The Ratna Bhandar – the revered treasury – of Lord Jagannath temple in Puri, Odisha, was reopened after 46 years on Sunday. 

A team of 11 members were formed by the state government to enter the treasury. Orissa HC judge Biswanath Rath, Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) chief administrator Arabinda Padhee, ASI Superintendent DB Gadanayak and a representative of Puri’s titular king ‘Gajapati Maharaja’ were part of the team, reported news agency PTI.

An official told the agency that the team won’t carry out the inventory of valuables immediately. 

The Chief Minister’s Office has issued a statement on X (Formerly Twitter) to mark the occasion. It read, “On the wish of Lord Jagannath, the Odia community, with the identity of ‘Odia Asmita’, has started making efforts to move forward. On your wish, the four gates of the Jagannath temples were earlier opened. Today, on your wish, the Ratna Bhandar was opened after 46 years for a greater purpose.”

ଜୟ ଜଗନ୍ନାଥ

ହେ ମହାପ୍ରଭୁ!

ତୁମେ ଲୀଳାମୟ। ତୁମ ଇଚ୍ଛାରେ ଏ ସାରା ସଂସାର ଆତଯାତ ହେଉଛି। ତୁମେ ଓଡ଼ିଆ ଜାତିର ହୃତ୍‌ ସ୍ପନ୍ଦନ। ଓଡ଼ିଆ ଜାତିର ଅସ୍ମିତା ଓ ସ୍ବାଭିମାନର ଶ୍ରେଷ୍ଠ ପରିଚୟ।

ତୁମ ଇଚ୍ଛାରେ ଓଡ଼ିଆ ଜାତି ଆଜି ତାର ଅସ୍ମିତାର ପରିଚୟକୁ ନେଇ ଆଗକୁ ବଢ଼ିବାକୁ ଉଦ୍ୟମ ଆରମ୍ଭ କରିଛି। ତୁମ ଇଚ୍ଛାରେ ପ୍ରଥମେ ଶ୍ରୀମନ୍ଦିରର ଚାରି…

— CMO Odisha (@CMO_Odisha) July 14, 2024

What’s inside the revered treasury

– The treasury is home to precious gold and diamond jewellery offered to Lord Jagannath. As per Odisha Magazine, Odisha’s King Anangabhima Dev donated 2.5 lakh madhas of gold to prepare jewellery for the almighty. 

– The Ratna Bhandar has two chambers — Bhitar Bhandar (Inner Treasury) and Bahar Treasury (Outer Treasury). The Magazine stated that the outer treasury has suna mukuta of Lord Jagannath, three gold necklaces (Haridakanthi Mali) weighing 120 tolas each.

– The report mentioned also mentions Suna Sribhuja and Sri Payar of Lord Jagannath and Balabhadra. 

– Meanwhile, the inner treasury has close to 74 gold ornaments, each weighing more than 100 tolas, the report added. 

– There are plates made of gold, diamond, corals and pearls, the report said. Apart from this, more than 140 silver jewellery are also kept in the treasury. 

Puri (Odisha):

Days after the alleged assault on a Raj Bhavan employee in Odisha by Governor Raghubar Das’s son, the Governor took cognizance of the incident and assured justice for the victim and his family.

Baikuntha Pradhan, a Raj Bhavan employee, has alleged that he was assaulted by Governor Raghubar Das’s son, Lalit Kumar, along with six other people on the night of July 7.

Mr Pradhan, along with his wife Sayoj, met with the Governor on Friday and shared their views.

Governor Das assured the victim’s family that strict action would be taken against those involved in the incident.

In a conversation with ANI on Saturday, Sayoj, wife of Baikuntha Pradhan, said that they were assured by the governor that justice would be served.

“Everyone is aware of what happened on July 7. The governor called us and we met him. He assured us that justice would be given. He said that we are their family,” she said.

Earlier on Friday, a complaint was registered regarding the matter at the Sea Beach Police Station in Odisha’s Puri.

Baikuntha Pradhan had also written to the Governor. “I, Baikuntha Pradhan, Asst. Section Officer, Parliamentary Affairs Department, currently working on a deployment basis at the Governor’s Household, beg to state the following unfortunate and life-threatening incident done by Mr. Lalit Kumar, son of the Honourable Governor of Odisha, and others (a total of six persons) on the night of July 7, 2024, at Raj Bhavan, Puri,” read the letter.

