Puri, Sep 3 (PTI) The Jagannath Temple in Odisha’s Puri has bank deposits of nearly Rs 1,912 crore and owns 60,821 acres of land across the country, besides possessing gold and diamond ornaments kept in its Ratna Bhandar, a statement said.
According to the statement issued by the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA), Rs 1,811.10 crore was held in fixed deposits under three schemes as on August 31.
Of this, Rs 1,311.10 crore has been deposited in various public sector banks, while the remaining Rs 500 crore is a corpus fund provided by the Odisha government and kept in the temple’s profit and loss account, it said.
The temple also had Rs 100.71 crore in various savings, current and flexi accounts as on August 31, taking its total bank deposits to around Rs 1,911.80 crore.
The SJTA said its income is mainly derived from devotees’ donations, earnings from temple-owned quarries and mines, interest on fixed deposits, sale and acquisition of land, and government grants.
“Some specific part of the income is kept in fixed deposits as Corpus Fund and another part is kept in fixed deposits as Foundation Fund. The remaining income is kept in the temple fund,” SJTA chief administrator Arabinda Padhee said in the statement on Wednesday.
The temple’s daily expenses are met from the temple fund, while the remaining amount is kept in fixed deposits, he said, adding that the administration’s primary responsibility was to maintain all its assets properly.
The temple’s Hundi donations are counted every day, and details are displayed on information boards and published on social media to keep the public informed, the administration said.
The temple also launched a digital donation platform, “Samarpan”, shortly before the Rath Yatra on July 15 this year, allowing devotees from across the world to make donations and obtain receipts.
As of August 31, devotees had donated Rs 56.71 lakh through the digital platform, the statement said.
The temple owns 60,821 acres of land across the country, of which 60,426 acres are spread across 24 districts of Odisha, and the remaining 395 acres are located in six other states, including West Bengal, it said.
The temple’s gold, diamond and other valuables are kept in the Ratna Bhandar under tight security. Their inventory is currently being carried out after a gap of 48 years, officials said.
At least seven incidents involving theft of cash, ornaments and idols had been reported at the temple in the past 25 years, police said.
In February 2024, a temple clerk was allegedly caught on CCTV stealing Rs 31,940 during the counting of donation money. A year earlier, a temple peon was arrested for allegedly stealing Rs 800 during the counting process, they said.
The 12th-century temple is governed by the Odisha government’s Law Department under the Shri Jagannath Temple Act, 1955, they added. PTI AAM AAM SOM
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