Mamata’s temple politics: West Bengal CM set to inaugurate Jagannath temple in coastal town next month

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is all set to inaugurate a Jagannath temple in the coastal town of Digha in Purba Medinipur district in the first week of July. Sources in the state administration said she could inaugurate the temple on the first day of the Ratha Yatra festival, which begins on July 7.

“The temple is now ready for inauguration. We are waiting for the CM’s green signal. After we receive that, we will officially announce the inauguration date,” said a state government official.

The Jagannath Dham, built as a replica of the Jagannath temple in Puri in neighbouring Odisha, is located in the seaside resort town adjacent to New Digha railway station. Spread across 22 acres, the temple, a pet project of the CM, was built for Rs 143 crore, according to the state urban development department. The Jagannath Dham has been built by the West Bengal Housing Infrastructure Development Corporation (WBHIDCO), with the Kolkata-based Design Studio handling the design and architecture.

Banerjee laid the foundation stone of the temple, which is located eight km from Chandaneswar temple in Odisha’s Balasore district, in 2019. Back then, she claimed that she expected the temple to generate a footfall equal to the temple in Puri and said tourists would enjoy the same facilities on Digha’s beaches as in Puri.

Bengali Hindus have a deep connection with the deity Jagannath, going back to the 12th century CE, when saint and social reformer Chaitanya Mahaprabhu visited the Puri temple. Since then, Puri has been a popular pilgrimage site for Bengali devotees cutting across social classes. The Jagannath Rath Yatra is a popular festival across Bengal. During British rule, several Bengalis settled in present-day Odisha, building