The Emar Mutt in Puri. Telegraph picture

Puri, April 4: The arrest of mahanta Rajgopal Ramanuj Das alias Sunil Sharma has cast a shadow over Emar Mutt, which has been closely associated with the Lord Jagannath cult for the last 800 years.

The mahanta was arrested on charges of stealing silver bricks from the mutt’s treasure trove. Now police guard the 559 slivers bricks, each weighing 35 to 40kg.

The row surrounding the treasure refuses to leave the mutt which wears a deserted look. Its huge iron and wooden gates also remain closed. One has to make one’s way into the premises through a much smaller gate next to the main gate.

With the fate of mahanta Ramanuj Das hanging in balance, the only persons found ambling on the sprawling premises of the mutt are the two priests — Lalaji Choube and Damdor Pandey — and three students — Sumanta Panda, Sashanka Nayak and Purna Chandra Tripathy.

The building is in a dilapidated condition with plants taking root in its numerous cracks and crannies. The state archaeology department did a small repair and restoration job last year with its own limited resources. The mutt authorities have not spent anything for its upkeep.

“The mutt faces an acute shortage of water during summer. We have to go to Jagannath temple, a few metres away, to fetch water. We also use the temple water for bathing,” said Sashanka.

Following tradition, the mutt patronises the poor and young brahmins, helping them pursue higher studies in the town. They are popularly known as vidyarthis.

Over the years, the number of vidyarthis in the mutt has gone down thanks to lack of support. “The mutt provides just one meal at dinner time and pays Rs 200 per month for our sustenance,” said Sashanka.

The mahanta always kept a safe distance from the students. Sasanka was shocked to learn about the mahanta’s involvement in the silver bricks’ racket. Somnath Patra (87), a social activist, gives an interesting insight into how the silver bricks came to the mutt.

“Puri district witnessed a severe drought from 1866 to 1868. During this period, the British government had asked the then mahanta of Emar Mutt to open a relief centre (Anna Chhatra) for the poor. The mutt had done a good job and in return the British government had given 2.80 lakh silver coins weighing one gram each to the mutt. Later, the coins were melted and turned into bricks which were kept in different rooms. Since 1936, we have been demanding the property to be handed over to the public,” he said.

“The mahanta alias Sunil Sharma is married. He has already sold the bricks. The police should conduct raids on his brother-in-law’s house,” said Priyadarshan Patnaik who works for the preservation of the Jagannath cult.

While the other inmates of the mutt led a Spartan life, the mahanta stayed in an air-conditioned room. Unfortunately, neither he nor anyone else bothered to repair the abode of saint Ramannujam that lies on its premises. Sources said there were a number of narrow passages within the mutt premises, some probably connected to the shop called Ganesh Jewellery, which had bought the stolen bricks.

The mutt had rented out space to around 15 jewellery shops (including Ganesh Jewellery). “Because of one bad egg in the basket, people look at us with suspicion. The truth must be revealed,” says Jitendra Kumar Sahu, owner of a jewellery shop.

Nobody knows about the properties attached to the other mutts in the town, but many people now suspect that each of them has some hidden treasure. Such speculation notwithstanding, most of the mutts are in a state of disrepair.