Mamata Banerjee performs Maha Yajna day before inaugurating Bengal Jagannath temple
advertisementTwo quintals of ghee were offered for spiritual illumination. 60 Iskcon members and 35 priests participated in the event. Rajesh Daityapati and his team from the Puri Jagannath temple also participated in the yajna and will be present for the pran pratishtha of Lord Jagannath.
The inauguration ceremony, set to take place between 3 pm and 3.10 pm on Wednesday, will be attended by Banerjee and is expected to draw large crowds. The event aims to promote cultural and spiritual harmony, with the temple serving as a symbol of Bengali heritage and spirituality.
The Jagannath Dham in Digha is a replica of the iconic Puri Jagannath Temple. The temple, built in the Kalinga architectural style, is a grand structure made of pink sandstone from Rajasthan.advertisementThe construction of the temple, which spans 20 acres, was undertaken by the state government at a cost of Rs 250 crore. Over 800 skilled craftsmen from Rajasthan worked on the project, bringing their expertise in temple architecture to the fore.The temple complex features a bhog mandap (a room where food for offerings is cooked), Nat mandir (dance hall) and garbhagriha (inner sanctuary), with intricate carvings and statues of deities. A 34-foot-long 18-faced Arun pillar made of black stone stands tall in front of the temple entrance, topped with an Aruna idol.The temple's design is inspired by the Puri Jagannath Temple, with similar architectural features, including the Singhadwar, Byaghradwar, Hastidwar and Ashwadwar.Ahead of the temple inauguration, Banerjee said, "We are going to inaugurate the temple on Akshaya Tritiya that is on Wednesday. The type of architecture built by the workers is wonderful. It is same as Puri Jagannath Temple. Bengal is proud. Not only Bengal, the whole world will be proud of this."Skilled artisans from Puri will perform the idol consecration ceremony and daily flag-changing rituals, following traditional practices. The temple is expected to become a major pilgrimage site and tourist attraction in the region.Banerjee personally selected the site for the temple and announced its construction in 2019. The project was delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic and is completed now.
IN THIS STORY#West Bengal
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
India.com
19 minutes ago
- India.com
Migrant Labour Issue: ফের বিজেপি শাসিত গুজরাতে বাঙালি হেনস্থার গুরুতর অভিযোগ
Videos Migrant Labour Issue: ফের বিজেপি শাসিত গুজরাতে বাঙালি হেনস্থার গুরুতর অভিযোগ | Zee 24 Ghanta Migrant Labour Issue: Serious Allegations of Bengali Harassment Again in BJP-Ruled Gujarat Migrant Labour Issue: Serious Allegations of Bengali Harassment Again in BJP-Ruled Gujarat | Updated: Jul 30, 2025, 04:00 PM IST Advertisement Migrant Labour Issue: Serious Allegations of Bengali Harassment Again in BJP-Ruled Gujarat
Indian Express
2 hours ago
- Indian Express
KMC makes Bengali mandatory in monthly meetings amid row over language in BJP-ruled states
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has taken to the streets protesting against the alleged harassment of Bengalis in BJP-ruled states for speaking Bengali. Now, the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has made it mandatory for its councillors to speak in Bengali during monthly meetings. A recent directive from KMC chairperson Mala Roy asked all mayoral council members and councillors to use Bengali during the question hour in future sessions. This comes after the House's monthly session last week, where a TMC councillor from Ward 49 posed her question in English. After the question was placed, Roy instructed Mayor Firhad Hakim to reply in Bengali. Roy then announced that henceforth, all KMC proceedings would be conducted in Bengali. According to KMC officials, Roy has also ordered her office to conduct all official business — including monthly meetings — in Bengali. Speaking to the media, Roy said, 'From now on, the monthly meetings will be held in Bengali. Now, even in Parliament, we will speak in Bengali. Earlier, that was not the case. The state has already taken steps so that the signboards are written mainly in Bengali, and now in monthly meetings the questions and answers will be conducted in Bengali. We will be informing all in this regard.' According to KMC sources, steps would be taken to ensure that councillors submit their queries in Bengali going forward. However, many pointed out that there had been no language restriction earlier. Sajal Ghosh, the BJP councillor from Ward 50, said, 'Why restrict Bengali to just the monthly meetings? Why not make all KMC signages fully Bengali, removing Urdu? Why does official KMC stationery still carry Urdu script?' After a recent 'Talk to Mayor' session, Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim said that signboards and hoardings of all commercial establishments, including shops and restaurants, must be written in Bengali, along with other languages. Last year, the Kolkata Municipal Corporation mandated the use of Bengali language on all commercial signboards, including hoardings, alongside other languages. A deadline of February 21, 2025, was set for implementation of the rule. 'The KMC authority has decided that henceforth it is mandatory to write Bengali language on top of all the signboards/signages/hoardings alongside any other languages. For this purpose, we also need to check and implement the same in all establishments of KMC (including KMC HQ, Borough Offices, KMC Health Centers, KMCP Schools),' the order had stated. A similar initiative was announced by the KMC in 2007 under then-Mayor Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya, requiring shop owners to include Bengali on signboards. However, it was not successfully implemented.
