Do snakes guard treasuries in ancient temples? While movies on serpents protecting wealth inside shrines have hit the silver screens many times, authorities of Puri’s Jagannath temple apprehend a real threat from reptiles of all sizes as they gear up to open the temple’s Ratna Bhandar for an inventory after 46 years on July 14.
With the committee‘s apprehension evident, Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) has started a hunt for a skilled snake charmer who would be deployed in Ratna Bhandar to ensure the safety of people during its opening.Moreover, suppose a snake does manage to come close, a team of doctors will also be ready with a medicine kit.
“We have sent a draft SOP on the opening of Ratna Bhandar to govt for approval, where we have sought deployment of a snake charmer and a doctor/team of doctors during the opening of the divine treasury,” a senior SJTA official said.
Ratna Bhandar was last opened on July 14, 1985, to fetch a gold ornament for Lord Balabhadra. The last inventory of the shrine treasury’s valuables was carried out from May 13 to July 23, 1978. “There are legends and folklore about the presence of venomous king cobras in Ratna Bhandar.
Though we are curious to know the types of ancient valuables in Ratna Bhandar, we are equally scared of the possible presence of snakes,” said a servitor of a 16-member committee which on Tuesday proposed to govt to open Ratna Bhandar for inventory and conservation from July 14.
Another servitor, Harekrushna Mahapatra, said snakes were found in the temple’s vicinity during its beautification under Jagannath Heritage Corridor Project recently. “Since it is an age-old temple, there are small holes and cracks at several places. There is a possibility of snakes slithering into Ratna Bhandar through holes. Adequate precautions should be taken during the opening of Ratna Bhandar,” said Mahapatra.