Puri Jagannath temple Ratna Bhandar reopened after 46 years
Puri, Jul 14: Ratna Bhandar, the revered treasury of the 12th-century Jagannath temple in Puri, was reopened on Sunday after 46 years for an inventory of valuables and the repair of its structure, officials said.
The members of a committee set up by the state government for the purpose entered the temple around 12 pm, and after performing rituals, the treasury was reopened at 1.28 pm, the auspicious moment which was decided at a meeting in the morning, they said.
Work for preparing the inventory did not start on Sunday and it will take time.
The reopening of the Ratna Bhandar was a major political issue during the recently held assembly elections.
Targeting the then-ruling BJD over missing keys of the treasury, the BJP had promised that it would make efforts to reopen it if the party won the polls.
"On the wish of Lord Jagannath, the Odia community, with the identity of 'Odia Asmita', has started making efforts to move forward," the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) said in a post on X in Odia.
"On your wish, the four gates of the Jagannath temples were earlier opened. Today, on your wish, the Ratna Bhandar was opened after 46 years for a greater purpose," it said in the post.
Among the 11 people present when the treasury was reopened were former Orissa HC judge Biswanath Rath, Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) chief administrator Arabinda Padhee, ASI Superintendent DB Gadanayak and a representative of Puri's titular king 'Gajapati Maharaja', officials said.
Also among them were four servitors who took care of the rituals.
They came out of the Ratna Bhandar, which has an inner and an outer chamber, around 5.20 pm.
"We carried out all the works as per SOP. We first opened the outer chamber of the Ratna Bhandar and shifted all ornaments and valuables kept there to the temporary strong room inside the temple. We have sealed the strong room," Padhee told reporters.
"Then, the authorised persons entered the inner chamber of the treasury. Three locks were there. No lock could be opened with the key available with the district administration. So, as per the SOP, we broke the three locks in the presence of a magistrate, and then, we entered the inner chamber. We inspected the valuables kept in the almirahs and the chests," he said.
Padhee said the committee decided not to shift the valuables from the inner chamber immediately.
"The process of shifting the valuables has to be done at once. It was not possible today. We will fix a date to shift the ornaments after the completion of the Bahuda Yatra and 'Suna Vesha' rituals," he said.
The idols of the sibling deities of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Goddess Subhadra are at present in the Gundicha temple where they were taken during Rath Yatra on July 7. They would be brought back to the 12th-century shrine during the Bahuda Yatra on Monday.
“After shifting the ornaments from the outer chamber, the temporary strong room has been locked and the keys have been given to three authorised persons as daily use ornaments are also there,” Justice Rath said.
New locks were used to secure the doors of the inner chamber and the keys were handed over to the Puri collector, he said, adding that the entire process was videographed.
The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), the custodian of the temple, also inspected the condition of the inner chamber, officials said.
Before entering the temple, Padhee said the priority was to ensure the safety of the structure of the treasury, which is located in the basement of the temple.
"The inventory work will not start today. It will be done after getting approval of the government on the engagement of valuers, goldsmiths and other experts. After the completion of the repair works, the valuables will be brought back and then, the process for inventory will be carried out," he added.
Six wooden chests with brass interiors were brought to the temple for moving the valuables.
The chests, made of teak, were 4.5 feet in length, 2.5 feet in height and 2.5 feet in breadth, an official said.
"The temple authority on July 12 had asked us to build 15 such chests. After working for 48 hours, we have completed six chests," said one of the workers who made them.
The treasury was last opened in 1978, and at that time, it took 70 days to prepare the inventory of the valuables, which have been donated to the temple by devotees over centuries, officials said.
An attempt was made in 2018 as well to reopen the Ratna Bhandar on the direction of the Orissa High Court but the original keys could not be found, and eventually, the plan was abandoned.
Padhee said Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) have been formulated for the entire process.
"Three SOPs have been formulated. One is related to the reopening of the Ratna Bhandar, the second one is for the management of the temporary Ratna Bhandar, and the third is related to inventory of the valuables," he said.
The government has decided to prepare a digital catalogue of the valuables in the Ratna Bhandar that will have details such as their weight, another official said.
