Odisha govt no to sharing info on Puri Jagannath temple's treasury

The mystery over Lord Jagannath's ‘Ratna Bhandar' has deepened as the Odisha government has 'no plan' to reopen the inner chamber of the treasury of the 12th-century shrine in Puri and refused to share information about the temple's asset to an Right to Information activist, devotees claimed on Monday.

Shree Jagannath Temple Administration under the state law department, did not respond to the queries of Bolangir-based RTI activist Hemant Panda.

The State Information Commission has recently imposed a fine on the SJTA's officer SK Chatterjee for not sharing information in the public interest.

Asserting that the SJTA cannot decide to open the inner chamber of the 'Ratna Bhandar', temple administrator (development) Ajay Kumar Jena said the issue will be placed before the Sri Jagannath temple managing committee in its next meeting.

“The SJTA will inform the managing committee's decision to the government and then only the treasury can be opened,” he said.

It seemed that water seeps through cracks in the wall of the store, temple's 'Ratna Bhandar' in-charge and servitor Niranjan Mekap said, adding that the treasury "must be opened immediately and repaired".

Leader of Opposition in the state assembly Jaynarayan Mishra alleged that the state government has "never made any attempt to open the inner chamber of the treasury even though it has gold, diamond jewellery, precious stones and other ornaments.

It remained closed for 44 years even as the Sri Jagannath Temple Act, 1955 has a provision of undertaking inspection of the 'Ratna Bhandar' every three years, the Bharatiya Janata Party leader said.

The ruling Biju Janata Dal leaders remain tight-lipped over the issue.

Law Minister Jagannath Saraka had told the assembly on July 16 that if any proposal is received to open the 'Ratna Bhandar', the state government will take necessary steps after examining different aspects.

Congress and BJP legislators in the House had demanded an "immediate inventory of items stored in the treasury.

Gajapati Maharaja Dibyasingha Deb, the titular king of Puri, who is also the chairman of the temple managing committee, has sought to open the treasury to clear doubts of devotees over the presence of assets.

The Archaeological Survey of India, which looks after the maintenance of Odisha's most popular religious site, had recently urged the state government to open the 'Ratna Bhandar' for the physical inspection of the structure.

“The Ratna Bhandar is located in the basement of the temple, which should be inspected physically. The walls of the treasury may be damaged due to climate impact on the structure. It must be repaired immediately,” a senior ASI official said.