Puri: A fresh row erupted over Ratna Bhandar of Shree Jagannath Temple in Odisha’s Puri on Saturday with the Opposition BJD questioning the timeline for cataloguing jewellery and valuables stored in the refurbished treasury trove of the sibling deities.
This came a day after the temple administration informed that the inventory will be carried out in phases and completed before April next year.
The BJD accused the BJP government of engaging in politics over the Ratna Bhandar inventory. It was further claimed that opting to conduct the inventory in phases clearly demonstrates the current dispensation’s lack of sincerity to the exercise.
“The BJP had carried out extensive misinformation about the Ratna Bhandar and had promised to conduct the inventory once in power. However, after coming to power, the BJP government has been resorting to the tactics of delay and evasion. The chief administrator’s latest statement gives no clarity on when the counting process will actually begin,” BJD spokesperson Lenin Mohanty told a presser.
On Friday, Shree Jagannath Temple Administration chief administrator Arabinda Padhee informed the managing committee’s approval for a digital inventory of all ornaments in the presence of RBI officials. He further stated that the inventory will be done in phases during non-ritual hours to ensure that daily schedule remains unaffected. “With Pahili Bhoga, several major rituals and the new year approaching, the committee agreed to take up inventory only when there is no ritual pressure. The servitors had proposed finishing the process before Akshaya Tritiya to ensure a smooth conduct of Rath Yatra,” he added.
Questioning the arrangements for ‘darshan’ at the 12th-century shrine, the BJD spokesperson further stated that the Law Minister’s assurances had come to naught. “The BJP had raised many questions regarding the arrangements for ‘darshan’ and the ‘Parikrama’ (corridor) project during the elections, but now the darshan system has become completely chaotic. Frequent congestion and disorderly situations are being witnessed inside the temple. The previously installed air-conditioned tunnel for devotees has been removed, causing serious inconvenience to pilgrims,” he said.
Mohanty also questioned appointment of only 10 members instead of 18 to the Temple Managing Committee as per Section 6 of the Shree Jagannath Temple Act, 1955. “This shows that the BJP government is not serious about temple administration and is merely managing affairs in a superficial, careless manner,” he added.
Rejecting to the allegation, the ruling BJP said that the BJD has no moral right to speak on Lord Jagannath’s Ratna Bhandar “The BJD during its 24-year rule could not open the Ratna Bhandar despite repeated public demands, including from Puri’s erstwhile ruling family scion Gajapati Maharaja Dibyasingha Deb, for its repair. The BJP, after coming to power, opened the Ratna Bhandar and repaired it within 13 months,” asserted Odisha BJP spokesperson Anil Biswal.
Biswal also slammed the BJD for its handling of the 2015 Nabakalebara festival. “… the people have witnessed how the previous BJD government committed mistakes in the management of the Nabakalebara (new idol installation) festival. They have no right to speak on the Shree Jagannath temple matter,” he added.
SOP for Ratna Bhandar inventory to be released soon: Min
Earlier in the day, Law Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan announced that a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for conducting the inventory of the Ratna Bhandar treasures will be released shortly. “As per the rules, the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration will draft the SOP for inventorying the valuables and submit it to the Odisha government for approval. Once approved by the state government, the inventory process will commence. It is expected to take two to three months. The SOP will be issued very soon,” he said.
The Minister added that during the inventory, all ornaments and other valuable items will be digitised.
Harichandan further explained that every piece of jewellery will be carefully documented and cross-verified with the 1978 inventory record which was prepared by a nine-member committee chaired by the then Governor of Odisha, B D Sharma.
