The gold ornaments are stored at the temple's treasury known as
Bhitara Bhandaraghara. According to the "Records of Rights", the bhandara (store) has 150 gold articles comprising three
necklaces of 120
tolas (each tola is equivalent to 11.33980925 grams) weight each, limbs (hands and feet) of Jagannatha and Balabhadra made in gold of 818 tolas and 710 tolas weight. Also recorded are decorative crowns of the deities Jagannatha, Balabhadra and Subhadra in the order of 610 tolas, 434 tolas and 274 tolas in weight. The estimated value of these ornaments is said to run into several
crores. The security of all the jewelry rests with the Temple Police force, which is controlled by the Temple Managing Committee. When the jewelry is brought out for decorating the deities in the chariots, armed policemen accompany it along with a minimum of 25 storekeepers. Except the priests and the servitors no one else is allowed to remain on the chariots for security reasons. Devotees get a
Darśana or a vision of the Suna Bhesha of the deities from a certain distance. According to the temple sources, in the past, the total weight of the gold ornaments used to adorn the deities weighed more than 208 kg initially made in 138 designs. However, now only 20-30 designs are used. The designs of the gold ornaments that are used to decorate the deities are known as:
hasta (hand);
payar (feet);
mukuta (
tiara or large crown);
mayur chandrika, a peacock feather design which was used as head decoration by Lord
Krishna;
chulapati (a forehead costume which highlights facial beauty);
kundal (hanging ear-rings);
rahurekha, a half square shaped decorative adorned across the face of the deity;
malas or necklaces of various types such as
padam (lotus),
sevati (small sun flower),
agasti in the shape of moon flower; in a
kadamba flower shape,
kante (large gold beads),
mayoor in the form of peacock feathers, and
champa, a yellow flower;
Sri chita representing the third eye of the deities;
chakra or wheel;
gada or mace; padma a lotus flower; and
shankh or conch. The
chita or "Sri Chita" decorative ornament, which denotes the third eye of gods, is represented separately for each of the deities; Lord Jagannath's forehead is affixed with a
diamond and Goddess Subhadra's forehead is decorated with an
emerald (
panna). These forehead ornamentations are removed when the deities are brought out during the
Deb Snana Purnima. They are then redecorated when the deities return to the sanctum, in the Chitra month on
amavasya day (new moon day). ==Controversies==