Puri: After a long wait, the Ratna Bhandar (treasury) of Shree Jagannath Temple in Odisha’s Puri is set to be opened on Sunday for which all necessary arrangements are being made.
The state government has already approved the standard operating procedure (SOP) for starting the process of opening the Ratna Bhandar on Sunday for inventory and repair work.
All aspects of reopening including rituals, time and precautions have been taken into account while finalising the SOP, according to Law Minister Prithviraj Harichandan.
The chief administrator of the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) would decide the exact timing to start the process.
A team of experts, headed by the SJTA chief administrator has been formed for the purpose. It includes representatives of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), Reserve Bank of India (RBI), servitors and others.
The assistance of RBI has been sought to maintain transparency in the inventory of ornaments. Their representatives will be present during the inventory and cooperate with the team of the managing committee.
Responsibility has been given to chief administrator of SJTA, Arabinda Kumar Padhee, to manage the process smoothly.
The government had formed a 16-member committee headed by former Orissa High Court Judge Justice Biswanath Rath to monitor the opening of Ratna Bhandar. The committee had recommended its opening on July 14 and proposed a detailed SOP for the entire exercise.
The recommendation of the committee was subsequently approved by the Shree Jagannath Temple Managing Committee and forwarded to the government by the temple administration for consideration and final approval.
The government has decided to take necessary steps for preparing a digital catalogue to list the number, weight and quality of jewellery found in the Ratna Bhandar. Digital photographs of the jewels will be taken for the catalogue, Harichandan said.
Repair work of the Ratna Bhandar would also be carried out besides the inventory. A decision has been taken to carry out these processes by following rules and rituals of the temple.
Notably, Justice (Retd) Biswanath Rath, Padhee, Puri district collector and SP visited the temple to take stock of the situation before opening of the Ratna Bhandar.
According to Rath, the Ratna Bhandar will be opened sometime between 1 pm and 1.30 pm on Sunday.
Stating that the process of entering the temple will start after 1 pm, he said, “We have surrendered before the Lord to give us strength to undertake the work.”
Among those who are to take part in the opening process are members of the temple managing committee, two members of the monitoring committee, an ASI representative, Puri district Collector and the servitors who are in charge of the Ratna Bhandar like ‘Bhandar Mekap’ and ‘Tadau Karan’.
There will also be a medical team and snake helpline members on standby. They will not go inside the Ratna Bhandar and will be called only if required, he added.
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