Odisha Govt Grants Permission To Open Puri Ratna Bhandar For Inspection

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government on Tuesday granted permission to open Ratna Bhandar (the storehouse of ornaments) of Puri Jagannath temple. A letter clarifying the same was issued by the government to Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA).

“The date for opening of Ratna Bhandar will be decided at Chhattisha Niyog meeting scheduled on March 29. The guidelines will be strictly followed during the inspection,” an officerfrom SJTA informed.

On Monday, Chief Administrator of SJTA Pradeep Kumar Jena clarified that no assessment of Lord Jagannath’s ornaments will be conducted during inspection of the Ratna Bhandar. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) officials will only examine the status of the wall and roof of the Ratna Bhandar to ensure its security and sustainability, Jena said.

A team of ASI officials had examined the status of the outer part of the Ratna Bhandar from Navikata Mandap of the temple on the same day and had assured that the outer portion of the Ratna Bhandar is in good condition.

On March 22, the Orissa High Court asked the ASI to carry out an inspection of Ratna Bhandar on March 26 and 27. A bench, comprising Chief justice Vineet Saran and Justice B R Sarangi, directed the ASI to examine the condition of Ratna Bhandar and report whether it requires any repair work by March 29.

The High Court is monitoring the repair work being done by ASI following a PIL seeking judicial intervention for repair and renovation of the world famous 12th century shrine.