For six years, the keys to the inner chamber of Ratna Bhandar, the treasure trove of the Jagannath temple in Puri, have been officially missing. The issue has resurfaced as a major point of contention, with the BJP leveraging it to attack the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) government. Despite multiple investigations, the findings have not been made public, fueling further controversy.
The Ratna Bhandar, located within the 12th-century Jagannath temple, stores the precious ornaments of the deities Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra, and Goddess Subhadra. These treasures, donated by devotees and erstwhile kings, are kept in two chambers: the Bhitar Bhandar (inner chamber) and the Bahara Bhandar (outer chamber). While the outer chamber is regularly accessed for various rituals, the inner chamber has remained closed for 38 years.
The last official inventory of the Ratna Bhandar was conducted between May 13 and July 23, 1978. It was briefly opened again on July 14, 1985, but the inventory was not updated. In 2018, following a directive from the Orissa High Court, the state government attempted to open the inner chamber for inspection. However, the keys could not be found, prompting the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to conduct an inspection from outside.
The missing keys became public knowledge during a temple committee meeting on April 5, 2018, leading to widespread outrage. The Puri Collector, the official custodian of the keys, reported that an envelope labelled “duplicate keys of inner Ratna Bhandar” was later found in the record room of the Collectorate. Subsequently, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik ordered a judicial inquiry. The commission submitted a 324-page report on November 29, 2018, but its findings remain undisclosed.
The BJP has consistently criticized the BJD government over the missing keys. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his roadshow in Puri, and other top BJP leaders, including Union Home Minister Amit Shah, have questioned the handling of the Ratna Bhandar issue. Modi has alleged that the duplicate keys might have been used to steal the deities’ jewels. He promised that a BJP government in Odisha would “restore the sanctity of Ratna Bhandar.”
In response, the Odisha government constituted a 12-member committee in March, headed by retired Supreme Court judge Justice Arijit Pasayat, to supervise the inventory of Ratna Bhandar. Amit Shah has pledged to make the probe report public within six days if the BJP comes to power.
The Jagannath temple holds immense cultural and religious significance in Odisha, where nearly 90% of the population are Hindus. The emotional connection to Lord Jagannath and concerns about the safety of the temple’s ornaments have led to significant public and servitor demand for transparency. Puri royal scion Dibyasingha Deb and other stakeholders have also called for an early opening of the Ratna Bhandar and a thorough inventory.
As the BJP intensifies its campaign in Odisha, the issue of the missing keys to Ratna Bhandar continues to haunt the Naveen Patnaik government. The political ramifications are profound, given the deep cultural and religious ties the people of Odisha have with the Jagannath temple. With promises of transparency and accountability, the BJP aims to capitalize on this controversy to challenge the long-standing BJD rule.