Weeks after Odisha objected to the West Bengal government referring to the newly inaugurated shrine as 'Jagannath Dham', another demand has now emerged from across the border: replace the stone idols with wooden ones.
Servitors and religious scholars associated with the Jagannath tradition in Puri argue that Lord Jagannath cannot exist in stone form because the deity’s identity is inseparable from wood — specifically sacred neem wood known as 'daru'.
At the heart of the debate lies the ancient idea of 'Darubramha' which means the divine is embodied in wood. According to Jagannath mythology, the deity is not carved from ordinary material but manifests through sacred wood believed to contain a spiritual essence. Unlike most Hindu idols made of stone or marble, Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra at Puri are fashioned from neem trunks during the elaborate Nabakalebara ritual, where the old idols are buried and new ones created.
What is 'Nabakalebara'?
Since the Neem wood is natural and organic and it decays over time, the idols are ceremonially replaced. This process is called Nabakalebara and this event occurs every 12 to 19 years, depending on the Hindu lunar calendar
The cycle reflects mortality, rebirth and renewal — making Jagannath perhaps Hinduism’s most human deity.
Priests from Puri have reportedly said that while temples dedicated to Jagannath exist across India and abroad, the deity’s form must remain wooden to stay faithful to scripture and custom. Some have suggested the stone idols at Digha should only be barred from Rath Yatra processions, while others want them entirely replaced.
The Digha temple, inaugurated with much fanfare by West Bengal's former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, was envisioned as a spiritual and tourism landmark on Bengal’s coast. But almost every aspect of it has sparked resistance in Odisha, where Jagannath is not merely worshipped but is state pride.
Earlier, Odisha leaders had strongly opposed the use of the term 'Jagannath Dham' for the Digha temple, insisting that the title belongs exclusively to Puri, one of Hinduism’s four sacred dhams. Allegations had also surfaced over whether sacred leftover neem wood from Puri rituals had been used in Digha’s idols. The claims were later denied by Odisha authorities.
For devotees in Odisha, Jagannath is 'Darubramha', a living presence that must breathe through wood. Stone, they argue, may endure longer. But Jagannath, by tradition, was never meant to be eternal in that way.
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