Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has announced an investigation into why the duplicate keys failed to open the inner chamber of the 12th-century Shri Jagannath Temple's treasure vault, known as the Ratna Bhandar, on July 14. Law Minister Prithviraj Harichandan stated that during the previous BJD government, false claims were made regarding the availability of these duplicate keys. The minister emphasized that this matter would be thoroughly investigated.
The Ratna Bhandar was reopened on Sunday for the first time in 46 years to inventory the precious items stored inside and to assess the structure for necessary repairs. Aravind Padhi, the chief administrator of Shri Jagannath Temple, explained that a special committee tried to unlock three locks on the inner chamber's doors using two duplicate keys provided by the Puri district administration. Unfortunately, none of the locks could be opened with these keys.
Minister Harichandan highlighted that misinformation about the duplicate keys was spread during the previous government. He assured that an investigation would reveal who was responsible for these false claims and under whose orders they were made. Shri Jagannath Temple falls under the jurisdiction of the state government’s Law Department, and the investigation aims to clarify the circumstances surrounding the duplicate keys.
On April 4, 2018, the government attempted to reopen the Ratna Bhandar for a physical inspection but failed due to missing keys. A few days later, the government announced that duplicate keys had been found. The law minister warned that if anyone had tampered with Lord Jagannath's treasures, they would face serious consequences. He expressed hope that no such tampering had occurred.
The issue of reopening the Ratna Bhandar became a significant political topic during the recent state assembly elections. The BJP, having ousted the BJD from power after 24 years, has taken a keen interest in this matter. Senior BJD leader Amar Prasad Satpathy called for the release of the report by the Justice Raghubir Das Commission, which was set up to investigate the missing keys. Satpathy insisted that the government should make the commission's findings public without further delay.
This investigation seeks to uncover the truth behind the mysterious keys and ensure the security of the treasured items within Shri Jagannath Temple.
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