Lord Jagannath’s Ratna Bhandar in Odisha’s Puri will be opened on July 8

BHUBANESWAR: The Ratna Bhandar (treasure trove) of Lord Jagannath’s Srimandir will be opened on July 8. This was informed by Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) superintendent DB Garnayak on Wednesday.

According to Garnayak, inspection will be done on July 8. The Ratna Bhandar will be opened in the presence of the core committee and technical committee.

“As per the 2018 report, an inspection was done and cracks were observed, some stones had fallen and some iron rods were missing. The condition was not good. In the laser scanning, cracks were detected in the outer wall and joints. Through these cracks, rainwater might be entering,” said Garnayak.

It was alleged that there was water seepage inside Ratna Bhandar during monsoon season.

Sudarsan Pattnaik, a member of the Srimandir Committee, expressed shock over the previous BJD government’s dilatory approach to open Ratna Bhandar.

“The Srimandir Committee had done an inspection and reported about seepage and other issues in 2018. Now six years have passed and when it was known that there was some problem in Ratna Bhandar, no step was taken despite letters by ASI. Now, the laser scanning also detected cracks in Ratna Bhandar,” said Pattnaik.

According to Pattnaik, “Keeping the temple safe is everybody’s responsibility. Action should be taken for the six-year delay. I urge CM Mohan Majhi to take action and discuss the matter with ASI, the Temple officials and take appropriate decisions.”

Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) chief administrator Vir Vikram Yadav said, “The state government has constituted a committee and based on the recommendation, necessary steps will be taken accordingly.”

The senior ASI official said that 'as it is visible that there are cracks and wrought iron beam is missing, steps will be taken for its replacement'.

As there are precious items in the Ratna Bhandar, the concerned Committee and Temple administration will take a decision at a meeting which is likely to be held soon.

“Everybody has given consent for the opening of the Ratna Bhandar for inspection on July 8. It is difficult to say anything on the exact days it will take for necessary restoration works,” he said.

Senior SJTA officials said that once the Committee meeting is held and based on its recommendation, the state government will be approached.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, had made the opening of Ratna Bhandar a major poll issue. The previous government was dilly-dallying to open the treasure trove saying its original keys were lost. It had also said that Ratna Bhadar will be opened only after the High Court of Orissa, which is adjudicating a case on the matter, orders for it.

During the poll campaign, the PM had assured Odisha people that Ratna Bhandar will be opened within six months after the BJP comes to power in the state. The issue had caught the imagination of the Odia people who suspected some “ill motive” behind the Naveen Patnaik government’s reluctance to open Ratna Bhandar.

The mysterious missing of Lord Jagnnath’s Ratna Bhandar key for years and sudden location of a “duplicate” key has added spice to current Odisha politics.

What is Ratna Bhandar?

Ratna Bhandar is a treasure trove of the 12th century Sriandir, the abode of Lord Jagannath. According to the Odisha Government, it has over 12,000 tolas (each total is approximately Rs 10 grams) of gold jewelries and precious gemstones.

The missing of the key came to light when the state administration, following an order of the High Court of Orissa, on April 4 2018 tried to open it for enumeration of the jewelleries and gemstones after a period of 34 years. A 16-member team led by Pradeep Jena, the then Chief Administrator of Sri Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA), - had then to suspend the inspection due to “non-availability” of the original key. When the BJP, which was then principal opposition in Odisha Legislative Assembly, along with the Congress questioned the missing of the keys and doubted the safety of the preserved items, the Naveen Patnaik government said it had duplicate keys. But that government never showed any interest in opening the treasure trove.

Ratna Bhandar was last opened in 1985.

According to researchers, Ratna Bhandar has two chambers — ‘Bhitar Bhandar’ (Inner Treasury) and ‘Bahar Treasury’ (Outer Treasury). In accordance with the provisions of Sri Jagannath Temple Rules, 1960, the articles in Ratna Bhandar are classified under three categories - articles that are kept in Bhitar Bhandar and never used (category-I); those that are used only on ceremonial or festive occasion (category-II); and those that are for daily use of the deities (category-III).