Jagannath Temple Treasury Keys go Missing, Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik Orders Judicial Inquiry

Bhubaneswar, June 4: In news coming from the revered Jagannath Temple, the temple's treasury keys are reported to have gone missing. As the news of the keys going missing spread, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik ordered a probe into the case. The Chief Minister has seeked probe reportin three months. The temple treasury is valuable not only for the wealth of the temple but also the devotion it evokes in the devotees. The Shankaracharya of Puri protested against the keys going missing, so as the other Swamis. In a statement given to the media, the Odisha CM said that a judicial inquiry will be held into the circumstances which led to the unavailability of the keys to Ratna bhandar of Jagannath Temple, Puri.

It was during the meeting of the temple's managing committee, that the issue of unavailability of the temple's treasury keys came to light.

The Ratna Bhandar has seven chambers in all and comprises of two outer chambers which are frequently visited and checked. The remaining chambers are known as the inner chambers.

On April 4, 2018, a 16 member team visited the Ratna Bhandar to examine and inspect the condition of the chambers. This was done in accordance to the Odisha High Court order which was looking over the repair work by the Archaeological Survey of India(ASI). The court had ordered ASI to determine the health of the structure and examine its safety.  The team could examine the outer chambers but it could not enter the inner chambers as the keys could not be found. As reported earlier, a probe has been ordered in the case by Odisha chief minister and he has sort a report in three months.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 04, 2018 06:13 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).