Puri, July 15: Inhabitance of viperous snakes inside Shri Jagannath’s Ratna Bhandar is a myth, said Justice Biswanath Rath, Chairman of Ratna Bhandar Inventory Committee.
After coming out from the Puri Jagannath Temple, with a thorough supervison of the Ratna Bhandar in the evening on Sunday, Justice Rath said, people have got a lot of mis-conceptions and blind believes regarding the Ratna Bhandar. Some says a number of viperous snakes led by a seven-hood kingcobra are living inside the Ratna Bhandar. The reptiles are believed to be giving watch & vigil to the Lord’s valuables.
Erasing out all misconceptions including hissing of viperous snakes, Justice ruled out straying of any reptiles in the Ratna Bhandar. However, he never ruled out the presence of some rodents, as a number of burrows leading to the bottom of the sindukas (strongboxes) treasured inside the Ratna Bhandar, were spotted inside.
On the underground trench apparently leading towards the Narendra Pokhari, Justice Rath said, no one from the team could guess the presence of any underground path from the floor during the supervision of the inner cellar.
Justice Rath further said, “It was quite impossible to find any underways on its floor or the walls as there were a lot of Metal Almirahs, Wooden strongboxes and some trashes-like things, entirely covering the floor and overlapping the four walls”.
Details regarding the inner layout of the Ratna Bhandar will be clear on reopening of the Ratna Bhandar, scheduled after the Naba Kalebara rituals, Justice Rath added.
