Modi investigates the issue surrounding the lost key to the Jagannath temple in Ratna Bhandar.
When the Orissa High Court ordered an investigation of the Ratna Bhandar’s structural condition in April 2018, officials of the Jagannath temple were unable to locate the keys.
In addition to criticizing Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik’s presumed successor, Biju Janata Dal (BJD) leader VK Pandian, during Monday’s public meetings in Angul and Cuttack, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also brought up the issue of the missing key to the Ratna Bhandar, the Puri temple of Jagannath, which dates back to the 12th century and houses gold and jewels donated by devotees from all over the world.
When temple officials conducted a structural condition examination of the Ratna Bhandar, which is located close to the sanctum sanctorum, in April 2018, they were unable to locate the keys. This was due to an order from the Orissa high court. After a public outcry, Patnaik requested a judicial investigation, and in November 2018, the committee produced a 324-page report. Publication of the report is still pending. Strangely, the Puri district collector at the time unexplainedly discovered an envelope with the words “duplicate keys of inner Ratna Bhandar” scrawled on it a few days after the court inquiry was initiated, escalating the ongoing dispute over the treasure trove.
Modi attempted to inflame a scandal on Monday by bringing up the subject of Ratna Bhandar keys and claiming that the BJD had censored the judicial commission report. “With the Lord’s blessing, we pray to Lord Jagannath when we lose house keys, and we find them in one or two hours. However, it has been six years and the keys of Lord Jagannath Ratna Bhandar are still missing. After taking office in Odisha, Modi declared he would make the judicial report public. “The report of the commission of inquiry into the missing keys of Ratna Bhandar report has been suppressed for six years as the keys have gone to Tamil Nadu,” he said.
Speaking at an election rally in Bolangir on May 11, Modi also questioned how the Ratna Bhandar duplicate keys were made, in light of the state administration’s claim to have found them. “There is a lack of clarity regarding their utilisation,” Modi stated.
At a public meeting in Cuttack on May 15, Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced that the findings of the judicial committee tasked with looking into the missing keys of Ratna Bhandar would be made available to the public by the newly formed Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) administration. Party president JP Nadda announced the BJP’s election manifesto during the state assembly polls earlier this month. He said that following the party’s victory on June 4, the BJP would look into the missing Ratna Bhandar key and obtain it, as well as promise to inventory the jewelry kept there. Chief Minister of Assam Himanta Biswa Sarma has been leveling outrageous accusations against BJD, claiming that Pandian, who was born in Tamil Nadu, was hiding the keys.
Leaders of the BJP, such as Shah and Nadda, have also pledged to open the temple’s four gates, making it easier for pilgrims who can now enter through the lion entrance. For elderly devotees who must wait for hours in the scorching sun, the single gate entry has proven to be challenging. BJD has not formally addressed the accusations. However, a top BJD official stated that the party would prefer to overlook the charges. This is because in March of this year, the state government established a 12-person committee led by retired Supreme Court judge Justice Arijit Pasayat to oversee the inventory of Ratna Bhandar in response to the Orissa High Court’s decision regarding the matter last year.
Every three years, the Ratna Bhandar must be opened for inventory in accordance with the Jagannath Temple Act, 1955. The last treasury audit took place from May 13 to July 23, 1978. The official temple chronicle, Madala Panji, states that King Anangabhima Deva contributed around 1.5 quintals of gold to be used in the construction of the three idols’ decorations. According to an affidavit submitted to the high court last month, the Ratna Bhandar contained kitchenware and gold and silver jewelry totaling approximately 149.47 kg and 198.79 kg, respectively.