Baikuntha Pradhan further alleged that Lalit Kumar had been threatening him. “Mr Lalit Kumar kept on saying that if they murdered me, nobody could save me, neither the Comptroller nor anybody else,” he claimed.

Baikuntha Pradhan has demanded that the accused be brought to justice.

“In view of the facts stated above, I request that you earnestly give me justice and bring the culprit to book as I received bodily injuries, was severely humiliated, and lost human dignity, for which I will remain highly obliged to you,” he wrote in the letter to the Governor.

Bhubaneswar:

Bharatiya Janata Party and Congress workers on Tuesday came to blows at the Master Canteen area of the city during a protest by the former over the Leader of the Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi’s remarks in the Parliament.

The police personnel deployed at the spot seemed helpless as the bustling area turned into a battlefield with both groups raining stones at each other.

Sources claimed that around 30 to 40 BJP workers were holding a protest near the Congress Bhawan at Master Canteen on Tuesday. Meanwhile, a heated argument erupted between the workers of BJP and Congress when some of the protestors started throwing cow dung at the hoarding of LoP Rahul Gandhi near the Congress Bhawan.

The argument soon turned violent as both groups engaged in a brawl and started throwing stones at each other. Sources revealed that as many as seven persons including workers of both BJP and Congress have sustained injuries in the fight.

“Everyone has the right to protest. But, the BJP workers hurled cow dung, stones and attacked us with sticks in the presence of Police before the office of a national party which indicates that BJP is trying to begin a politics of violence in the land of Lingaraj and Jagannath,” said Yasir Nawaz, Congress President.

Nawaz warned that the Chief Minister and other leaders of the BJP wouldn’t be allowed to travel on the streets by the student wing of Congress if police fail to take any action in the case.

BJP workers have filed a complaint at the Capital police station accusing Congress of hurling stones at the party workers during the protest against the alleged anti-Hindu remarks by LoP Rahul Gandhi. A separate complaint has been filed by Congress workers too.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Bhubaneswar:

As many as five persons died in lightning strikes in Odisha’s Bargarh and Balangir districts on Wednesday.

Sukhdev Banchor (58), Niroj Kumbhar (25), and Dhanurjya Nayak (45) from Dewandihi village in Bargarh district had taken shelter under a banyan tree near the village when the lightning struck. All three died on the spot, while two others sustained injuries in the lightning strike on Wednesday afternoon.

In another incident, Suryakanti Kharsel (40) and her 18-year-old son Deepak from Chaulbanji village in Balangir district died due to a lightning strike while working in their paddy field.

Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has announced a compensation of Rs 4 lakh each to the families of the deceased persons.

The Chief Minister also wished a speedy recovery to the injured persons, as he instructed the concerned district administrations to provide free treatment to them.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Bhubaneswar:

Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Saturday allocated portfolios to his council of ministers, keeping home, finance and several other departments to himself, according to an order issued by the Raj Bhavan.

Deputy Chief Minister KV Singh Deo was given the charge of Agriculture and Farmers’ Empowerment and Energy departments.

The other deputy chief minister Pravati Parida, a debutant MLA and the lone female in the 16-member council of ministers, has been assigned Women and Child Development, Mission Shakti and Tourism department.

Mr Majhi was sworn in as the state’s first BJP chief minister here on Wednesday.

The other departments which are also held by the chief minister are general administration and public grievances, information and public relations, water resources and planning and convergence.

Veteran BJP leader Suresh Pujari was allocated Revenue and Disaster Management, while Rabi Narayan Naik, a farmer leader, was given Rural Development, Panchayati Raj & Drinking Water departments.

Tribal leader Nityananda Gond got school and mass education, ST&SC development, minorities & backward classes Welfare, social security & empowerment of persons with disabilities departments, the statement said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Rourkela:

 Ten people died of suspected heatstroke in Odisha’s Rourkela city on Thursday, as the mercury shot up in most parts of the eastern state, officials said.

The director-in-charge (DIC) of Rourkela Government Hospital (RGH), Dr Sudharani Pradhan, said the deaths occurred within a span of six hours from 2 pm onwards.

“Eight people were dead by the time they reached the hospital, while the rest died while undergoing treatment here. This was likely due to the intense heatwave,” she said.

“The body temperatures were around 103-104 degrees Fahrenheit, which is very high given the weather conditions. This could be the possible reason behind the deaths. The history could not be studied as they arrive dead,” she said.

