(This story originally appeared in on Nov 08, 2019)

NEW DELHI: If a Supreme Court order in 2011 led to discovery of treasures in the vaults of the Padmanabhaswamy temple in Kerala that made it the richest temple, a similar exercise by the top court now is likely to establish Jagannath temple in Puri as a major landowner.A recent SC order revealed the temple owned a mindboggling 60,418 acres, or 244.5 square km, of land within and outside Odisha . The land owned by the temple is 15 times the size of Puri town, which is all of 16.33 sq km. What also caught the court’s attention was that the temple owns several quarries and mines but licensees are not paying any dues to the shrine.In its order, an apex court bench of Justices Arun Mishra, M R Shah and S Ravindra Bhat said, “There are vast immovable properties within and outside the state belonging to the Shri Jagannath temple.”The apex court bench said, “It is stated by amicus curiae (senior advocate Ranjit Kumar) in his report that 60,418 acres of land belong to the temple and record of rights has been prepared for 34,201 acres so far.”The apex court bench said, “It is stated by amicus curiae (senior advocate Ranjit Kumar) in his report that 60,418 acres of land belong to the temple and record of rights has been prepared for 34,201 acres so far. Let the record of rights for remaining land be prepared, as far as possible, within six months and the same placed before the court. With respect to other immovable properties within and outside the state, let inventory be prepared and details be submitted on how they are being utilised as also the income generated from them.” The bench posted the matter for hearing on January 8.The bench ordered, “A list of quarries and mines be prepared as to how they are being managed, who is operating them, on what basis and what is the income of the temple from them and the outstanding dues. Let a list of quarries and mines be produced and the income generated/outstanding dues with names and other details.”Giving primacy to carrying out of rituals at the temple as insisted by Shankaracharya of Govardhan Math, Puri, the bench said, “What are the rituals to be performed is not for the court to decide, but when the temple exists due to the deities, the deities cannot be permitted to be disregarded by non-performance of ‘nitis’, puja and rituals in the traditional form as observed by the Shankaracharya, who suggested that these to be performed as per the guidelines laid in Brahma Purana, Vamdev Samhita, Panchatantra-Ishwar Samhita and Vimarsha, which mentions consecration, worship and different festivals related to Shri Jagannath temple.”