Inventory Of Puri Jagannath Temple Ratna Bhandar After Repair By ASI, SOP Ready

Bhubaneswar: A Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for conducting inventory of the valuables of the Ratna Bhandar of Shree Jagannath Temple of Odisha’s Puri has already been prepared and the process will start after completion of repair of the treasury structure.

This information was shared by former Orissa High Court Judge Justice (Retd) Biswanath Rath, who is the chairman of the 16-member supervising committee formed by the Odisha government for the whole exercise.

Stating that SOP for the counting process has been finalised, Justice Rath said that the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) will undertake inspection and proper repair of the Ratna Bhandar structures. Structures of both outer and inner chambers of Ratna Bhandar will be properly repaired.

After completion of repair work, the ASI will give a certificate in this regard and after that inventory of valuables will be taken up, he said.

The whole structure will be properly repaired so that there will be no need for further repair for the next 100 years, he said.

It may be noted that the Ratna Bhandar was opened twice on July 14 and 18 and all the ornaments and other valuables were shifted from both outer and inner chambers to a temporary strong room set up inside the temple complex.