Puri: Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) in Puri Monday announced that the ASI has completed the repair of the 12th century shrine’s ‘Ratna Bhandar’ (treasury) and inventory-related work will begin after approval of the state government.
This was announced in a joint press briefing by SJTA Chief Administrator Arabinda Padhee and Archaeological Survey of India’s (ASI) Superintending Archaeologist, D B Garnayak here.
ASI is the custodian of the 65-metre-tall imposing temple in the seaside town.
“By the infinite grace of the Lord, the conservation and renovation work of the Ratna Bhandar, both outer and inner, has been completed today,” Padhee told reporters.
The outer chamber is regularly used to store and retrieve ornaments for daily rituals and festivals. The most valuable ornaments made of gold and diamond are kept in the inner chamber, which has not been opened for 46 years due to concerns about its structural integrity and the need for repairs.
The inner chamber of the Ratna Bhandar was reopened in 2024 for an inventory of valuables and the repair of its structure.
The conservation work was carried out by the ASI for about 333 hours over a period of 95 days. As many as 80 people worked to conserve the Lord’s treasury, said Padhee, an IAS officer.
About the inventory of valuables in the Ratna Bhandar, Padhee said the works related to it will begin only after the permission of the state government.
The Jagannath temple in Puri functions under the Law Department of the Odisha government.
Jewellery and other precious items stored in iron chests and almirahs had been shifted to temporary strong rooms inside the temple in two phases in July last year when the Ratna Bhandar was reopened after four decades.
The valuables will be taken inside the Ratna Bhandar shortly, since the repair is now complete, the SJTA chief administrator said.
The last inventory of the Ratna Bhandar was prepared in 1978.
According to that inventory, the temple has 128 kilograms of gold and over 200 kg of silver, temple sources said, adding that some of the ornaments have gold coatings and those could not be weighed at that time.
Padhee said that the repair and conservation works were carried out as per the state government’s prescribed guidelines.
“By the grace of the Lord, the repair work was completed before Niladri Bije of deities on July 8,” he said.
‘Niladri Bije’ refers to the return of the sibling deities – Lord Balabhadra, Devi Subhadra and Lord Jagannath – to the sanctum sanctorum of the temple, marking conclusion of the Rath Yatra festival.
Though the Ratna Bhandar was opened in July last year, the repair and conservation work began in December after a thorough survey using technology like laser scanners and ground penetrating radars, he said.
Odisha circle ASI chief, DB Garnayak, said that a total of 520 damaged stone blocks and a corbel arch have been changed in the inner and outer chambers of the Ratna Bhandar.
“These are the major stone blocks from exterior and interior side walls of both chambers of Ratna Bhandar, which had deteriorated over the years. Now granite stones are fitted on the floor,” he said.
This apart, 15 damaged beams in the structure have been replaced with stainless steel beams, both big and small. The renovation works have been done entirely in the traditional dry masonry method.
