Odisha: Dharmendra Pradhan demands opening of Lord Jagannath's Ratna Bhandar
Bhubaneshwar: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) appears to be quite bent on its demand for opening Ratna Bhandar, the gems treasury of Lord Jagannath, at Odisha’s Puri.
For over a few years now, the party has raised this issue several times and even knocked the door of the High Court of Odisha seeking its diction to the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) to open the treasury and reassess the total stock.
On Saturday, Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan raked up the issue again and said the state government should initiative the steps for opening Ratna Bhandar “as people of the state are eager to know the present quantity and conditions of the gems and jewellery stored in Ratna Bhandar.”
He also demanded that the demolished mutts and other ancient architecture be included in the heritage corridor project. The Union minister’s came after he offered prayers at Srimandir, the abode of Lord Jagannath.
“The Odisha government must ensure that Ratna Bhandar of Srimandir is opened as soon as it is embedded with the sentiment of the Hindus,” said Pradhan.
Ratna Bhandar was last opened in 1985.
According to the Odisha Government, it has over 12,000 tolas (each total is approximately Rs 10 grams) of gold jewelries and precious gemstones, including diamonds, worth over several thousand crores.
A few months ago former Odisha state BJP president Samir Mohanty had moved the High Court seeking a direction to the state government to take steps for opening of Ratna Bhandar. In September this year, the HC directed the state government to constitute a High-Level Committee (HLC) to supervise the preparation of inventory of the Ratna Bhanda
The Union minister also reviewed the plan prepared by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) for the repairing of Nata Mandap of Lord Jagannath Temple. He advised the ASI officials to remove the iron beams and install steel beams during repairing work.
During his Puri visit, the Union minister took part in an international seminar at Sadashiv Sanskrit University. He released the ‘Laxmi Purana’ book published in two languages.
