Puri: Amid hectic preparations for opening the Ratna Bhandar of Puri Jagannath Temple on Sunday, the required ‘agyan mala’ (garland of consent) was brought from Lord Loknath as part of the rituals, while servitors performed a special puja.
The sacred agyan mala, a prerequisite for the opening of the Ratna Bhandar, was obtained from Lokanatha Temple. The temple servitors performed Maharudrabhisekh puja to obtain agyan mala and took out a procession towards the Jagannath Temple, to mark the commencement of the auspicious ceremony.
As per tradition, the Ratna Bhandar will be opened in the presence of the Shree Lokanath, Maa Lakshmi, Baba Lokanath, and Maa Bimla.
A crucial meeting of the monitoring committee was held ahead of the reopening of the Ratna Bhandar. The auspicious time to open Ratna Bhandar has been set at 1.28 pm, committee chairman Justice (Retd) Biswanath Rath told reporters after the meeting.
An 11-member team, including Justice Rath and Dr CBK Mohanty, will enter the Ratna Bhandar. Besides, chief administrator of Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) Arabinda Padhee, Puri District Collector Siddharth Shankar Swain, Ratna Bhandar Mekap along with five servitors, will also enter the Ratna Bhandar.
“We have asked for the key from the chief administrator’s treasury,” said Justice Rath. He also informed that the place where the valuables will be kept temporarily has also been identified.
Apart from a team of ODRAF, a metal detector group and Snake Helpline members have also reportedly kept standby.
Devotees are barred from visiting the temple for security reasons. As many as 15 platoons of police have been deployed in Puri, while five platoons are inside the 12th century shrine for security.
Chief Administrator of SJTA Arabinda Padhee said temporary restrictions will be in force when the Committee members proceed to Ratna Bhandar.
All gates of the 12th century shrine except the Singhadwara will be closed, and only authorised persons and servitors will be permitted entry, as per the designated list.
This apart, Committee members will undergo security screening near Beherandwara, and the entire process will be videographed, adhering to the established Standard Operating Procedure (SOP).
It is pertinent to note that to ensure transparency in the inventory of ornaments, assistance from the Reserve Bank of India has been sought. RBI representatives will be present to cooperate with the managing committee team. The Chief Administrator of the SJTA has been tasked with overseeing the process smoothly, said sources.
Notably, Law Minister Prithviraj Harichandan had on Saturday stated that the Ratna Bhandar will be opened again after more than four decades for inventory of the valuables and repair work.
The state government has approved the standard operating procedures (SOPs) for opening of the Ratna Bhandar, recommended by the high-power supervisory committee and temple managing committee.
The Ratna Bhandar was last opened 46 years ago in 1978 and its reopening was made a major political issue during campaign for the recent Lok Sabha and Assembly elections.
