Odisha sets up committee for preparing inventory of Jagannath temple’s treasury

Former Supreme Court judge, justice Arijit Pasayat (retd) will head the 12-member committee mandated to supervise the process to prepare the inventory

Updated on: Feb 29, 2024, 22:23:36 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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The Odisha government on Thursday a 12-member high-level committee headed by former Supreme Court judge, justice Arijit Pasayat (retd) to supervise the process of preparing an inventory of valuables stored inside the ‘Ratna Bhandar’ of Jagannath Temple in Puri in line with the Orissa high court order.

An aerial view of the Shree Mandira Parikrama Prakalpa Project at the Lord Jagannath temple in Puri (ANI FILE PHOTO)

Eminent heart surgeon Ramakant Panda has been named the deputy chairman of the committee and the chief administrator of Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA)will be the member convener. Other members are former chairman and managing director of Allahabad Bank Bidhubhusan Samal, chartered accountant A K Sabat, Puri king Maharaja Dibyasingha Deb, a representative of ASI, servitors representatives and deputy chief administrator of SJTA.

In September last year, the Orissa high court ordered the formation of a high power committee to supervise preparation of the inventory of the valuables including jewellery in the Ratna Bhandar, the temple’s treasury.

According to Madala Panji, the official chronicle of the temple, King Anangabhima Deva donated nearly 1.5 quintals of gold for preparing the ornaments of the three deities. In an affidavit filed in high court last month, the temple administration said there was gold jewellery weighing about 149.47 kg and silver jewellery weighing 198.79 kg and utensils in the Ratna Bhandar.

According to the Jagannath Temple Act, 1955, the Ratna Bhandar needs to be opened for inventory every three years. The treasury was last audited between May 13 and July 23, 1978. The treasury was then opened in 1985 to use some gold for the repair of Lord Balabhadra’s ornaments.

On April 4, 2018, the government had made an unsuccessful attempt to reopen the Ratna Bhandar for a physical examination of the structure. However, it could not be completed as the keys of the Ratna Bhandar’s inner chamber could not be traced.

Following outrage over the missing keys, chief minister Naveen Patnaik constituted a judicial commission headed by retired Justice Raghubir Das to probe into the missing keys. The commission submitted its report in December 2018.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More

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