No snakes, tunnels inside Ratna Bhandar: Puri temple treasury reopening debunks myths

The opening of the inner chamber of the ‘Ratna Bhandar’ at Puri’s Jagannath Temple after 46 years seems to have debunked a slew of myths that have been floating around the temple’s treasury for the past many decades.

While it has been a popular anecdote in Odia households that serpents guarded the ‘treasure’ inside the Ratna Bhandar, and that it had multiple hidden tunnels, the 11-member committee, appointed to supervise the inventory of the treasury, and spent over seven hours inside it on Thursday (July 18), has dismissed these claims.

Stop spreading misinformation: Justice Biswnath Rath

“Based on our inspection, we did not find any evidence of such features like a tunnel," said Justice Biswnath Rath, chairman of the supervisory committee and former judge of the Orissa High Court.

He urged the media and social media influencers to refrain from spreading misinformation on the subject.

“We did not seen any secret chambers or tunnels inside the Lord's treasury. The Ratna Bhandar measures approximately 20 feet high and 14 feet long,” said Durga Dasmohapatra, another committee member and servitor.

He noted some minor issues observed during their inspection. "Several small stones fell from the roof, and there was a crack in the wall of the Ratna Bhandar. Fortunately, the floor was not damp as feared."

ASI could use modern technology: Puri ‘king’

Puri's titular king, Gajapati Maharaja Divya Singha Deb, who is also part of the committee, however, said that the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) could employ modern technology to investigate about the presence of any tunnels.

“The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) could utilise advanced tools like laser scanning to evaluate the condition of the chamber. A survey using such technology could provide insights into any existing structures, such as tunnels," Deb said.

On Thursday, all the 11 members of the committee had entered the inner chamber of the Ratna Bhandar by breaking its lock. The committee spent nearly seven hours inside the chamber to shift all the gold ornaments from the inner chamber to the temporary strong room built inside the temple.

Rath, however, has refused to reveal the details of the jewellery stored in the inner chamber.

The ASI is yet to start inventorisation of the items found.

No ‘serpents’ guard treasure

No snakes or reptiles were found when committee members, accompanied by a team of snake charmers, snake rescuers and Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) entered the Ratna Bhandar on Sunday (July 14).

The government had particularly deployed an 11-member team of Snake Helpline at the temple, who stood guard outside the Ratna Bhandar to handle any kind of emergencies. Additionally, the headquarters hospital at Puri was also asked to keep anti-venoms ready.

Rath, said an unnecessary hype was created around the opening of the treasury.

The Ratna Bhandar which was originally managed by the ‘king’ of Puri, was first opened by the British in 1905 for inspection. An inventory was conducted by the British administration in 1926. The treasury was last inventoried in 1976 under the supervision of a committee led by then Odisha governor Bhagabat Dayal Sharma.