Digha: With the inauguration of Digha's Jagannath temple, hotel owners are optimistic about a major boost in tourism at the seaside town. The tourism department plans to include the Jagannath temple in the religious circuit map of Bengal and make it appealing to foreign tourists. An official said the state govt also wants to make the Rath Yatra a significant event for tourists.
The Digha temple will be highlighted in all tourist spots in Bengal so that people can learn about the new temple. "People from different parts of Bengal are eagerly waiting to visit the temple after the inauguration by the CM. We expect a rush of visitors from Thursday onwards," said Nandan Maity, a hotel staff member.
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Tourists currently in Digha are also excited about the new temples. "Going to Puri is not always easy, as train tickets are not always available. But for Digha, one can easily access it by road," said Palash Mitra, a trader from Rishra.
Officials said that the Digha temple was an exact replica of the Puri Jagannath temple. They said there were other replicas of the Puri temple in Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, and Assam.
One of the priests from the Puri temple, Rajesh Daitapati, who conducted the consecration in Digha, said devotees of Lord Jagannath would surely visit the temple in huge numbers. Tapas Das, a devotee from Nabadwip, has waited on the road for the last two days to get a glimpse of the deity. He said more people from his village would soon come to Digha to visit the temple.
E-rickshaw driver Tutu Das said that more people have been availing his services for the past two days despite police restrictions. He said that people from adjoining districts were coming to visit the temple.