BJP Leader Moves Orissa HC, Seeks Reopening Of Lord Jagannath's Ratna Bhandar

The former state BJP president, in the petition, said that the state government was not taking any step to reopen the Ratna Bhandar on the premises of the 12th-century shrine despite the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and Puri's titular king Gajapati Maharaj Dibyasingh Deb expressing concern over the dilapidated condition of the treasury.

Mohanty sought the HC's intervention in directing the BJD government to reopen the Ratna Bhandar to carry out necessary repair work and make a fresh inventory of ornaments of the deities stored there for decades.

The previous inventory was made in 1978 even as the Shree Jagannath Temple Act 1954 has a provision to undertake the exercise every three years.

Referring to the missing key episode, Mohanty sought a CBI inquiry.

Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee president Sarat Pattnayak also demanded an early reopening of Ratna Bhandar.

"I wonder why the state government is reluctant to reopen the Lord's treasury. It should reopen immediately and people should know that the Lord's ornaments are safe," said OPCC president Sarat Pattnayak.

Meanwhile, Gajapati Maharaja of Puri, Divya Singh Deb, temple servitors and different political parties including Puri-based Shree Jagannath Sena also demanded the early reopening of the Ratna Bhandar and its repair as well as a fresh inventory.

The ASI had also earlier requested the state government and the temple management committee to reopen the inner chamber of the Ratna Bhandar so that it could be repaired.

The Gajapati Maharaja had recently told reporters that the Ratna Bhandar was in bad shape as cracks had developed in its inner wall and rainwater was seeping through those.

"According to laws, the inventory of ornaments kept in the Ratna Bhandar should be updated from time to time. But this has not been done. The temple management committee has already requested the government to reopen the Ratna Bhandar for repair. But no decision has been taken yet," he said.

The Ratna Bhandar was last opened in April, 2018. A 16-member team including experts of the ASI had entered the outer chamber but could not go to the inner chamber as its key was missing. They inspected the structure from a distance and reported that its condition was weak.

Though a judicial commission was set up to probe into the missing key episode, the state government was yet to table the finding report in the assembly, Mohanty pointed out in his petition.

- With PTI Input