Puri Jagannath temple Ratna Bhandar reopened after 46 years

PURI: Ratna Bhandar, the revered treasury of the 12th-century Jagannath temple in Puri, was reopened on Sunday after 46 years for an inventory of valuables and the repair of its structure, officials said.

The members of a committee set up by the state government for the purpose entered the temple around 12 pm, and after performing rituals, the treasury was reopened at 1.28 pm, the auspicious moment which was decided at a meeting in the morning, they said.

Work for preparing the inventory did not start on Sunday and it will take time.

The reopening of the Ratna Bhandar was a major political issue during the recently held assembly elections.

Targeting the then-ruling BJD over missing keys of the treasury, the BJP had promised that it would make efforts to reopen it if the party won the polls.

"On the wish of Lord Jagannath, the Odia community, with the identity of 'Odia Asmita', has started making efforts to move forward," the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) said in a post on X in Odia.

"On your wish, the four gates of the Jagannath temples were earlier opened. Today, on your wish, the Ratna Bhandar was opened after 46 years for a greater purpose," it said in the post.

Among the 11 people present when the treasury was reopened were former Orissa HC judge Biswanath Rath, Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) chief administrator Arabinda Padhee, ASI Superintendent DB Gadanayak and a representative of Puri's titular king 'Gajapati Maharaja', officials said.

Also among them were four servitors who took care of the rituals.

They came out of the Ratna Bhandar, which has an inner and an outer chamber, around 5.20 pm.

"We carried out all the works as per SOP. We first opened the outer chamber of the Ratna Bhandar and shifted all ornaments and valuables kept there to the temporary strong room inside the temple. We have sealed the strong room," Padhee told reporters.

"Then, the authorised persons entered the inner chamber of the treasury. Three locks were there. No lock could be opened with the key available with the district administration. So, as per the SOP, we broke the three locks in the presence of a magistrate, and then, we entered the inner chamber. We inspected the valuables kept in the almirahs and the chests," he said.

Padhee said the committee decided not to shift the valuables from the inner chamber immediately.

"The process of shifting the valuables has to be done at once. It was not possible today. We will fix a date to shift the ornaments after the completion of the Bahuda Yatra and 'Suna Vesha' rituals," he said.

The idols of the sibling deities of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Goddess Subhadra are at present in the Gundicha temple where they were taken during Rath Yatra on July 7. They would be brought back to the 12th-century shrine during the Bahuda Yatra on Monday.

“After shifting the ornaments from the outer chamber, the temporary strong room has been locked and the keys have been given to three authorised persons as daily use ornaments are also there,” Justice Rath said.

New locks were used to secure the doors of the inner chamber and the keys were handed over to the Puri collector, he said, adding that the entire process was videographed.

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), the custodian of the temple, also inspected the condition of the inner chamber, officials said.

Before entering the temple, Padhee said the priority was to ensure the safety of the structure of the treasury, which is located in the basement of the temple.

"The inventory work will not start today. It will be done after getting approval of the government on the engagement of valuers, goldsmiths and other experts. After the completion of the repair works, the valuables will be brought back and then, the process for inventory will be carried out," he added.

Six wooden chests with brass interiors were brought to the temple for moving the valuables.

The chests, made of teak, were 4.5 feet in length, 2.5 feet in height and 2.5 feet in breadth, an official said.

"The temple authority on July 12 had asked us to build 15 such chests. After working for 48 hours, we have completed six chests," said one of the workers who made them.

The treasury was last opened in 1978, and at that time, it took 70 days to prepare the inventory of the valuables, which have been donated to the temple by devotees over centuries, officials said.

An attempt was made in 2018 as well to reopen the Ratna Bhandar on the direction of the Orissa High Court but the original keys could not be found, and eventually, the plan was abandoned.

Padhee said Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) have been formulated for the entire process.

"Three SOPs have been formulated. One is related to the reopening of the Ratna Bhandar, the second one is for the management of the temporary Ratna Bhandar, and the third is related to inventory of the valuables," he said.

The government has decided to prepare a digital catalogue of the valuables in the Ratna Bhandar that will have details such as their weight, another official said.

As it was apprehended that inside the treasury there were snakes, believed by devotees to be guarding the valuables, snake catchers were called. However, no snake was found there, officials said.

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, in a post on X, said the BJP government has fulfilled the promise made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the people of Odisha.