• Source:JND
Add as a preferred

After 46 years, the revered Ratna Bhandar, or treasury, of the Lord Jagannath temple in Puri, Odisha, was reopened on Sunday. The state administration assembled an eleven-person team to get into the treasury. The team included Orissa High Court Judge Biswanath Rath, Chief Administrator of Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA), ASI Superintendent DB Gadanayak, and a spokesman for Puri's titular monarch, "Gajapati Maharaja," according to news agency PTI.

The crew will not be doing the inventory of assets right now, an official informed the agency.

To commemorate the event, the Chief Minister's Office released a statement on X (formerly Twitter). It read, "On the wish of Lord Jagannath, the Odia community, with the identity of 'Odia Asmita', has started making efforts to move forward. On your wish, the four gates of the Jagannath temples were earlier opened. Today, on your wish, the Ratna Bhandar was opened after 46 years for a greater purpose.”

What's Inside Lord Jagannath Temple's Ratna Bhandar?

Precious gold and diamond jewellery presented to Lord Jagannath is kept in the Treasury. According to Odisha Magazine, King Anangabhima Dev of Odisha reportedly gave 2.5 lakh madhas of gold to make jewelry for the Almighty.

ALSO READ: Ratna Bhandar Of Puri Jagannath Temple Reopened After 46 Years; Odisha CM Says, 'With A Noble Purpose...'

There are two chambers in the Ratna Bhandar: the Bahar Treasury (Outer Treasury) and the Bhitar Bhandar (Inner Treasury). According to the magazine, three gold necklaces (Haridakanthi Mali) weighing 120 tolas each are said to be suna mukuta of Lord Jagannath in the outside treasury.

The report also cites Lord Jagannath and Balabhadra's Suna Sribhuja and Sri Payar.

The report also stated that there are over 74 gold ornaments in the inner treasury, each weighing more than 100 tolas.

According to the report, there are plates made of pearls, diamonds, gold, and coral. In addition, the Treasury holds around 140 pieces of silver jewellery.