Dolphin’s Rewrite:
On a scorching June afternoon in Digha, a coastal town in West Bengal, India, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee marked a significant moment by sweeping a sun-baked road to clear the way for a massive chariot, setting the stage for the first-ever government-sponsored Rath Yatra (chariot festival) in the region. This event, broadcast widely on June 27, celebrated the completion of a grand temple complex dedicated to Lord Jagannath.
Announced in December 2018 and completed in May, the Digha temple is positioned by Banerjee and her Trinamool Congress (TMC) party as West Bengal’s answer to the more famous Jagannath Temple in Puri, Odisha, known for its annual 800-year-old chariot festival attracting thousands of devotees. Banerjee, symbolically performing the ceremonial sweeping of the chariot path normally done by Puri’s royal descendants, raised questions about the political motivations behind the temple’s construction, especially with state elections on the horizon.
The move is seen as a strategic response to the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which has been using Hindu festivals to expand its reach in West Bengal, sometimes stirring tensions with large Muslim processions. The TMC seems to be countering this with its own Hindu overtures, including public chants of “Jai Jagannath” to rival the BJP’s “Jai Shri Ram”.
Political analyst Ranabir Samaddar views the TMC’s engagement in temple politics as a struggle over the definition of Hinduism itself, challenging the BJP’s concept of a singular, majoritarian Hindu identity. The construction of the Digha temple thus represents a gambit to broaden the understanding of what it means to be Hindu in a state with a significant Muslim population and a history of communist governance.
The project, initially conceptualized as a cultural center, evolved into a substantial religious site costing over $30m. While touted by Banerjee as a potential international tourist draw and a symbol of harmony that could boost the local economy, the temple has faced critique. Critics argue that the allocation of public funds to non-secular projects diverts attention and resources away from pressing social issues, such as unemployment and underfunded public services. This has ignited debate over the role of the state in promoting religion and the implications of mixing governance with faith, signaling a shift from modern secularism towards a politics centrally focused on religious symbols and institutions.
Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2025/8/20/sitting-on-a-volcano-two-indian-temples-clash-as-politics-and-faith-mix?traffic_source=rss
