Jagannath Temple’s Ratna Bhandar Reopened After 46 Years

15/07/2024- The Ratna Bhandar, the treasury of the 12th-century Jagannath temple in Odisha’s Puri, was reopened on Sunday afternoon after 46 years. An 11-member committee, including former Orissa High Court judge Biswanath Rath, SJTA chief administrator Arabinda Padhee, ASI Superintendent DB Gadanayak, and a representative of Puri’s titular king Gajapati Maharaja, entered the revered treasury.

The Ratna Bhandar houses precious ornaments of the deities Jagannath, Subhadra, and Balabhadra, donated by devotees and erstwhile kings over the centuries. It is divided into the Bahara Bhandar and the Bhitara Bhandar. While the outer chamber is occasionally opened for rituals like the Suna Besha during the annual Rath Yatra, the last inventory of the treasury was conducted in 1978.

As the committee members entered the treasury, two teams of snake catchers were also present due to concerns about the possible presence of snakes inside the chambers.