Puri: Odisha government’s treasure hunt at the famous Emar Mutt Friday ended with the recovery of a piece of iron buried in the centuries old religious institution, which is located in the southeastern corner of Shri Jagannath Temple here.
The mutt floor was dug up in the presence of the members of its trustee board, government officials, police, the magistrate and media persons anticipating recovery of more hidden treasure, Puri district sub-collector Bhabataran Sahu said.
In 2011 a total 522 silver ingots weighing 18 tonnes were found from inside the mutt. The ingots were valued at Rs 90 crore and is presently stored at the district armory for security reasons, officials said.
In April 2021 another 45 more silver ingots weighing about 35 kg each were found inside the mutt. This apart a silver tree, silver flowers, 16 antique swords and a bronze cow sculpture were also discovered from the premises from the mutt, which was established by Ramanujacharya in 1050 AD when he came to Puri.
Following the discovery, another treasure hunt was carried out in September last year when the metallic detector indicated the presence of some metal at three places in the mutt premises, they said.
“But after digging three identified places in the mutt premises, no hidden treasure was detected today. Only one piece of iron was recovered,” Sahu said.
Emar Mutt Trust Board president Narayan Ramanuja Das also confirmed that no hidden treasure was found during the day’s digging process.
The presence of hidden treasure came to the fore in 2011 when two masons working in the Mutt were caught by police while attempting to sell two pieces of silver ingot. Subsequently, the treasure was recovered from a room closed on all the four sides.
PTI