As it was apprehended that inside the treasury there were snakes, believed by devotees to be guarding the valuables, snake catchers were called. However, no snake was found there, officials said.
Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, in a post on X, said the BJP government has fulfilled the promise made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the people of Odisha.
ଜୟ ଜଗନ୍ନାଥ
— CMO Odisha (@CMO_Odisha) July 14, 2024
ହେ ମହାପ୍ରଭୁ!
ତୁମେ ଲୀଳାମୟ। ତୁମ ଇଚ୍ଛାରେ ଏ ସାରା ସଂସାର ଆତଯାତ ହେଉଛି। ତୁମେ ଓଡ଼ିଆ ଜାତିର ହୃତ୍ ସ୍ପନ୍ଦନ। ଓଡ଼ିଆ ଜାତିର ଅସ୍ମିତା ଓ ସ୍ବାଭିମାନର ଶ୍ରେଷ୍ଠ ପରିଚୟ।
ତୁମ ଇଚ୍ଛାରେ ଓଡ଼ିଆ ଜାତି ଆଜି ତାର ଅସ୍ମିତାର ପରିଚୟକୁ ନେଇ ଆଗକୁ ବଢ଼ିବାକୁ ଉଦ୍ୟମ ଆରମ୍ଭ କରିଛି। ତୁମ ଇଚ୍ଛାରେ ପ୍ରଥମେ ଶ୍ରୀମନ୍ଦିରର ଚାରି…
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In phone call, PM Modi, US President Trump resolve to promote global peace, security
New Delhi, Jan 27 (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump on Monday vowed to work towards a "trusted" partnership between India and US and advance global peace and security in their first phone conversation since the American leader's inauguration last week.
Modi and Trump exchanged views on global issues, including the situation in West Asia and Ukraine, and deliberated on measures to boost bilateral cooperation in areas such as technology, trade, investment, energy and defence, an Indian readout said.
The two leaders agreed to meet soon, it said.
"Delighted to speak with my dear friend President @realDonaldTrump @POTUS.
Congratulated him on his historic second term," Modi said on 'X'.
"We are committed to a mutually beneficial and trusted partnership. We will work together for the welfare of our people and towards global peace, prosperity, and security," he said.
In a statement, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said the two leaders "reaffirmed" their commitment for a "mutually beneficial and trusted partnership".
"They discussed various facets of the wide-ranging bilateral Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership and measures to advance it, including in the areas of technology, trade, investment, energy and defence," it said.
"The two leaders exchanged views on global issues, including the situation in West Asia and Ukraine, and reiterated their commitment to work together for promoting global peace, prosperity and security," the PMO said.
"The leaders agreed to remain in touch and meet soon at an early mutually convenient date," it added.
It is not immediately known whether the issues of immigration and tariff figured in the talks.
Like in many countries, there have been some concerns in India as well over the Trump administration's approach on immigration and tariff.
President Trump has already talked about slapping "100 per cent tariffs" on the BRICS grouping, a bloc that includes India too.
It is learnt that the phone call was initiated from the Indian side.
External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said last week that India is looking for "bolder, bigger and a more ambitious" relationship with the US and indicated its readiness to work with the Trump administration to address issues like illegal immigration and trade.
The phone conversation between Modi and Trump came six days after External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held separate meetings with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and National Security Advisor Mike Waltz in Washington.
Jaishankar also attended the Quad foreign ministers' meeting in the American capital. The meeting was the Trump administration's first foreign policy engagement.
At a media briefing in Washington on January 22, Jaishankar said his meetings signalled that the Trump administration "prioritising" the bilateral relationship with India.
The external affairs minister also said that there was agreement between the two sides about the need to be bolder, bigger, and more ambitious about the bilateral relationship.
Asked about the Trump administration's policy on tariff and immigration, Jaiswal said on Friday that India is looking at addressing issues in a constructive manner.
"Our approach has always been to address issues in a constructive manner which is in keeping with the interests of both countries," he had said at his weekly media briefing last week.
"We remain in close communication with the US administration and would like to continue to work towards strengthening our economic partnership further," he said.
India is also keen to continue cooperation under the Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology (iCET) that was launched during the tenure of the Biden administration.
