ISKCON clarified it had no role in naming the Digha temple as 'Jagannath Dham,' emphasizing its involvement was limited to rituals and worship.