A few more people were undergoing treatment.

“At this moment the real cause is not known. It could be ascertained tomorrow after the post-mortem examination,” said Ms Pradhan.

The Director of Public Health, U K Sahoo confirmed the deaths of 10 people and said, “Ten people have died, but identities of all of them are yet to be ascertained.” Meanwhile, heat wave conditions prevailed across Odisha, particularly the western region, as temperatures soared to more than 44 degrees C in 12 places on Thursday.

The IMD in its evening bulletin said as many as 19 places in the state recorded a maximum temperature of more than 40 degrees C.

Heatwave conditions prevailed in Jharsuguda, Bolangir, Bargarh, Sambalpur, Sonepur, Malkangiri, Sundargarh, Nuapada and Kandhamal districts, it said.

Jharsuguda was the hottest in the state as the maximum temperature in the western Odisha district zoomed to 47 deg C.

Jharsuguda was followed by Titlagarh at 46.5 deg C, Bargarh at 46.3 deg C and Sambalpur at 46.2 deg C.

The mercury level rose to 45.6 deg C at Sonepur, while Malkangiri recorded 45.6 deg C, Bhawanipatna 45.5 deg C, Balangir 45.3 deg C and Hirakud 45.2 deg C.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Puri:

Fifteen people received burn injuries after a heap of firecrackers exploded during Lord Jagannath’s Chandan Jatra festival in Odisha’s Puri on Wednesday night, police said.

Hundreds of people had gathered on the banks of Narendra Pushkarinee, a waterbody, to witness the rituals when the accident happened, they said.

A group of devotees were celebrating the festival with crackers. Suddenly, a splinter from the burning crackers struck the heap, leading to the explosion, they added.

The burning crackers then hit the people gathered at the spot, and some of them, even jumped into the waterbody to save themselves, police said.

The injured persons were admitted to the district hospital, and the conditions of four of them were critical, a doctor said.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik expressed grief over the incident and directed officials concerned to ensure proper treatment of the injured.

He said the cost of the treatment would be borne by the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has responded to BJP jibes about his trembling hands and close aide VK Pandian’s efforts to hide it from public view, with his trademark calmness.

“I believe the BJP, which is known to make non-issues into issues, are discussing my hands. This will certainly not work,” said the 77-year-old, who, amid simultaneous assembly and Lok Sabha elections in the state, has been increasingly targetted by the BJP over his health.

Earlier today, Mr Pandian was caught on camera trying to hide Mr Patnaik’s trembling hands while he was delivering a speech.

The first off the block was Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who hinted that it an effort by Mr Pandian to capture power in the state.

Mr Sarma posted the video on X, formerly Twitter, with a lengthy caption.

“This is a deeply distressing video. Shri VK Pandian ji is even controlling the hand movements of Shri Naveen Babu. I shudder to imagine the level of control a retired ex bureaucrat from Tamil Nadu is currently exercising over the future of Odisha! BJP is determined is give back the reins of Odisha to the people of the State,” the caption read.

This is a deeply distressing video. Shri VK Pandian ji is even controlling the hand movements of Shri Naveen Babu. I shudder to imagine the level of control a retired ex bureaucrat from Tamil Nadu is currently exercising over the future of Odisha!

BJP is determined is give back… pic.twitter.com/6PEAt7F9iM

— Himanta Biswa Sarma (Modi Ka Parivar) (@himantabiswa) May 28, 2024

Last week, Union home minister and the BJP’s chief strategist Amit Shah had put the spotlight on the health of the five-time Chief Minister.

Mr Patnaik, he said, should retire due to his “advanced age and health issues”. The BJP, he added, would replace him with a younger son of the soil if voted to power.

Mr Patnaik’s response was acerbic. “There is a limit to the lies the BJP can tell. As you can see, I am in very good health, and I have been campaigning for around a month all over the state,” he told news agency ANI.

That Mr Pandian is a bugbear for the BJP was evident by Mr Shah’s attack on him. Hitting out at the bureaucrat-turned-politician without naming him, Mr Shah said a “Tamil babu” is ruling the roost in Odisha and people will vote for the BJP to free the state from “babu raj”.

Recently, Mr Pandian had listed nine “self goals” of the BJP, which he claimed would ensure that the state stays in the hands of the ruling Biju Janata Dal.

