Emar Mutt

CONTEXT:

With the discovery of two treasures earlier, Teams of archeologists are in hunt of a lost hoard at the Emar Mutt located in Lord Jagannath Temple in Puri.

About Emar Mutt

• Located in the south-eastern corner of Jagannath Temple, Puri outside the main Prakara near Kalikadevi Sahi.
• Established in 1150 AD by Tamil saint Sri Rajgopalacharya, who founded ‘Sri Sampradaya’ during the regime of Gajapati Cholagang Deb.
• The king established the Mahalaxmi temple in Sri Jagannath Temple complex. The king also granted vast tracts of farmland in various parts of his State to the Mutt and allowed religious services for the presiding deity.
• The Mutt also came forward to the rescue of the rulers during the famine of 1866. It opened its granary for the needy and distributed alms among the impoverished people of Odisha.
• An ardent disciple of the Saint Sri Rajgopalacharya, 'Gobindacharya' named the mutt as 'Mannath Ramanujacharya’ or MR Mutt which was later pronounced as Emar Mutt.
• This was one of the biggest and largest Mutt in Puri and Odisha which was demolished in 2019 for beautification and need for space around the temple.
• The doorjambs of Emar mutt are noteworthy to see. It has all features of Kalingan architecture. The mutt was renovated during Maratha ruling on Orissa. The followers of this mutt belong to Thengalai sect of Srivaishnava sampradaya.
• Approximately 18 tonnes of ancient silver treasure has been recovered from the mutt.

Sources

• The Indian Express
• Times of India