The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is likely to start repair work for the 'Ratna Bhandar' of the Jagannath temple in Odisha's Puri from December 16, an official said. The ASI has sought approval from the Niti sub-committee of the temple for the proposed repair work, ASI superintendent D B Garnaik said on Sunday. "After getting the time slot, we will start the work, most probably from December 16," he said. Earlier, the ASI had conducted the GPR-GPS survey of the 12th-century shrine's 'Ratna Bhandar' (treasury) with the assistance of the Hyderabad-based National Geophysical Research Institute. The institute submitted its survey findings to ASI last month, the official said. The repair work will be conducted as per the survey report and with the approval of the temple management, he said. The 'Ratna Bhandar' repair issue will be discussed during the Chhatisa Nijoga', the confederation of servitors of the Jagannath temple in Puri, scheduled for December 10, Puri Collector Sidd
The Jagannath temple authorities in Puri will take up the matter with the Indian authorities of ISKCON over its plan to hold an "untimely Rath Yatra" in the US, Odisha Law Minister Prithviraj Harichandan said. He said several socio-cultural organisations met him and expressed concern over the plan of ISKCON's Houston unit to conduct Lord Jagannath's 'Snan Yatra' (bathing festival) and Rath Yatra (chariot festival) in November, deviating from the normal practice at the temple in Puri where it is held a few months back at a stipulated time period. Many people including priests of the Jagannath temple are of the opinion that all rituals of the Lord across the world should be observed following religious practices held at Puri, the law minister said on Monday. The Puri Jagannath temple falls under the jurisdiction of the state government's law department. "The Shree Jagannath Temple Administration will hold talks with ISKCON and I hope a positive result will emerge," Harichandan ...
The Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) on Saturday wrote a letter to the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to start the inspection work of the 'Ratna Bhandar' of the 12th-century shrine in Puri before undertaking repair and renovation of the Lord's treasury. The SJTA Chief Administrator, Arabinda Padhee in a letter to the ASI DG urged the central agency to take over the Ratna Bhandar and initiate scanning and geo-physical investigation using latest technology, conservation, repair and restoration of inner and outer chambers of the treasury of Lord Jagannath's temple in Puri. With both the inner and outer chambers of the treasury empty, the SJTA feels that the inspection works are required amid apprehensions about the presence of some secret tunnels or chambers inside the Ratna Bhandar. The SJTA has also urged ASI to conduct the necessary inspection work through IIT or CBRI-like institutions that have expertise while ensuring no adverse impact on the 12th-century shrine.
Odisha Law Minister Prithviraj Harichandan on Sunday said the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) will soon begin repairing the Ratna Bhandar (treasury) of Jagannath Temple in Puri. The ASI will first assess and repair the outer chamber of the treasury, followed by the inner chamber, he said. "A minor correction has been made in the standard operating procedure (SOP) for the repair work and the date will be finalised soon," Harichandan said. He emphasised that the rituals of Lord Jagannath and his sibling deities will not be disrupted during the repair work. The Odisha government is also considering whether to perform laser scanning of the inner chamber to detect any secret compartments, Harichandan said. Addressing the issue of duplicate keys to the 'Ratna Bhandar', the law minister criticised the previous BJD government for allegedly creating "unnecessary drama" around the keys to avoid opening the treasury. "An investigation will be conducted, and those who played with the ..
Ratna Bhandar is the treasure trove of the 12th-century Puri-based Jagannath Temple that has been in much discussion since the recently concluded Odisha Assembly elections
Puri's Jagannath temple has formed a three-member panel to probe the falling of Lord Balabhadra idol on some servitors while it was being taken from the chariot to Gundicha temple as part of the Rath Yatra festival, an official said. The committee has expressed concern over the incident during the 'Pahandi' ritual on Tuesday night and also held a detailed discussion on the incident, said V V Yadav, chief administrator of Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) in Puri. The three-member panel consisting of an additional district magistrate (ADM), SJTA administrator (development), and a DSP rank police officer will investigate the matter and submit a report within 10 days after completion of 'Niladri Bije' (return of Lord Jagannath and his siblings to their temple), he said. The committee will examine the available video footage and see whether designated servitors were there or not along with other aspects that led to such an incident, Yadav told reporters. The chief administra
At least two persons died and over 130 were injured in two different incidents during Lord Jagannath's Rath Yatra in Odisha, officials said on Monday. A resident of Bolangir district died allegedly due to suffocation in a stampede-like situation on Sunday during the Rath Yatra in Puri, a health official said. "When we put him in the ambulance, his pulse was running. We took him to the hospital and gave him CPR. However, doctors declared him brought dead," said Sushant Kumar Patnaik, assistant commandant of St John ambulance service. According to sources, the devotee fainted on Grand Road while pulling the chariot of Lord Balabhadra. He was immediately rushed to the Puri District Headquarters Hospital, where the doctor declared him brought. Expressing grief over his death, Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi announced ex gratia of Rs 4 lakh for the next of kin of the deceased. He also instructed officials concerned to ensure the best available medical care for the injured ...
