Mamata opens Digha temple, dedicates Jagannath Dham to people of Bengal

Digha: Dedicating the Jagannath Dham in Digha to the people of Bengal, CM Mamata Banerjee said on Wednesday that Lord Jagannath's ‘prasad' would be sent to every household in the state. This came after the CM inaugurated the temple a little after 3pm.
The CM's proclamation, feel political observers, was intended to strengthen Bengali sentiment towards Jagannath, solidify the Hindu vote bank, and counter BJP in the state. Banerjee has asked the I&CA department to ensure the distribution of ‘prasad' and images of Jagannath to every household.
Prior to the dedication of the temple, in a special message to the people of Bengal, said: "I believe this temple will remain a beloved pilgrimage and tourist destination for thousands of years. Its doors are open now and I invite everyone... The temple is for everyone."
"On this auspicious day, we completed the consecration of the idols of Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra, and inaugurated the newly constructed Jagannath Temple in Digha. The Lord was anointed with 108 ingredients. May the land of Bengal be blessed by the presence of Lord Jagannath. Representatives from Adyapeeth, Dakshineswar, Belur Math, Kamarpukur, Jayrambati, and Kachua Loknathdham. I express my gratitude to the artists and architects. From today, Bengal turns a new page of its history," the CM said.
Alongside Rajesh Dwaitapati, 57 priests from Puri performed the rituals ahead of the consecration, under the supervision of 17 ISKCON monks. The priests recited the Narasimha mantra one crore times, ahead of the opening.
By 4 pm, thousands of devotees arrived at the temple to get the deitys' first "darshan". Hundreds entered the temple with their phones recording the event as the police, led by DGP Rajeev Kumar, tried their best to control the crowd. Some cops, however, were happily clicking away themselves.
Just a few paces away from the chaos, stood Alex — an ISKCON devotee — who had come all the way from Russia to witness the consecration. Near him, stood former Kolkata mayor Sovan Chatterjee
The inauguration featured cultural performances, beginning with the songs of TMC Aditi Munshi. The programme was anchored by information and tourism minister Indranil Sen, who performed a song on Lord Jagannath penned by the CM. Jeet Gannguli and Sriradha Banerjee also performed some songs written and composed by the CM. This was followed by a dance performance by Dona Ganguly and her troupe. Actor Prosenjit Chatterjee, and actor-lawmakers Dev, June Malia, Rachana Banerjee and Sayantika Banerjee were present in the audience.