Justice Biswanath Rath, who chairs the committee on Puri Shree Jagannath temple’s Ratna Bhandar inventorisation and conservation, speaks to Diana Sahu about unlocking the treasury’s Bhitara Bhandar (inner chamber) after four decades.
Excerpts:
The Ratna Bhandar in public imagination has been a mysterious place with heavily ornamented doors and guarded by mythical serpents. What exactly is the structure of the treasury?
The Ratna Bhandar is located inside the Jagamohan (assembly hall) of the temple. Contrary to the public perception, both the Bahara (outer) and Bhitara Bhandars are like normal cells. They have grill doors with iron bars through which one can easily see the interiors of both the chambers. Bahara Bhandar has an iron grill gate with a net covering on it. The Bhitara Bhandar is like any other room that has been closed for many decades. However, it is well ventilated due to the opening of the Bahara Bhandar every day. Its floor was neither very damp nor very dry, although there is no denying that it is in urgent need of repair. Also, it is time that we put all the rumours of serpents guarding the jewels to rest. Public should know there is nothing of that sort.
After entering the Ratna Bhandar, what was the first thing that you saw in it?
As per the scheduled auspicious time, we entered the Bahara Bhandar at 1.28 pm. The three keys to the Bahara Bhandar from Gajapati, temple administration and Bhandar Mekap (guardian servitor) and record of valuables were available with us. After the locks were opened, we first checked the position of the ornaments in the almirahs and chests. The valuables were taken out and shifted to the temporary strongrooms designated for the purpose. In the strongrooms, each jewel and ornament was given a serial number and kept accordingly. Not even a grain of sand was left behind because there might be particles of broken gold in it. The dust was also collected, put in packets and kept in the strongrooms.
The almirahs and chests were not taken out, though. The entire process was videographed from two points to catch all movements inside.
What else was found in the Bahara Bhandar?
A lot of fabric and clothing of the deities was found. There was a heavy iron chest with 15-20 locks at different sides apart from the main lock. It had a strong internal locking system with one control key system. It was probably not opened for ages. When this chest was opened, we found clothes and chandua (applique) which appeared to be hundreds of years old. But, none of the fabric had lost its quality and colour. They were carefully taken out and packed before being stored in the strongroom.
During the last attempt in 2018, the Bhitara Bhandar could not be opened as officials could not locate the keys. This time, your team entered the inner chamber by cutting the locks. How was the experience?
After completing the shifting process in Bahara Bhandar which went on for three hours, we attempted to enter the Bhitara Bhandar. There were three very old locks on the gate and one was sealed. The three iron locks and two iron keys were in good condition and there was no sign of rusting. As per the government’s SOP, the keys were brought in from the treasury in a sealed envelope.
On opening the envelope, we found a set of documents and two iron keys. However, as none of the keys could open the three locks, we had to get them broken open as per the SOP. We entered the Bhitara Bhandar with just a clay lamp and offered our prayers to the idols of small deities that were present in the chamber.
How did you find the Bhitara Bhandar?
Its walls are lined with steel and wooden almirahs and wooden chests. Besides, big boxes were kept on the floor. We do not know the content of the boxes yet. There were broken stones and iron beam lying on the ground. We stayed there for 30 minutes and the entire structure and storage units were videographed. All the contents will be shifted to the temporary strongroom.