Invaluable Jewelries of Lord Jagannath

BY: SUN STAFF CORRESPONDENT

Lord Jagannath

[Photo: Sampradaya Sun]

Jul 19, 2013 — JAGANNATHA PURI, ORISSA — The face value of the gold and silver ornaments of Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra stored in the Treasury (bhandar ghar) of the 12th century shrine continues to be an enigma, even as the quantity of gold worn by the Deities on Suna Besha on Friday was believed to be the tip of an iceberg.

Temple records say the last inventory of the bhandar ghar was made in 1978, but the jewel appraisers could not make an exact valuation of the jewelries for reasons unknown. An attempt made by the temple authorities in 2008 to assess the Lord's jewelry ran into rough weather due to stiff opposition from priests of the temple.

Subhadra Devi

[Photo: Sampradaya Sun]

"We understand there is a curiosity on part of the common mass to know the exact weight and worth of the ornaments of the Deities. Though the process was started in 2008, it ended inconclusively due to resentment by some priests," said temple spokesperson Laxmidhar Pujapanda.

During the 1978 inventory it was found that around 454 gold articles (designs) weighing around 12,830 bharis and nearly 293 silver articles weighing around 22,149 bharis were found stored inside the temple, sources said.

Currently, very few pieces of the gold ornaments, weighing nearly 208 kg., are fetched from the temple to decorate the Deities on Suna Besha. Sources said nearly 138 designs of gold ornaments used to be worn by the Deities a long time back. The number has been curtailed to nearly 20 or 30 designs as of now.

Subhadra Devi

[Photo: Sampradaya Sun]

"During 1978 it was found that around 367 numbers of gold articles and 231 numbers of silver ornaments (together weighing around 19,239 bharis) were in use. Similarly, 79 numbers of gold and 39 numbers of silver ornaments were used during festive occasions. And 8 numbers of gold and 23 numbers of silver ornaments were used by the Deities daily," the temple officer said.

"Soon after the list of ornaments was made, a proposal was made to make valuation of the ornaments. Valuators from Gujarat, Tirupati, Chennai and Odisha were supposed to carry out the process when priests threw a spanner in the work," he said. A few more attempts were subsequently made to make valuation, but to no avail. Unlike other famous temples in India, the Jagannath temple receives very few quantities of gold from donors. Sources said the temple received gold donations weighing nearly one kilogram in the past two years.

Deities on Chariots for Suna Besha

[Photo: Sampradaya Sun]

There is a growing public demand to conduct a valuation of the Lord's jewelry. "There is no harm in knowing the weight and worth of the ornaments of the Deities. People should know the existing condition of the jewelries that were believed to have been brought by erstwhile kings long ago," said Ranjit Kumar Swain, a local devotee. "Unless you check and count the pieces of ornaments, how could you protect and preserve it?" he asked.

But priests found little meaning in it. "There is absolutely no need to make valuation of the ornaments. It will lead to security hazards," said a priest Ramdas Mohapatra.