Ratna Bhandar of Lord Jagannath Temple in Puri Reopens After 46 Years, Know What’s Inside the Revered Treasury
The Ratna Bhandar, Jagannath Puri's treasure trove, was unlocked after 46 years on July 14. Know what's inside the revered treasury.
Mumbai, July 15: The Ratna Bhandar, Jagganath Puri's treasure trove, was unlocked after 46 years on Sunday, July 14. The Odisha government approved opening the Ratna Bhandar on July 13 after completing the inventory of valuables, including the jewellery stored there, and also issued Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). The treasury was last opened in 1978.
The state government assembled an 11-member team to enter the treasury. This team included 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, the "Gajapati Maharaja". Ratna Bhandar, Revered Treasury of 12th-Century Jagannath Temple in Odisha’s Puri, Re-Opened Today After 46 Years (Watch Video).
Visuals From Outside Shri Jagannath Temple
The team broke the lock of the inner chamber, shifted the valuables into a wooden chest, and then moved to another room inside the temple premises. "The structural safety of Srimandir is our topmost concern." Head of the audit supervisory committee, Justice (retired) Biswanath Rath, was quoted as saying. "We did not open the containers. We will set a date for our next meeting to shift all the valuables to the temporary strong room. After the repair work by ASI, we will keep the valuables back in the inner chamber. The audit and inventorization of the jewels would take place only inside the inner chamber," he added. Snakes Guarding Ratna Bhandar? Temple Officials To Deploy Snake Charmer As ‘Treasure Trobe’ of Lord Jagannath in Odisha’s Puri To Be Opened Today.
What Is Inside the Ratna Bhandar?
The Ratna Bhandar has two chambers: the Bahar Bhandar (outside chamber) and the Bhitar Bhandar (inside chamber). According to a magazine named Orissa Review, the outer treasury has 150 items of gold ornaments, including Lord Jagannath's suna mukuta and three gold necklaces (Haridakanthi Mali) weighing 120 tolas each. Also, Suna Sribhuja and Sri Payar of Jagannath and Balabhadra weigh 818 and 710 tolas, respectively.
The "Bhitar Bhandar" has 180 items of jewellery, including 74 pure gold ornaments, some of which weigh more than 100 tolas each, plates of gold, pearls, diamonds, corals, etc., and 146 silver articles weighing more than 500 tolas each. Odisha's King Anangabhima Dev donated 2.5 lakh madhas of gold to craft jewellery for the almighty.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 15, 2024 11:13 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).