Puri: If everything goes well, silver-coating on the Ratna Singhasan, Patitapaban Temple and the Singhadwar (Lion’s Gate) canopy door lock will be completed by December 25, as the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) has decided to use more than 300 kg of silver donated by devotees for the purpose. This was revealed during a crucial meeting held at the SJTA office under the chairmanship of chief administrator Arabinda Kumar Padhee, Thursday.
Earlier, during the Srimandir Managing Committee meeting, detailed discussions about the silver-coating project were held. In the initial phase, the aim is to complete the silver-coating of the Patitapaban Temple and its canopy lock by December 25. Further, the Ratna Singhasan and related items will be silver-coated by March next year. Previously, various doors within and outside the Srimandir, including Kalahat Gate and Beherana Gate, were silver-coated.
Later, seven other gates – Bhandara Ghara Gate, Satapahacha Gate, Lakshmi Mandir Gate, Vimala Mandir Gate, Dakshina Ghara Gate, Nrusingha Mandir Gate and Surya Mandir Gate – were also coated with silver. The earlier managing committee meeting had decided to silver-coat the Jamashila area within the Singhadwar canopy, and this decision was further elaborated during Thursday’s meeting. The meeting also deliberated on silver-coating the throne where the Dashavatar idols are seated, the Ratnapalanka, and all other movable idols. The Patitapaban Temple and the Ratna Singhasan will be entirely covered with silver.
The designs were showcased Thursday, but as the measurements are yet to be finalised, they will be presented again. Silver coating for the Jamashila area and its adjoining structures will be carried out, and some design modifications have been implemented. The thickness of the silver coating will be approximately 1 mm. All works will be executed using the silver donated by the Lord’s devotees. It is estimated that around 350 kg of silver will be utilised. A target has been set to complete the silver-coating work on the Patitapaban Temple and the structures above Jamashila by December 25 so as to ensure that devotees witness the new adornments by the New Year. The Ratna Singhasan, made of Burma teakwood, has already been crafted. The weight of each palanka (plank) ranges between 50 to 56 kg.
Considering all aspects, the silver coating will be designed in a manner that ensures no issues for the servitors. Final discussions regarding the Ratna Singhasan have been held, and the aim is to complete the silver-coating work by March. Silver coating will also be applied to the seven Prabhas (decorative halos) of the idols. The Maharana Sevaks (craftsmen) will prepare the halos, which will then be coated with silver. The work is expected to be completed before Akshaya Tritiya next year, according to Madhab Pujapanda, a former member of the managing committee.
