Inventory of Lord Jagannath temple's Ratna Bhandar to be completed by April 2026

Bhubaneswar/Puri, Nov 21 (PTI) The authorities of the Jagannath Temple in Puri on Friday decided that the inventory of jewellery and valuables stored in the refurbished ‘Ratna Bhandar’ (treasury) of the shrine will be completed before April next year, an official said.

He said that the authorities will also attempt to bring back silver ingots worth Rs 90 crore, which were recovered from the Emar mutt, a 1500-year-old monastery located just outside the Jagannath temple in Puri, in 2011, and are now kept in the district armoury.

Shree Jagannath Temple Authority (SJTA) Chief Administrator Arabinda Padhee held a crucial meeting of the Shree Jagannath Temple Managing Committee, chaired by Gajapati Maharaja Dibyasingha Deb, the titular king of Puri, during the day.

Padhee, an IAS officer, told reporters after the meeting that all the jewellery and valuables of the 12th-century shrine in Puri are stored at their original place, the Ratha Bhandar, after its repair.

The SJTA had on July 7 this year announced that the ASI, the custodian of the temple, had completed repair of the Ratna Bhandar, which was opened in 2024 after four decades for the renovation work and inventory-related matters.

“It has been decided that the inventory of the Ratna Bhandar items will be held in phases, keeping an eye on the rituals of the temple. However, it is aimed to complete the inventory by next Akshya Tritiya," Padhee said.

The next Akshya Tritriya, on which date Lord Jagannath’s chaiot-making process starts every year, falls on April 19, 2026.

The ornaments and other valuable items will be digitised during the inventory, the SJTA chief administrator said.

On the issue of silver ingots recovered from Emar Mutt after a foiled attempt to steal the valuable, Padhee said the matter is presently pending in the high court.

The management has decided to explore legal avenues to bring them under the ownership of the Lord, said Padhee.

Emar Mutt is located in the south-eastern corner of the Jagannath Temple in Puri, just outside the main temple complex. It was founded by philosopher-saint Ramanujacharya in 1050.

In 2011, a total of 522 silver ingots weighing 18 tonnes were found inside the mutt. The ingots were valued at Rs 90 crore and are presently stored at the district armoury for security reasons, officials said.

The SJTA has requested the state government to press for the transfer of the silver ingots’ ownership to the Jagannath Temple.

The mutt had moved the high court seeking ownership of the ingots after the state government seized them. The mutt’s ex-Mahant was arrested on theft charges after the silver bars were unearthed in 2011.

Padhee also that the meeting also approved a proposal to make another set of gold ornaments for the trinity - Lord Balabhadra, Devi Subhadra and Lord Jagannath.

“It is decided to introduce ‘Swarna Alankara Dana Yojana’, for the purpose. The devotees can donate gold and silver for making a new set of ornaments,” he said.

It was also agreed that a new facility soon will enable devotees to donate directly to the Lord while withdrawing cash from ATMs in Puri, he said.

Padhee said that under the servitors’ welfare scheme, it has been decided to increase financial assistance for their daughter’s marriage from Rs 50,000 to Rs 1 lakh, while support for the ‘Brataghara’ (sacred thread) ceremony has risen from Rs 20,000 to Rs 50,000.

The issue relating to ISKCON’s untimely “Rath Yatra” was also discussed in the meeting. PTI AAM NN