Puri, May 2 (UNI) Servitors of the Sri Jagannath Temple have came down heavily on Ramakrushna Dasmohapatra, Secretary of the Daitapati Nijog, for supplying and installing the Daru Bigrahas (sacred wooden idols) of Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra, Devi Subhadra, and Mahalaxmi at the Digha Jagannath Temple on the occasion of Akshaya Tritiya.
The temple, a replica of the Puri Jagannath Temple, was inaugurated by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, with the priests performing the consecration rituals.
The controversy surfaced after Ramakrushna Dasmahapatra stated in an interview with a Bengal TV channel that he had advised the Chief Minister to install Neem Daru deities instead of stone idols—a suggestion she reportedly accepted. Following her approval, he arranged for the Daru Bigrahas to be provided.