Decision On Opening Of Ratna Bhandar In Puri Jagannath Temple & Slot Booking For Devotees After Rath Yatra, Says Odisha Minister

Puri: Odisha government will take a decision on the date for opening the Ratna Bhandar (treasury) of Jagannath Temple in Puri soon.

Law Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan said this while speaking to media persons during a visit to the Pilgrim Town on Friday. The minister took stock of the preparation for Rath Yatra. He made a field visit to the area where the three chariots of sibling deities will be pulled and held a meeting with the officials of district administration.

“We expect an increase in number of devotees to participate in the Rath Yatra considering that three festivals will be celebrated on the same day this year. Besides, President Droupadi Murmu is scheduled to come to Puri to attend the festival. Considering this, I had come to ensure a fool-proof arrangement for celebration of the festival in a disciplined manner,” he said.

On the proposed slot booking for darshan inside the temple by the devotees, he said the state government was committed to smooth and hassle-free darshan by devotees in the temple. “We will take everybody into confidence before taking a decision. We will hold discussion with servitors, all stakeholders and prominent people of the town who have experience in the matter, before taking a decision. However, a decision in this regard would be taken after the Rath Yatra,” he said.

On the opening of Ratna Bhandar of the temple also, he said the government was looking into all aspects. Besides opening of the Lords’ treasure, evaluation of the materials inside it and repair of any damaged areas and other aspects would be taken into consideration before taking a decision, he added.

The minister inspected the arrangements made so far on the route of the Rath Yatra in the town. During a visit to the parking space for vehicles, he directed the officials to ensure smooth movement of the vehicles with the help of traffic police. He also surveyed the helipad where President Droupadi Murmu will arrive in a helicopter to attend the Rath Yatra.

Harichandan held a meeting on the arrangements with Puri collector Siddharth Sankar Swain and SP Pinak Mishra on law and order and different aspects of the Rath Yatra.