BHUBANESWAR, July 16, 2024 (TBINN)
Odisha Government has said it will conduct an inquiry into why the duplicate keys of the inner chamber of the Ratna Bhandar, the treasury of 12th-century Jagannath Temple in Puri, could not open the locks on July 14, 2024.
Ratna Bhandar was reopened on Sunday after 46 years for an inventory of valuables and the repair of its structure.
Members of a special committee tried to open three locks on the doors of inner chamber of the treasury, but not one of them could be opened with the two ‘duplicate’ keys available with the Puri District Administration, Jagannath Temple’s chief administrator Arabinda Padhee had said.
Law Minister Prithviraj Harichandan said, “A lie was spread over the availability of duplicate keys of the Ratna Bhandar during the previous B.J.D. Government. This matter will definitely be investigated.”
Notably, Jagannath Temple is under state government’s Law Department.
On April 4, 2018, the government attempted to reopen the Ratna Bhandar for a physical examination, but the effort went abortive due to the unavailability of keys. After some days, the government said duplicate keys were found.
If someone has ever touched the ornaments of Lord Jagannath, he would definitely face the consequences, the minister said.
“I hope that such an incident might not have happened. We can get a clear picture of this after completion of the inventory,” Harichandan said.
Reopening of the Ratna Bhandar was a major political issue during the recently held Assembly elections. Bhartiya Janta Party came to power in the polls dethroning Biju Janta Dal which was ruling the state since 2000.
Senior B.J.D. leader Amar Prasad Satpathy demanded making public the report of Justice Raghubir Das Commission formed to probe the issue of missing keys of 12th-century shrine’s treasury.
Without conducting a further inquiry into the matter, government should present the commission-report along with the action taken on it, B.J.D. leader said.
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