Kolkata, Aug 11
After Lord Jagannath temple at Digha in East Midnapore district of West Bengal, the state government will set up a Durga temple in the state.
A decision in this regard was taken at a meeting of the State Cabinet on Thursday evening, where it was also decided that the Durga temple will be christened as "Durga Angan".
The "Durga Angan" would be set up jointly by the State Tourism Department and West Bengal Housing Infrastructure Development Corporation (WBHIDCO).
The two bodies will jointly form a trust that will undertake the construction of the "Durga Angan", Power Minister Arup Biswas told media persons on Monday after the Cabinet meeting.
Incidentally, WBHIDCO was also the implementing agency of the Lord Jagannath Temple at Digha.
"However, you will have to wait for some more days to know the place where 'Durga Angan' will be set up. The budget for the project is yet to be finalised. First the venue of the construction will be finalised, and only after that the other formalities will be worked out," Biswas said.
Incidentally, the Lord Jagannath Temple at Digha had already been marred with controversies as the Opposition asked how the state government could spend public money from the state exchequer for construction of a religious structure.
Precisely, to avoid this controversy the temple was officially identified as "Shree Jagannath Dham Cultural Centre" in the records of the state government.
However, controversies further broke out over using the word "Dham" in the name of the Digha structure.
Scholars clarified that as per Hindu religious belief barring the four temples at Badrinath, Rameswaram, Dwarka, and Puri, no other religious structure can be referred to as "Dham".
Controversies also surface over allegations that "Prasad" of the Digha temple, were prepared in sweetmeat shops owned by non-Hindus, which had affected the Hindu religious sentiments.
Since the beginning, BJP had been vocal against sweets coming from non-Hindu shops being distributed as "Prasad" of the Digha Jagannath temple.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Why is the government spending public money on religious structures? There are so many schools and hospitals that need funding. This seems like vote bank politics before elections.
As a devotee, I welcome this move but they must ensure proper Hindu traditions are followed. The Jagannath temple controversy with prasad being made in non-Hindu shops was unacceptable. Hope they learn from past mistakes.
Good initiative for tourism! But the government should be transparent about the budget and location selection. Also, why call it "Angan"? Just say temple clearly if that's what it is.
As a Bengali, I'm proud of this development! Durga Puja is our biggest festival 🎉 The temple should reflect Bengal's unique culture and traditions. Hope they consult proper religious scholars this time to avoid controversies.
The government should focus on maintaining existing temples first. Many ancient temples in Bengal are in bad condition. New construction is good but heritage preservation is equally important.
I hope this temple will be inclusive and respect all traditions. The naming controversy with Jagannath temple was unnecessary. Let's focus on devotion rather than politics. Jai Maa Durga! ðŸ™