THE Jagannath Temple in Odisha’s Puri has bank deposits of nearly Rs 1,912 croren and owns 60,821acres of land across the Country, besides possessing Gold and Diamond ornaments kept in its Ratna Bhandar, astatement said. According to the statement issued by the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA), Rs 1,811.10 crorewas held in fixed deposits under three schemes as on August 31. Of this, Rs1,311.10 crore has been deposited invarious Public SectorBanks,whiletheremaining Rs 500 croreisa Corpus Fund provided by the Odisha Government and kept in the Temple’sprofit and loss account, it said. The temple also had Rs100.71 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 andmines, interest on fixed deposits, sale and acquisition of land, and Government grants. “Some specific part of the incomeis keptin fixed deposits as Corpus Fund and another part is kept in fixed deposits as Foundation Fund. The remaining income is kept in theTemple Fund,”SJTA Chief Administrator Arabinda Padhee said in the statement on Wednesday.

 

The Temple’s daily expenses aremet 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 arecounted everyday, and detailsare 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. TheTemple’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.