Puri: After four decades, Ratna Bhandar of the Jagannath Temple in Puri finally opened at 1.28 pm, the auspicious time fixed by the Ratna Bhandar monitoring committee, on Sunday for inventory of precious valuables of Lord Jagannath.
According to sources, the Ratna Bhandar of the 12th-century old Jagannath temple was finally opened after so many years. The Ratna Bhandar storing invaluable ornaments was opened at the auspicious time. A 15-member team in traditional outfits entered the Jagannath Temple at noon after having ‘Agyanmala’ from Lord Loknath.
As per reports, former Orissa HC judge Biswanath Rath, Shree Jagannath Temple Administrator (SJTA) chief administrator Arabinda Padhee, ASI Superintendent DB Gadanayak, Ratna Bhandar monitoring committee member Dr CBK Mohanty, Ratna Bhandar sub-committee member Durga Dasmohapatra, monitoring panel member Jagannath Dasmohapatra and a representative of Puri’s titular king Gajapati Maharaja were among the 11 people who entered the temple to reopen its revered treasury.
The team offered prayer to Maa Bimala and Maa Lakshmi before opening the Ratna Bhandar. Servitors also procured agyanmala of Lord Loknath, the deity who is believed to be the chief protector of Ratna Bhandar to make the event successful. The authorised official brought the key from the collectorate for the opening of the treasury.
The team reportedly opened the outer chamber of the Ratna Bhandar first.
It is learnt that special boxes were brought to the temple to shift the ornaments to a temporary strong room. Efforts were also underway to open the inner chamber.
Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Majhi took to social media to announce the historic opening of Lord Jagannath’s treasure trove, the Ratna Bhandar. He expressed his optimism and confidence that the endeavour will be a resounding success, driven by its noble purpose. In his social media post, CM Majhi wrote: “Jai Jagannath! With Your blessings the Ratna Bhandar was opened after 46 years for a noble cause; I strongly believe that the endeavour will be a success: Odisha CM Mohan Majhi.”
