PURI: The Shree Jagannath Temple in Odisha’s Puri has bank deposits worth nearly Rs 1,912 crore and owns 60,821 acres of land across the country, besides possessing gold, diamond and other valuables kept in its Ratna Bhandar, according to a statement issued by the temple administration.
The Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) said that as of August 31, the temple had Rs 1,811.10 crore in fixed deposits under three schemes. Of this, Rs 1,311.10 crore was deposited with various public sector banks, while Rs 500 crore constituted a corpus fund provided by the Odisha government and kept in the temple’s profit and loss account.
The temple also held Rs 100.71 crore in savings, current and flexi accounts, taking its total bank deposits to approximately Rs 1,911.80 crore.
According to SJTA chief administrator Arabinda Padhee, the temple’s income primarily comes from donations by devotees, earnings from its quarries and mines, interest earned on fixed deposits, land-related transactions 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,” Padhee said.
He said daily expenditure is met from the temple fund, while the surplus is placed in fixed deposits. Maintaining the temple’s assets properly remains the administration’s primary responsibility, he added.
The SJTA said donations deposited in the temple’s Hundi are counted every day, with details displayed on information boards and shared through social media.
The administration also launched the digital donation platform ‘Samarpan’ shortly before this year’s Rath Yatra on July 15. The facility enables devotees from across the world to make donations and receive receipts. As of August 31, Rs 56.71 lakh had been contributed through the platform.
The temple owns 60,821 acres of land across India, including 60,426 acres in 24 districts of Odisha. The remaining 395 acres are located in six other states, including West Bengal.
The temple’s gold, diamond and other valuables are kept under tight security in the Ratna Bhandar. An inventory of the valuables is currently being conducted after a gap of 48 years, officials said.
Police said at least seven cases involving alleged theft of cash, ornaments and idols had been reported at the temple over the past 25 years. In February 2024, a temple clerk was allegedly caught on CCTV stealing Rs 31,940 while donation money was being counted. A year earlier, a temple peon was arrested for allegedly stealing Rs 800 during the counting process.
The 12th-century temple is administered by the Odisha government’s Law Department under the Shri Jagannath Temple Act, 1955.