Bhubaneswar: Odisha government Monday said that it is fully prepared to conduct the inventory of the Ratna Bhandar (treasury) of the Jagannath Temple in Puri, and the exercise will begin soon.
The state government’s statement followed a recent direction of the Orissa High Court to the state government to complete the long-pending inventory work of jewellery and other valuables in the Ratna Bhandar within three months.
The authorities of the Jagannath Temple January 17 decided that the inventory work of jewellery and valuables stored in the refurbished Ratna Bhandar will begin “on an auspicious day” following the state government’s nod.
The Ratna Bhandar has an inner and an outer chamber. While the outer chamber is opened for daily use of deities, the inner chamber was unlocked July 14, 2024, after 46 years for the inventory work and repair of its structure.
The previous inventory of the jewellery comprising gold, diamond, silver ornaments, precious stones and others, was conducted way back in 1978.
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) Monday reviewed the preparations for conducting the inventory, according to a CMO statement.
The Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for the work has already been approved by the Shree Jagannath Temple Managing Committee (SJTMC), the apex body of the 12th-century shrine headed by Gajapati Maharaja Dibyasingha Deb, the titular king of Puri.
Officials said that the present inventory will be matched with the 1978 list, and a digital catalog will be prepared with photographs of all jewellery and valuables.
According to the CMO statement, the meeting discussed in detail the process of counting the treasures of the treasures, security arrangements and administrative preparations.
Ahead of the chief minister’s review meeting, a preliminary discussion of senior officials was held at the residence of Law Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan.
The Puri Jagannath Temple functions under the law department of the state government.
In an X post, Harichandan said, “The meeting discussed in detail the process of inventory of Ratna Bhandar items, security arrangements and administrative preparations. The final decision regarding the date of the inventory will be taken by the chief minister.”
The review meeting was attended by Justice Biswanath Rath, a former judge of the Orissa High Court, who is also the chairperson of the high-level committee appointed by the state government to oversee the opening, repair, and inventory of the Ratna Bhandar. The law minister and other senior officials also attended the meeting.
The repair and renovation work of the inner chamber was completed by the Archaeological Survey of India, the custodian of the shrine, in 95 days and 333 hours of work.
Meanwhile, opposition BJD spokesperson Lenin Mohanty asked the state’s BJP government to stop playing politics over Lord Jagannath and his treasury.
“The BJP came to power by misleading the people by using the name of Lord Jagannath. The party had committed to repair and undertake inventory of Ratna Bhandar after coming to power. They have been in office for about 20 months, but have not undertake inventory. A direction from the high court was required for inventory of the Lord’s treasury,” Mohanty told reporters.
While hearing a PIL, a division bench of the Orissa High Court comprising Chief Justice Harish Tandon and Justice M S Raman January 27 directed the state government to complete the inventory work within three months.
PTI