India Today
4 hours ago
- India Today
Why idea of free-fair polls in Bengal is ghorar dim
"Ghhorar dim", as the Bangla phrase, which means "a horse's egg" goes, captures the absurdity of the idea of free and fair elections in West Bengal. Not just reported large-scale immigration and the shadow of political violence, an election machinery, which is allegedly far from independent, makes the idea of a fair franchise a pipe dream. As ghorar dim, the idea of fair elections here remains a an administrative meeting last week, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee reminded block-level officers (BLOs) that they were state government employees. This is important because the BLOs are key to the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls that is expected to begin in Bengal West Bengal is the only state where the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) office operates under the state's Home and Hill Affairs Department, without functional freedom. The state has seen an influx of illegal immigration from Bangladesh, leading to demographic changes in several districts. Retributive political violence, as seen after the last Assembly elections, also cast a cloud over the idea of participatory IMMIGRATION AND SIR IN WEST BENGALEven as the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise is underway in Bihar and speculated to begin in poll-bound Bengal next, Mamata Banerjee has openly opposed it, calling it a targeted move against Bengali voters. The Trinamool Congress leader, who has launched a Bhasha Aandolon from Rabindranath Tagore's Sanctuary Bolpur, has asserted that "people from Gujarat were preparing Bengal's [voters'] list".This even as the West Bengal CEO flagged major irregularities during sample checking of voter lists in South and North 24 Parganas, where 127 fictitious voters were allegedly entered by two Electoral Registration Officers (ERO) without BLO verification, reported The Economic Times newspaper on SIR is a legal and essential exercise mandated under the Representation of the People Act, 1950, to ensure the accuracy and integrity of electoral rolls ahead of major tenure of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly ends in May 2026, with elections expected to be held earlier next REMINDER TO BLOs ON DUTY STIRS DEBATEA recent reminder by Mamata Banerjee to the BLOs that they are state government employees before and after elections does not offer much hope on an administrative meeting on July 28, Mamata reminded the BLOs, who are officials of the state government, that they work for the Government of West Bengal, not the Election Commission of India (ECI), reported The directed them to ensure that not a single name is removed from the voter's rolls, adding not to "harass" voters by removing names from electoral lists."After the election is announced, it comes under [ECI's] purview. Before that, it is the state government, and again after the elections, it is the state government," she elections, the Election Commission of India relies on government officials, including teachers, state employees and staff from some PSUs like nationalised banks, for conducting polls. The BLOs, who are state government employees, are mandated to assist in updating and verifying voter including BJP's Suvendu Adhikari, have argued that Mamata's "intimidatory statement" pressures BLOs to prioritise state loyalty over Election Commission of India (ECI) directives, potentially undermining impartial voter list a letter to the Chief Election Commissioner, Gyanesh Kumar, Adhikari termed the Mamata's appeal as "direct and unwarranted interference", calling it an "attempt to influence the revision of electoral rolls for political motives", reported news agency BENGAL CEO'S OFFICE UNDER STATE CONTROLMoreover, West Bengal is the only state where the CEO office operates under the Home and Hill Affairs department of the state government, the ECI recently CEO's office also lacks financial and administrative week, the ECI directed West Bengal to establish a separate election department to ensure institutional autonomy ahead of the 2026 Assembly polls."The Commission has noted the lack of financial and administrative autonomy available to the CEO, West Bengal, in the existing arrangement, wherein the CEO's office functions with limited financial powers relying on a minor permanent advance from the Finance Department. Further, the CEO's office has been categorised as a subordinate branch of the Home and Hill Affairs Department, which is led by a principal secretary-level officer, whereas the CEO himself is of ACS rank," the Election Commission wrote to the West Bengal Chief Secretary, in a letter dated July 17, reported The Indian Commission also directed the Chief Secretary to declare the CEO's office as an independent one structural and organisational issue, as also flagged by the BJP, raises concerns about the ability to conduct unbiased elections, as the CEO's office remains financially and administratively tethered to the state, potentially compromising its Home, Hill Affairs, and Revenue departments are under CM Mamata state president Samik Bhattacharya claimed that while the ECI aims to make the CEO's office more independent, the state government is resisting the move, "making it clear", he said, "who is trying to control the process", reported the ECI's push for a SIR of electoral rolls, which is speculated to be exercised next in West Bengal, has met resistance from SHIFTS IN BENGAL RAISE RED FLAGSRecent analyses highlight significant demographic changes in West Bengal, particularly in border districts, where the Muslim population has risen disproportionately over the last few decades. Many of the illegal migrants have been found to possess legal documents like the Aadhaar Card and Voter ID has put a question mark about the integrity of elections in the states where non-citizens are like Murshidabad and Malda have seen a notable rise in Muslim populations, with Murshidabad's Muslim share increasing from 63.7% in 2001 to 66.3% in 2011, and Malda from 49.7% to 51.3%.Many fear that the latest data, when released, will reveal even starker shifts, coupled with reports of illegal migration from Bangladesh, have fuelled concerns about voter list leaders, including the Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, have claimed that such changes enable the inclusion of "illegal Bangladeshi and Rohingya voters" in electoral rolls, a charge Mamata Banerjee has dismissed as politically week, Adhikari claimed that a sharp rise of over 70,000 Form-6 applications, along with domicile certificates issued after July 25, aimed at "enroling illegal Rohingya and Bangladeshi immigrants" signals voter roll 70,000 Form-6 applications have been submitted on average in the last week, a sharp rise from the usual 20,000-25,000, especially in Coochbehar, Alipurduar, Jalpaiguri, Maldah, North Dinajpur, Murshidabad, Nadia, and North & South 24 Parganas districts," he wrote on conclusion, the idea of free and fair elections in West Bengal remains elusive due to demographic changes, the state government's influence over electoral officers, and structural issues with the state poll body. Now, with the 2026 Vidhan Sabha polls approaching, these factors cast a shadow over the state's electoral integrity, making "ghhorar dim" an apt metaphor for an unattainable ideal.- EndsTune InMust Watch
