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Jagannath Temple Jewelry: Preparations are underway to open the treasury of the world famous Jagannath temple of Puri. After a gap of 46 years, the locks of the rooms of Ratna Bhandar will be opened on July 14. The work of evaluating the wealth in the temple treasury was pending for a long time. Now that this is about to happen, an interesting thing has come to light. The temple officials have to keep a juggler with them while opening the treasury!
What is the work of a juggler in a temple?
Officials of the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) feel that there could be venomous snakes around the gems and jewellery. For decades, it has been a popular belief that the precious treasures of the Jagannath temple are guarded by venomous snakes like cobras. Whether the belief is true or not, SJTA officials do not want to take any risk in opening the rooms that have been closed for 46 years and as a precaution, they have kept a Madari with them so that the Madari can catch any snake before it comes out and bites anyone.
If the Madari fails in his task and someone gets bitten by a poisonous snake, a medical team will also be present on the spot to save the victim. The team will include doctors, nurses and necessary medical equipment including ambulances.
Are there really snakes in the temple?
Some time ago, when the beautification work of the temple was going on under the 'Jagannath Heritage Corridor Project', snakes were found in the temple premises. Since this temple is very ancient, there are cracks and holes in the walls of its premises. It is possible that snakes are roaming around for this. And it is also possible that the snake may have reached inside the rooms in which the jewels are kept. That is why precautionary measures are being taken while opening the treasure. According to reports, the medical team is ready but no juggler has been found yet, the search for the juggler is on.
a mysterious endeavor
In 2018, a 16-member team attempted to enter the jewellery vault of the Jagannath temple but failed in just 40 minutes. Then people became curious to know why the treasure could not be found. Officials say that the key to the inner chamber of the treasure could not be found, so the treasure could not be reached. However, rumours spread that snakes were standing in the way to protect the treasure, due to which the expedition had to be abandoned.
Who is adamant about opening the gem store?
In the 2024 Odisha assembly elections, the BJP had raised the issue of opening the Ratna Bhandar. The BJP demanded transparency in management by providing information about what is in the treasury. At that time, the BJP had also started a debate by saying that the state government (Naveen Patnaik's BJD government) was using the temple treasury for personal gain. For so many years, the BJD kept giving the excuse that the treasury could not be opened because the keys to the treasury were lost. Now that the BJP is in power in Odisha, opening the Ratna of the temple has become possible.
How much and what is the treasure like?
The ornaments of the Jagannath temple include the ornaments of Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra and Goddess Subhadra. When the Ratna Bhandar was opened in the year 1978, 12831 gold ornaments and 22153 silver utensils were registered. Other valuables are separate. The value of the entire treasure cannot be estimated. Then in 1985, the doors of the treasure were opened, but the details of the gems and ornaments were not revealed then. There are also rumours of theft of precious ornaments from jewelers from time to time. The storehouse was opened twice before, in 1926 and 1905, 1985 and 1978. No information about the past is available.
Everyone is curious to know what gems and jewels would be in the temple's treasury, and it would also be interesting to know if there is actually a snake guarding the treasure!
