Puri Jagannath Temple Ratna Bhandar: Mystery Deepens After Duplicate Keys Found; Jewel Theft Not Ruled Out

Days after the Ratna Bhandar of Puri Jagannath temple was opened and valuables were shifted to a temporary Ratna Bhandar, a member of the government-appointed committee alleged the use of duplicate keys. Committee member Jagdish Mohanty said that the keys might have been used with the intention of stealing the jewels. Jagdish Mohanty said that when the Ratna Bhandars were being opened, the locks were broken following the malfunctioning of the duplicate keys. 

"It has been established that there was a criminal motive and intention to siphon off the valuables. The duplicate key issue was a hoax as theft attempt cannot be ruled out,” he said. 

On July 14, committee members broke three locks to enter Ratna Bhandar’s inner chamber after the two duplicate keys available with the administration failed to work. The original keys had gone missing in 2018, leading the previous Naveen Patnaik government to commission an investigation by retired Orissa High Court judge, Justice Raghubir Das.

तो 42 साल से इसलिए बंद था जगन्नाथ मंदिर का रत्न भंडार ?#jagnathpuri #RatnaBhandar #JagannathTemple #Odisha | @Nidhijourno pic.twitter.com/jvKMME268x — Zee News (@ZeeNews) July 31, 2024

As per Zee News report, the locks were missing from the almirah present inside the Ratna Bhandar.

The inner chamber contained three wooden almirahs, a steel almirah, two wooden chests, and an iron chest. According to sources in the temple administration, only one of the wooden almirahs was locked. While two other wooden cupboards had lock provisions, the locks were not properly secured. The iron chest featured two lock mechanisms, but one of the locks was open. Additionally, the two wooden chests did not have any locks.

Also, the claim that poisonous snakes are guarding the Ratna Bhandar was found to be a hoax. It is now being suspected that the hoax may have been spread deliberately to hide the theft. The temple administration is yet to approach the government for filing a criminal case in this regard.