More Time Needed For Repair Of Puri Ratna Bhandar; Inventory By Rath Yatra

Bhubaneswar: The repair work of Ratna Bhandar of Shree Jagannath Temple in Odisha’s Puri will take more time than initially expected.

Giving this information on Monday, Law Minister Prithviraj Harichandan said the ongoing repair work of the treasury is likely to be extend by a month or two.

While the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is doing the restoration work, the delay is attributed to additional repair that was uncovered during the ongoing process. The timeline is being extended due to the additional repair work.

The Minister further stated that the counting process of the Ratna Bhandar inventory would be completed before the Rath Yatra festival. However, it will not be possible to complete the inventory process March deadline.

Earlier, the state government had announced that details of the ornaments and other valuables of the treasury of the 12th century shrine would be made public after the completion of the inventory work. Comprehensive details about the ornaments will be disclosed once the counting process is completed, the Law Minister said earlier adding that the last inventory check was conducted in 1978.

It may be noted that the Ratna Bhandar was opened after a gap of over 45 years on July 14, 2024.

Maintaining that the delay was not due to neglect by anyone, the Minister further explained that the work is being done in conjunction with the temple’s daily rituals. The work is going on in proper coordination between the ASI and the temple administration, he said.