No Secret Tunnel Inside Ratna Bhandar Of Puri Jagannath Temple: Odisha Minister

Bhubaneswar: There are no secret tunnels/chambers inside Ratna Bhandar (treasure trove) of Shree Jagannath Temple in Odisha’s Puri, Law Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan informed on Friday.

Speaking to the media, the Minister said that the preliminary report of the Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) survey conducted by the Archeological Survey of India (ASI) suggests no secret tunnels/chambers in the treasury of the Lords. “It will be confirmed once we get the final report. The survey was helpful in finding the cracks inside the Ratna Bhandar,” he said.

The survey of the inner chamber of Ratna Bhandar (treasure trove) of the 12th-century shrine was conducted amid speculation of a secret tunnel and chamber containing precious jewellery.

Harichandan said that inventory of the valuables will be done once the repair work is completed. “It is not feasible to carry out any repair work now since the temple is witnessing heavy rush as it is the holy month of Kartika. The ASI would repair the cracks after Kartika Purnima and is expected to be completed in next one or two months. After the repair is completed, the valuables will be brought back into the treasury and their inventorisation will begin in the New Year,” he said, the report will be made available in the next seven days.