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The Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) has secured trademark protection for 'Jagannath Dham' and other sacred terms linked to the Puri temple.
The cleared terms include Jagannath Dham, Shri Kshetra, Mahaprasad, Neelachakra and Koili Baikuntha.
The move aims to safeguard the religious and cultural identity of the Puri temple from misuse.
It follows a controversy over West Bengal's use of 'Dham' for the Digha Jagannath temple.
The terms were approved for publication in the Trademark Journal after the examination stage.
A trademark, granted under the Trade Marks Act, 1999, protects a name, symbol or mark that identifies the goods or services of a particular owner, so others cannot use it without permission. It is different from a Geographical Indication (GI), which protects products tied to a place's reputation (like Darjeeling tea). Here the SJTA is using trademarks to stop the temple's sacred names being commercially exploited or applied to other institutions.
Simple Analogy: It is like the temple registering its own brand names so no one else can put them on a signboard or product.
General Awareness > Art, Culture and Current Affairs
GS Paper 1 > Culture; GS Paper 3 > Intellectual Property
The Indian law governing registration and protection of trademarks.
Shree Jagannath Temple Administration, the statutory body managing the Puri temple.