Puri:

The ‘Ratna Bhandar’ (treasure trove) of the Shri Jagannath Temple has finally been opened after more than four decades on Sunday.

The Ratna Bhandar of the Shri Jagannath Temple was opened following Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) issued by the Odisha government. On Saturday, the Odisha government gave approval for the opening of the Ratna Bhandar after carrying out the inventorization of valuables, including pieces of jewellery stored there.

To commemorate this occasion, the Office of the Chief Minister of Odisha, taking to X, said, “Jai Jagannath Oh Lord! You are rhythmic. The whole world is oppressed by your desire. You are the heartbeat of the orthodox nation… The four doors of the temple were first opened at your will. Today, after 46 years of your will, the gem was opened with a great purpose…I strongly believe that this great work will be successful…”

Special boxes were also brought to Shri Jagannath Temple ahead of the re-opening of ‘Ratna Bhandar’ (Treasure Trove) today.

Sri Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) Chief Arabinda Padhee says, “Odisha government has approved the SOP for opening the Ratna Bhandar. As per the decision, today the Ratna Bhandar is being opened as per set guidelines. Authorised representatives from the various ‘sewa’ groups, officials from the ASI, representatives of Shri Gajapati Maharaj and others would be there. The entire proceedings will be video recorded for our records, not for publicity and will be strictly confidential.”

He further stated that there will be three steps in SOPs to be followed for the opening and inventorization of the valuables in the Ratna Bhandar.

“There are three steps to the SOP: The first is the opening of the outer ratna bhandar. For the inner Ratna Bhandar, there is another set of guidelines. There is also a temporary, strong room… Once the shift from Ratna Bhandar to the strong room has been made, we will inventory the valuables. We seek the blessings of Mahaprabhu that the Ratna Bhandar gets opened easily, and the subsequent steps will follow,” Padhee said.

The ‘Ratna Bhandar’ (Treasure Trobe) of the Lord Jagannath Temple in Puri was set to be opened at 1:28 pm on Sunday, following SOPs issued by the state government.

Speaking on this, Inspection Committee Chairman Justice Biswanath Rath said, “As per the discussion in the meeting and the suggestions of the ‘Purohits’ and the ‘mukti mandap’, the right time for the opening of the Ratna Bhandar is 1:28 pm.”

He further said that the process will be quite challenging since it is still unknown to them about the position of the Ratna Bhandar since it was last opened in 1985.

“Today we convened a meeting in which we decided to go ahead with the opening and taking care of the ornaments… The process will be carried out with two sets of video recordings and there will be two certifications… It will be a challenge since we do not know the position inside since it last opened in 1985… We’ll open the locks today, in any case,” Justice Rath said.

Speaking on the re-opening of the Ratna Bhandar, Odisha Law Minister Prithviraj Harichandan said that the inventory work will take place in the presence of a representative from the Reserve Bank of India and a digital catalogue will be made after the counting is done.

“We had requested the involvement of the Reserve Bank of India in this and a representative of the Reserve Bank of India will be included in it… After counting the ornaments, we will create a digital catalogue, which will include photographs, their weight and other things like their quality. A digital catalogueue will be created with all the things; the digital catalogueue will be a reference document,” he said.

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) will be doing repair works in the Ratna Bhandar, which also looks after the maintenance of the 12th century shrine. The Treasury was last opened in 1978.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

The globally renowned Jagannatha Temple in Puri is once again in the spotlight, with the Congress party pushing for the reopening of all four temple gates. The Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) has announced a rally on October 16 in Puri. The primary purpose of this rally is to advocate for the reopening of all four gates of the Jagannath Temple, allowing devotees to access the sacred site. OPCC president Sarat Pattanayak emphasised the temple’s significance as a destination for devotees from all over India and beyond.

“The number of devotees will increase during the holy Odia month of Kartik, which begins on October 29. Respecting the demands of Jagannath lovers, all four gates of the temple should be reopened for public immediately,” he demanded.

The party will submit a memorandum to the chief administrator of Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) in this regard, he said.

In a statement in the state assembly during the recently concluded monsoon session, Law Minister Jagannath Saraka said entry of devotees to the temple through the four gates has been closed since March 20, 2020, due to COVID restrictions.

“As the Srimandir Parikrama project is still underway, three gates cannot be opened for devotees,” he had said.

Apart from the Singhadwar (Lions Gate), the government has opened the Paschim Dwar (west gate) only for Puri residents to perform daily rituals.

With the temple administration in the news once again, it’s worth exploring the significant cultural, religious, and historical importance it holds for the people of Odisha and India. This revered temple is dedicated to Lord Jagannath, a prominent incarnation of Lord Vishnu in Hinduism, and it plays a central role in the religious and cultural heritage of the region and the nation.

It is one of the fourpilgrimage sites (Char Dham) and is visited by millions of devotees each year. The main deity in the temple is a wooden idol of Jagannath, which is said to be over 1,000 years old. The idol is flanked by the idols of his brother Balabhadra and sister Subhadra.

The present-day structure of the Jagannath Temple is believed to have been built in the 12th century by King Anantavarman Chodaganga Deva.

Rath Yatra:

The Jagannath Temple is known for its unique Rath Yatra festival, which is held every year. During the Rath Yatra, the idols of Jagannath, Balabhadra, and Subhadra are placed on three giant chariots and pulled through the streets of Puri by millions of devotees. The Rath Yatra is one of the largest religious festivals in the world.

The Jagannath Temple is a place of great religious and cultural significance. It is a place where people from all walks of life come together to worship and celebrate their faith. It is also a place where people can learn about Hindu culture and tradition.

The temple architecture:

According to the official website, the temple of Lord Shree Jagannatha is about 214 feet and 8 inches high from the road level. The entire temple premises are enclosed by two big concentric walls. The outer wall is known as ‘Meghanada Prachira’ (665 ft. x 640 ft.), and the inner wall is known as ‘Kurma Prachira’ (420 ft. x 315 ft.). The height of the outer walls varies from 20 feet to 24 feet. There are four gates in the outer enclosure. The eastern entrance is known as Singha Dwara’, or the Lion’s Gate.

The entrances on the southern, western, and northern sides of the outer enclosure are known as Aswadwara (South Gate). “Vyaghra Dwara’ (West Gate) and Hastidwara (North Gate), respectively, have hundreds of subsidiary shrines and Mandapas (elevated platforms) inside the temple premises. Two gardens, namely ‘Koili Baikuntha’ and ‘Nilachala Upabana”, seven wells, Ananda Bazara, the kitchen, and the holy banyan tree (Kalpabata), are also inside the temple premises.