Puri’s Jagannath Temple has Rs 1,912 crore in bank, owns 60,821 acres of land

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, according to details released by the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA).

The temple held Rs 1,811.10 crore in fixed deposits as of 31 August, the SJTA said. Of this, Rs 1,311.10 crore was deposited with various public sector banks, while another Rs 500 crore represented a corpus fund provided by the Odisha government and maintained in the temple’s profit and loss account.

The temple also had Rs 100.71 crore across savings, current and flexi accounts, taking its total bank deposits to around Rs 1,911.80 crore.

According to SJTA chief administrator Arabinda Padhee, the temple’s income comes primarily from devotees’ donations, earnings from temple-owned quarries and mines, interest earned on fixed deposits, land-related transactions and government grants.

A portion of the income is maintained as corpus and foundation funds, while the remaining amount is kept in the temple fund. Daily expenses are met from this fund, with surplus amounts placed in fixed deposits.

The SJTA said its primary responsibility is to safeguard and properly maintain the temple’s assets.

The temple’s Hundi donations are counted every day, with the amounts displayed on information boards and shared through social media as part of efforts to maintain transparency.

The temple has also expanded its digital donation system through “Samarpan”, launched shortly before this year’s Rath Yatra on 15 July.

The platform enables devotees in India and abroad to make online donations and receive digital receipts. As of 31 August, donations through the platform had reached Rs 56.71 lakh, according to the SJTA.

The Jagannath Temple holds extensive land assets across the country, with 60,821 acres registered in its name.

Of this, 60,426 acres are spread across 24 districts of Odisha, while the remaining 395 acres are located in six other states, including West Bengal.

The temple also possesses gold, diamond and other valuable ornaments stored in the heavily secured Ratna Bhandar, the temple’s treasury.

An inventory of the valuables is currently underway — the first such exercise in 48 years, officials said.

The disclosure of the temple’s assets comes amid a history of theft-related cases involving temple property and donations.

Police said at least seven incidents involving the alleged theft of cash, ornaments and idols have 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.

With PTI inputs