It is said about the temples of India that if the treasures hidden in them are taken out then the poverty of the world can be eradicated, which is also true to a great extent. As you all know, the temples of the country are among the richest temples in the world, offerings ranging from cash to gold come every day, and devotees donate to the temples as per their devotion. . Let us tell you, these rich temples include many temples like Tirupati Venkateswara Temple, Sri Padmanabhaswamy Temple, Shirdi Sai Baba Temple, but there is another temple among them which is much talked about these days.
We are talking about Jagannath Temple Puri, which is counted among the richest temples of India. But the reason why this place remains a special topic is the treasure door here. Orders were given to open it, but due to lack of key it has not been opened till date. Let us tell you a little story of the treasure door here, before that know a little history of the temple.
History of this temple of Puri
Jagannath Temple in Puri, Odisha is a major pilgrimage site for Hindus, one of the Char Dham i.e. Puri, Badrinath, Dwarka and Rameshwaram. This temple was built in the 12th century by Ananta Raman Chod Ganga of the Ganga dynasty. After him/her, ruler Anang Bhimdev got the present temple ready. The work of conservation of the temple has been given to ASI i.e. Archaeological Survey of India. Recently, ASI took approval from the state government to repair the basement of the temple, after which the demand for reopening the temple treasury intensified.
When was the temple’s gem store opened?
The Ratna Bhandar of Jagannath Temple has been opened only four times in the last century. The first was opened in 1984, the second in 1978, then in 1926 and the fourth in 1905. After this, on 4 April 2018, the government tried to reopen Ratna Bhandar for a trial, but was not successful.
Where are the keys to the treasury missing?
The key to the basement of Jagannath Puri temple is with the Collector of Puri. To open the same treasury, permission has to be taken from the Odisha government. In the year 2018, on the basis of ASI report, the High Court had given instructions to open the treasury. But the process could not be completed as the ASI team did not find the key, stating that the key to the treasury was lost. And this way the treasury could not be opened.
where are these keys
In the Jagannath temple, the jewelery is kept in a chamber inside the gem store, which is sealed with two locks. These locks open only with the special permission of the state government. And the temple administration has to deposit the keys in the government treasury. Even the jewelery used during festivals is protected with locks.
what is in the treasure
According to a survey in 1978, the state government said that the Ratna Bhandar contained more than 149 kg of gold ornaments and 258 kg of silver utensils. There were 12,831 pieces of heavy gold jewellery, which were also studded with precious stones. There were also 22,153 heavy silver utensils and many other items. Although there was no official record of them.