PM Modi Rakes Up Mystery Of Missing Keys To Puri Jagannath Temple's Ratna Bhandar

Puri: Raking up the issue of missing keys of the inner chamber of Puri Jagannath Temple's Ratna Bhandar (treasure house), Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday charged the ruling Naveen Patnaik-led BJD government of avoiding the matter.

Addressing a rally in Odisha's Kandhamal, PM Modi slammed the BJD government in Odisha of hiding the truth on this matter and promised the people of Odisha that under the BJP government, transparency and the reputation of Shri Ratna Bhandar will be restored.

He said, "Seven decades ago, rules were established for the management of the Shri Jagannath Temple. Among these rules was the maintenance of records for all temple assets, including gold, silver, and precious stones. The last evaluation of the treasure in Shri Ratna Bhandar took place 45 years ago, revealing an abundance of jewellery and gems deemed priceless. Surprisingly, the inner chamber keys of Shri Ratna Bhandar have been missing for the past 6 years."

He added, "The state government claims to have found duplicate keys, but how and by whom they were made remains unknown. Now the question is why this duplicate key was made? Does anyone keeps opening and closing it? Loss of the key is a serious concern the issue that is much more concerning is the duplicate key."

"Despite handing over the investigation to a commission, the Odisha government has not made the report public. The BJP is committed to addressing this issue, and we ask, why is the BJD government avoiding it?"

“What compels the state government to hide the truth? Who are they trying to protect? Today, I promise the people of Odisha and the nation that under the BJP government, transparency and the reputation of Shri Ratna Bhandar will be restored. This is Modi Ki Guarantee,” the PM said in Kandhamal.

Wrapping up his address in Kandhamal, PM Modi stressed the importance of the Lotus symbol, urging everyone seeking change to vote for it to end BJD's misrule. He highlighted that the Lotus symbolizes peace, development, knowledge, and science, ensuring respect for women, fulfilling resolutions, and bringing security, prosperity, and self-reliance. Representing India's rich heritage and pride, the Lotus symbolizes victory, faith, respect, and self-respect, leading the nation towards progress.

What is Jagannath Temple’s Ratna Bhandar?

The most precious property of Sri Jagannath Temple is Sri 'Ratna Bhandar'. According to the rules and practices of the Jagannath Temple, the gold, jewels, etc., offered to Sri Jagannath Mahaprabhu are to be stored in this Ratna Bhandar. This fabulous Treasury of the Jagannath Temple has been enriched by the contributions and donations offered by the devotees from all over the world. Sri Ratna Bhandar is situated on the northern side of the Jagamohan of Jagannath Temple.

The Ratna Bhandar in Sri Mandir has two chambers namely, the ‘Bhitar Bhandar’ (Inner Treasury) and ‘Bahar Treasury’ (Outer Treasury).

The outer chamber, housing three keys, is routinely accessed to retrieve ornaments for the sibling deities during the Suna Besha, a significant ritual observed during the annual Rath Yatra and other ceremonies. The custody of these keys is shared by the erstwhile royal family of Puri, which has historically overseen temple affairs, along with the Shri Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) and Bhandar Mekap, the appointed custodian of the treasury.

Missing Keys of Ratna Bhandar

Details regarding the contents of the inner chamber, whose keys are currently missing, remain undisclosed to the public. Reports indicate that the last inventory of the ratna bhandar was conducted between May 13 and July 23, 1978. Although the chamber was reopened on July 14, 1985, no subsequent inventory has been documented.

The news of missing keys was made public in 2018, emotions ran high among devotees, forcing the state to order a judicial commission of inquiry. 

An attempt was made to open the inner chamber of ‘Ratna Bhandar’ in April 2018 following a directive of the Orissa High Court, but it was not successful as keys were not found at that time. A team, comprising ASI officials, priests and others, then carried out an inspection from outside.

However, a few days after the inspection, the government said a duplicate key of the inner chamber has been found.