A BJP leader petitions the Orissa High Court to reopen Lord Jagannath’s Ratna Bhandar

Samir Mohanty, a BJP politician, has petitioned the Orissa High Court to allow Lord Jagannath’s Ratna Bhandar (treasury) in Puri to reopen.

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and Puri’s titular king Gajapati Maharaj Dibyasingh Deb expressed concern over the crumbling condition of the treasury, but the state government, according to the former state BJP president, was not taking any action to reopen the Ratna Bhandar on the premises of the 12th-century shrine.

Mohanty asked the HC for help in ordering the BJD administration to reopen the Ratna Bhandar so that required repairs could be made and a new inventory of the deity decorations that had been kept there for decades could be made.

Despite the Shree Jagannath Temple Act of 1954 having a mandate to carry out the process every three years, the last inventory was done in 1978.

In reference to the “missing key” incident, Mohanty requested a CBI investigation.

Ratna Bhandar’s early reopening was another demand made by Sarat Pattnayak, head of the Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee.

“I’m curious as to why the state’s administration is hesitant to reopen the Lord’s Treasury. The Lord’s ornaments should be secure, and it should reopen right away, according to OPCC President Sarat Pattnayak.

The Ratna Bhandar’s early reopening, its renovation, and a new inventory were also desired by the Gajapati Maharaja of Puri, Divya Singh Deb, temple servants, and other political groups, notably the Shree Jagannath Sena, which has its headquarters in Puri.

In order to allow for repairs, the ASI had already asked the state government and the temple administration committee to reopen the Ratna Bhandar’s inner chamber.

The Ratna Bhandar was in horrible repair, according to the Gajapati Maharaja, who recently informed reporters that rainfall was pouring through fractures in the inner wall.

The inventory of ornaments stored at the Ratna Bhandar must periodically be revised in accordance with laws. This, however, has not been done. The government has previously been asked by the temple management committee to reopen the Ratna Bhandar for repairs. But no choice has yet been made,” he stated.

April 2018 was the Ratna Bhandar’s most recent opening. A 16-person crew, which included ASI specialists, had access to the outer chamber but was unable to enter the inner room since the inner chamber’s key was missing. They saw the building from a distance and reported that it was in poor condition.

Although a judicial panel was established to look into the missing key incident, Mohanty noted in his appeal that the state administration has failed to provide the findings report to the assembly.