Ratna Bhandar row: Backlash against Odisha govt on the rise

With each growing day, angst continues to grow against Odisha government over the dilapidating condition of the Ratna Bhandar, the treasure house of Lord Jagannath in Puri and the administrative apathy towards its upkeeping.

The politics over the row witnessed strong vocal winds following the recent statements by the Puri Gajapati, the foremost servitor of Lord Jagannath expressing serious over the physical condition of the Lord's ancient treasury.

Now not only servitors of the Lord himself, the Opposition political parties have also joined the chorus over the issue. 

“We have informed the government that there is a leakage on the wall and it should be repaired immediately, said a servitor.

Biju Janata Dal (BJD) leader Soumya Pattnaik on Thursday openly came out in support of the Puri Maharaja Dibyasingha Deb and assured to back him if he manages to put pressure on Odisha government over the issue.

“Shouldn’t we care if any part of our body gets damaged. If Gajapati knows the condition of the treasury is not good, it should be main issue which is required to be focused,” media baron Soumya Pattnaik said.

The Khandapada MLA further added, “Once the King pressurises the ruling party in Odisha, we will also support as representatives.”

Meanwhile, Deputy Leader of Opposition (LoP) Bishnu Charan Sethi accused that the state government of not intentionally opening the Ratna Bhandar.

“I think there many rare and antique pieces of items inside Ratna Bhandar might be missing. The government should open the Ratna Bhandar and make everything transparent,” said Deputy Leader of Opposition.

“We demand Odisha government should take immediate steps to perform an inventory and restore Ratna Bhandar to its former glory,” said Congress MLA Santosh Singh Saluja.

Apart from that, the government should release the types of ornaments present inside the treasury,” he added.

As per locals, the treasury or Ratna Bhandar is there since the temple was constructed in 12th century CE. There is three storehouse inside the Ratna Bhandar, but primarily only ornaments from ‘Bahar Bhandar’ is used for day to day activities of Lord Jagannath and siblings.

In 2018, when the issue of reopening of the Ratna Bhandara intensified, the government formed a 16-members team to inspect the treasury. But the inspection drive soon turned out to be a massive controversy after the district collector Aravind Agrawal came to know that the keys of the Ratna Bhandara were missing since 1970.

Senior servitors and devotees alleged that the entire episode of the Ratna Bhandara fiasco was nothing but an eyewash, orchestrated to cheat crores of Jagannath devotees as well as the Orissa High Court.

“It the Ratna Bhandar is repaired and opened, it will clear all the doubts among the devotees,” Dr Surendra Mishra, researcher, Jagannath culture.