 "Jagannath Temple, Ratna Bhandar")
Amid the ongoing Lok Sabha elections and simultaneous Assembly polls in Odisha, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has promised to find the “missing” key of the Ratna Bhandar at Puri’s Jagannath Temple if voted to power.
The controversy surrounds the key to the treasure trove of the 12th-century temple, which is officially “lost.”
What is Ratna Bhandar of Jagannath Temple?
“Sri Jagannath Temple in Shrikshetra Puri is popularly known as ‘Sri Mandir’. The most precious property of Sri Mandir is Sri ‘Ratna Bhandar’. According to the rules and practices of Sri Mandir, the gold, jewels, etc., offered to Sri Jagannath Mahaprabhu are to be stored in this Ratna Bhandar,” explains the Odisha government.
The bhandar has two chambers - an outer and an inner. The day-to-day ornaments of the deities - Jagannath, Subhadra, and Balabhadra are stored in the outer chamber.
When did Ratna Bhandar's keys go missing?
The controversy over the key dates back to 2018 when they could not be located by the officials while they were attempting to inspect its structural condition following an order issued by the Odisha High Court. This led to a row over the issue, after which Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik ordered a judicial inquiry into the matter. The commission submitted a 324-page report in November of that year.
The matter intensified further when, days after the inquiry launch, the then Puri district collector, Aravaind Agarwal, told the media that he had found an envelope in his record room, which had written on it - “duplicate keys of the inner Ratna Bhandar.”
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As part of its poll plank, the BJP has promised to make this undisclosed report publicly available if it comes to power.
PM Modi attacks Patnaik over the issue
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his poll rallies, has alleged that the Patnaik-led Biju Janata Dal (BJD) has “suppressed” the judicial commission report on the keys. "Even the temple of Lord Jagannath in Puri is not safe in the hands of this government,” he said, referring to the “missing” keys.
“The role of the BJD in the case is suspect. The BJP government, after it comes to power on June 10, will make the report public," Modi had said, adding it is said that the Ratna Bhandar key could have gone to Tamil Nadu. This remark references Patnaik's confidant V K Pandian’s Tamil origins.
BJD responds to PM Modi's allegation
In response, Pandian has urged Modi to find the keys if he has knowledge of the matter. Pandian said the inner chamber of the Ratna Bhandar has not been opened in almost four decades. Of these, one decade was when BJP ministers handled the issue. So perhaps they should find out where the keys are, he said.
“The honourable high court ordered the Jagannath temple administration to open the Ratna Bhandar at a time fixed by the administration... So they have decided on the Rath Yatra time (in July),” he added, urging the PM to come and witness the event when it happens.
(With PTI inputs)