The seaside pilgrim town Puri is all set for smooth conduct of Lord Jagannath's annual Rath Yatra festival which will be a two-day affair from Sunday in 53 years. Along with lakhs of devotees, President Droupadi Murmu is also scheduled to witness the Rath Yatra on Sunday. The state government has made special arrangements for her visit. Officials said that the Odisha government has made elaborate arrangements for the smooth conduct of the festival which usually is organized in a single day. Some celestial arrangements have made it a two-day event which was last held for two days in 1971. In a departure from tradition, some of the rituals related to the festival involving three sibling deities - Lord Jagannath, Devi Subhadra and Lord Balabhadra - will also be held in a single day on Sunday. The chariots have been parked in front of the Lion's Gate of the Jagannath temple from where they would be taken to Gundicha temple where the Raths will stay for a week. The chariots will be pul
The 147th edition of the annual Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath will take place on July 7 in Ahmedabad where more than 18,000 security personnel will be deployed to guard the event which draws lakhs of devotees, officials said. Senior police officials will keep a close watch on the procession using 1,733 body-worn cameras linked to a control room. Besides, 20 drones and 96 surveillance cameras have been installed at 47 locations on the route, an official release said on Wednesday. Nearly 1,400 CCTV cameras installed by shopkeepers on the route will also be used for live surveillance, it said. Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel on Wednesday reviewed the security preparedness for the mega religious event at a meeting which was attended by various officials including Minister of State for Home Harsh Sanghavi and Director General of Police Vikas Sahay. Ahmedabad Commissioner of Police GS Malik made an elaborate presentation during the meeting on various security aspects of the Rath .
The death toll in the explosion of a stockpile of firecrackers in Odisha's Puri mounted to 11 after two of the injured people died, a senior official said on Sunday. Nineteen people are currently undergoing treatment in various hospitals in Puri, Bhubaneswar and Cuttack. Altogether 30 people were injured in the explosion that happened during Lord Jagannath's 'Chandan Yatra', a ritual, on the night of May 29. Two more persons died in the tragedy in Puri. The total death toll increased to 11. Presently, 19 patients are under medical treatment in different hospitals, the office of the Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) said in a statement. Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and BJP's Puri Lok Sabha candidate Sambit Patra met family members of the deceased on Saturday evening. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had ordered an inquiry into the accident and announced an ex gratia of Rs 4 lakh to the next of kin of each deceased. The Puri collector has taken steps for the payment of ex-gratia,
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday accused the BJP of insulting the people of Odisha as one of its leaders recently claimed that Lord Jagannath is a devotee of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Addressing an election rally in Simulia in the Bhadrak Lok Sabha seat, he also vowed to save the Constitution of India and democracy in the country. The BJP has insulted every individual of Odisha as one of its leaders claimed that Lord Jagannath is a devotee of PM Modi," Gandhi said. BJP's Puri Lok Sabha candidate Sambit Patra had recently made the remark. Embroiled in a controversy over his "slip of the tongue" on Lord Jagannath, Patra apologised and announced that he would undertake a penance by observing fast for three days. The Congress leader alleged that the BJP and its allies are united to destroy democracy and the Constitution of the country. No force on the earth can destroy our Constitution. You cannot even touch the Constitution by utilising all your forces, Gandhi said in an
Fifteen people received burn injuries after a heap of firecrackers exploded during Lord Jagannath's Chandan Jatra festival in Odisha's Puri on Wednesday night, police said. Hundreds of people had gathered on the banks of Narendra Pushkarinee, a waterbody, to witness the rituals when the accident happened, they said. A group of devotees were celebrating the festival with crackers. Suddenly, a splinter from the burning crackers struck the heap, leading to the explosion, they added. The burning crackers then hit the people gathered at the spot, and some of them, even jumped into the waterbody to save themselves, police said. The injured persons were admitted to the district hospital, and the conditions of four of them were critical, a doctor said. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik expressed grief over the incident and directed officials concerned to ensure proper treatment of the injured. He said the cost of the treatment would be borne by the Chief Minister's Relief Fund.
The keys of inner Ratna Bhandar, the treasure trove of the Jagannath Temple in Puri, are missing since 2018. This issue is BJP's key poll planks in Odisha as it aims to oust the Patnaik government
BJP's Sambit Patra caused uproar by suggesting Lord Jagannath is a devotee of PM Modi. Patra apologised, vowing to observe fasting as penance amidst ongoing elections
Lok Sabha polls" Modi will visit UP's Varanasi today, his parliamentary constituency, ahead of polling there on June 1; a row has erupted in Maharashtra over low voter turnout and all latest updates
With the grand unveiling of the Jagannatha heritage corridor, Naveen Patnaik plans to undercut any gains the BJP may have in Odisha because of the Ayodhya event
The Jagannath temple police and the temple servitors would keep an eye on anyone wearing indecent clothes, said a temple official
Idols of Lord Jagannath and his siblings were placed on their respective chariots on Tuesday, following spectacular ceremonial Pahandi rituals
Later in the day, she will visit Jaydev Bhawan and inaugurate Odia textbook for engineering and a portal (e-Kumbh) before flying back to Delhi
Around 1 mn people are expected to gather for the festival in the temple town from across the country, and some foreign nations, says an official