Odisha set to patent words, logo associated with Puri Jagannath Temple

The Jagannath Temple in Digha in West Bengal has forced Puri based Sri Jagannath Temple Administration to apply for patents of terms such as ‘Srimandir’, ‘Jagannath Dham’, ‘Mahaprasad’, ‘logo of Srimandir’ and more.The temple management committee which met in Puri on Monday said the Sri Jagannath Temple Administration would apply for patents of terms such as ‘Srimandir’, ‘Jagannath Dham’, ‘Mahaprasad’, ‘logo of Srimandir’, ‘Shrikshetra’, and ‘Purushottam Dham’. It has been approved in a high-level meeting today,” said SJTA chief administrator Arabinda Padhee.“Patenting these temple-related terms is a legal measure aimed at preserving the sanctity, heritage, and unique identity of the Jagannath Temple. This step is crucial to prevent the indiscriminate use of sacred terminology linked to Lord Jagannath,” said Arabinda Padhee.A proposal to this effect was approved at the SJTMC meeting chaired by the Gajapati Maharaja of Puri, Dibyasingha Deb, and attended by ex-officio members including Chief Secretary Manoj Ahuja, Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) Chief Administrator Arabinda Padhee, Puri District Collector Siddharth Shankar Swain, Puri SP Vinit Agarwal, and others.
Puri’s king Gajapati Maharaja Dibyasingha Deb on Monday urged the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) and the state government to take immediate action against the naming of the newly inaugurated Jagannath temple in Digha of West Bengal as ‘Jagannath Dham’. "Terms like Nilachal Dham, Shreekhetra, Srimandir, and Jagannath Dham have always been exclusively associated with the sacred temple in Puri,” he said.
The Puri Shankaracharya and several others have argued that using “Dham” for Digha undermines Puri’s unique spiritual and cultural significance. The Digha temple allows non-Hindus and foreigners, unlike Puri’s Hindu-only tradition, further fuelling objections.BJP leaders Sambit Patra and Suvendu Adhikari accused the West Bengal government of using the temple for political leverage ahead of the 2026 assembly polls.