New Delhi:
Voting will take place in 58 seats across seven states and one Union Territory in the sixth and penultimate phase of the Lok Sabha election today. Delhi and Haryana are voting in a single phase. For the seventh and last phase, 57 seats will be left.

Here are the Top 10 points in this big story:

Bhubaneswar:

 Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Sambit Patra, who was in the soup for his ‘controversial’ remarks relating to Lord Jagannath, cleared the air around his statement, saying that he was apologetic for his ‘slip of the tongue’, and that he would offer penance in the name of Lord Jagannath as an apology.

Mr Patra, the BJP candidate from Puri Lok Sabha seat, landed in a row in Odisha on Monday after he told a local news channel that “Lord Jagannath is a devotee (bhakt) of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.” He later described it as a “slip of the tongue.”

Speaking to ANI about the remark Monday night, Mr Patra said, “Today one of my statements has become controversial. It was when Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s roadshow came to an end in Puri and I was giving out bytes to several media channels.”

“I had given out bytes to almost 15-16 channels wherein I was repeating that Prime Minister Modi is an ardent devotee of Maha Prabhu Jagannath Ji. Even as the Chief Minister of Ahmedabad and even before that, PM Modi used to regularly visit and offer prayers at Lord Jagannath temple there in Ahmedabad,” Mr Patra said.

Adding further, Mr Patra said, “I was repeating the same to every channel when a media person came to me for a byte. It so happened that amid a lot of people, hot weather, and noise, I unknowingly said just the opposite of what I had been saying all along. I mistakenly said that Lord Jagannath is a devotee of PM Modi.”

“This is not possible; no person in his right mind can say that God is a devotee of any human being. The mistake happened unknowingly while giving out bytes to a channel. I agree that the sentiments of some people have been hurt due to my statement, but even the lord forgives a person for committing a mistake unknowingly,” said Mr Patra.

He further clarified, “It was never my intention to commit this mistake, but still because Mahaprabhu Jagannath is the Lord of the Universe and I am an ardent devotee just like the hundreds and thousands of Odias, I feel I should convey my apology and offer penance to the Lord for a ‘slip of the tongue’ that occurred unknowingly.”

“Hence, I have decided to observe fasting as an apology,” said Mr Patra.

BJP candidate Sambit Patra inadvertently kicked off a row on Monday after he mistakenly said that “Lord Jagannath is a devotee (bhakt) of PM Modi.”

“Lakhs of people have gathered to see Modi. Lord Jagannath is a devotee (bhakt) of Modi, and we are Modi’s family. This is an unusual sight, and I am not able to control my emotions. I think it is a historic day for all Odias,” Mr Patra said.

He made the remark while speaking to reporters during the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha election and the second phase of the Odisha Assembly election.

Mr Patra’s accidental remark drew sharp criticism from Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, who called it an ‘insult’ to the Lord.

“Mahaprabhu Shree Jagannatha is the Lord of the Universe. Calling Mahaprabhu a bhakt of another human being is an insult to the Lord. This has hurt the sentiments and demeaned the faith of crores of Jagannatha bhaktas and Odias across the world,” Mr Patnaik wrote in a post on the microblogging site X.

The Lord is the greatest symbol of Odia Asmita, Mr Patnaik added.

“I strongly denounce the statement made by the BJP Puri Lok Sabha candidate, and I appeal to the BJP to keep the Lord above any political discourse. By this, you have deeply hurt Odia Asmita and this will be remembered and condemned by the people of Odisha for a very long time,” the chief minister wrote.

In his clarification addressed to Naveen Patnaik, Mr Patra said, “Sir let’s not make an issue out of a nonexistent issue ..we all have “slip of the tongue sometimes”.. Thanks and Pranam!”

Congress also attacked Mr Patra for his remark relating to Lord Jagannath and sought an apology.

Prime Minister Modi held a roadshow in the holy city of Puri on Monday morning along with BJP candidate Sambit Patra.

Mr Patra had lost the election in 2019 to Pinaki Mishra of the BJD. This time he faces Congress’ Jaya Narayan Patnayak and BJD’s Arup Patnaik.

Voting for the fifth phase of the ongoing Lok Sabha elections 2024 began on Monday morning across 49 parliamentary constituencies spread over six states and two Union Territories (UTs) amid tight security and arrangements.

The Lok Sabha elections are being held across seven phases, from April 19 to June 1. The counting is scheduled for June 4.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)