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Jagannath Mandir’s Ratna Bhandar Will Be Opened On Or After 8 July For Inspection
Prime Minister Narendra Modi outside the Shree Jagannath Mandir last month.
Shree Jagannath Mandir’s ‘ratna bhandar’ which stores all treasures belonging to the deities will be opened for inspection by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) after 8 July.
The superintending archaeologist of ASI’s Puri circle, Dibishada Brajasundar Garnayak, told reporters that permission had been sought from the high court-appointed committee to carry out inspection and repair works after the opening of both the outer and inner chambers of the ratna bhandar.
The ASI officer said that all the treasures in both the chambers of the ratna bhandar would have to be taken out to enable the ASI to inspect and carry out necessary repair works without any hindrance.
The inner chamber, or the bhitar bhandar of the ratna bhandar, has not been opened since 1978. That was the last time an inventory of all the treasures, including gold and silver ornaments, precious stones and priceless articles, was carried out.
Since the Rath Yatra is on 7 and 8 July this year, the ratna bhandar which lies adjacent to the jagamohan (prayer hall) of the temple, will be opened on or after 8 July.
The ASI had carried out a laser scan of the bhitar bhandar from outside the chamber last year. That scan had revealed cracks in the outer wall and joints. Experts feel that the rainwater may have seeped in through these cracks, damaging the structure.
The two chambers have 149 kilos of gold ornaments and objects and 258 kilos of silver ornaments and articles. Of this, the bhitar bhandar had 120 kilos of gold ornaments and objects and 220 kilos of silver ornaments and articles.
A major controversy erupted in June 2018 when the keys to the bhitar bhandar were reported to be missing by the Puri district collector (who is also the custodian of the keys). Then chief minister Naveen Patnaik had ordered a judicial enquiry, but the report was never made public.
A few days after the judicial enquiry was instituted, a duplicate set of keys was mysteriously discovered, but that also triggered another controversy since the existence of a duplicate set of keys was never known earlier.
The missing keys to the bhitar bhandar became a major issue during the campaign for the recently-concluded Lok Sabha polls. The BJP accused the BJD government of hiding the keys in order to avoid an audit of the treasures in the bhitar bhandar.
A comprehensive audit of the treasures may be conducted after the bhitar bhandar is emptied out for inspection and necessary repairs.
