46 years later, an audit was conducted on the treasury of the 12th-century Jagannath temple in Puri. The room held gold, silver, and precious stones. There were no snakes discovered indoors.
Officials familiar with the situation announced that the inner chamber of the treasury at the Jagannath temple in Puri, dating back to the 12th century, was opened for a valuables audit after 46 years, highlighting a process surrounded by political disputes and superstition.
The Ratna Bhandar, located near the main idols and assembly hall, is widely known as the guardian of the temple’s wealth. During the 1978 audit of Bhandar, the Odisha government reported that the inventory included 149.6kg of gold ornaments adorned with precious stones, 258.3kg of silver utensils, and various other items. The door was opened on Sunday with a 12-member team including the head of the state government’s high-level committee, officials from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), and representatives from the temple trust.
We completed all the tasks following the SOPs. Initially, we unlocked the exterior compartment of the Ratna Bhandar and relocated all jewelry and valuables stored there to a temporary secure location within the temple. “We’ve locked the secure chamber,” declared Arabinda Padhee, chief administrator of the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA).
The team had to forcibly open the inner chamber by breaking its three locks since the keys provided were not effective. The team members chose not to open the wooden chests in the inner chamber because they didn’t have enough time. The jewelry and decorations in the inner chamber will be moved to a temporary strong room within the temple grounds on a different day since the temple staff will be occupied with the Bahuda Yatra and other ceremonies starting Monday,” Padhee stated.
Officials said that during the 1978 audit, it took 70 days to complete the inventory of valuables.
The chairman of the audit supervisory committee set up by the government, Justice (retired) Biswanath Rath, reported that the team observed five wooden chests, four wooden cupboards, and one steel cupboard in the inner chamber. He mentioned that there could be many other items there, as we still need to check behind the almirahs.
The Ratna Bhandar has two parts – an outer chamber opened for rituals and an inner chamber last opened in 1985 to remove jewelry for new ornaments for Lord Balabhadra and silver cladding the gate, according to sources. Nevertheless, there was no audit conducted during that period.
“At the behest of Lord Jagannath, the Odia community, known for its ‘Odia Asmita’ identity, has initiated efforts towards progress.” At your request, the four entrances of the Jagannath temples were previously unlocked. Today, as per your request, the Ratna Bhandar was opened after 46 years for a more significant cause,” stated the office of chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi in a post on X in Odia.
In March 2018, after a public interest lawsuit, the Orissa high court requested ASI to assess the structural state of the Ratna Bhandar and provide a status update. On April 4 of that same year, a group of 16 individuals tried to access the Bhandar, but the keys provided by the Puri district collector did not fit the lock, and the government did not provide a clear reason for the mismatch.
During the recent assembly elections, the BJP brought attention to the issue of the treasury being opened by emphasizing the 2018 “disappearance” of the treasury key. From PM Modi to Amit Shah, every BJP leader echoed the motto of “Odia Asmita” (Odia pride) in order to remove the BJD government. If elected, the BJP pledged to audit and inventory the treasury as stated in their manifesto.
Confusion has surrounded the opening of the Ratna Bhandra in the past two weeks due to the state’s new BJP government replacing the old panel led by former Supreme Court judge Arijit Pasayat, which was established by the Naveen Patnaik government in February.
Stories of magical snakes protecting the wealth have also taken over the temple’s treasury, adding to the superstition and folklore. This led the authorities to have the Snake Helpline team and medical personnel ready. Yet, upon opening the chamber, no snakes were discovered.
We were tasked with fulfilling our responsibility during the Ratna Bhandar opening process. Subhendu Mallick, the Snake Helpline chief, stated that they were not summoned to the inner chamber.
