Puri: The second phase of the inventory of the Ratna Bhandar at Shree Jagannath Temple in Odisha’s Puri will commence at 11:30 am on Wednesday and continue through Saturday, April 11, with additional sessions scheduled for April 13 and from April 16 to 18.
Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) Chief Administrator Arabinda Padhee announced the schedule on Tuesday, noting that the process has been carefully planned to avoid weekends and major festival days in view of heavy influx of devotees.
Temple authorities have assured that daily rituals and worship will continue without interruption. Devotees will be allowed darshan of the deities from the Bahar Katha (outer barricade) during the inventory period.
The meeting of the Chhatisha Nijog, the apex body of temple servitors, followed by a sub-committee meeting on Srimandir rituals also decided that the three new Ratna Palankas (ornate palanquins) will be introduced for Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra, and Devi Subhadra from April 14, coinciding with Maha Bishuba Sankranti, widely known as Pana Sankranti, whihc is the traditional New Year festival for people in Odisha.
The committee has also finalised the ritual calendar (Niti Nirghant) for several key festivals, including the Chandan Yatra beginning on Akshaya Tritiya, Nrusimha Janma, Bhauri Yatra, and Haldi rituals. Administrative preparations at the district level have been completed, with clear responsibilities assigned to the municipality, district administration, and police for smooth conduct of these events.
The Inventory
Ratna Bhandar, a sacred repository of priceless jewels and ornaments offered to the deities over centuries, holds immense religious and historical significance for devotees of Lord Jagannath worldwide.
The inventory is being conducted in phases, with the first phase covering regularly used ornaments (Chalanti Bhandar) having already been completed earlier.
In this phase, officials will focus on the contents of the Bahar Ratna Bhandar (outer chamber). Items will be meticulously counted, weighed, examined, and cross-verified against the last comprehensive inventory conducted in 1978. The exercise is being carried out after a gap of nearly 48 years, following a court directive and approval of a detailed Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) by the state government.
The process will involve two specialised teams: a three-member supervisory panel and a 10-member working and handling team, supported by video and camera technicians, gemologists, bank officials, and representatives from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). It will be led by Padhee and Ratna Bhandar Committee Chairman Justice Biswanath Rath. The entire exercise will be videographed, with photography and 3D mapping used for documentation to ensure full transparency. A digital catalogue of the deities’ ornaments will be prepared. After verification, the items will be wrapped in velvet and stored in separate Sindhukas (treasure chests) categorised by metal type—gold, silver, and other precious metals.
According to the 1978 records, the Bahar Ratna Bhandar houses 79 gold ornaments—many studded with rare precious stones—weighing 8,175 bhari (approximately 98.5 kg, with 1 bhari roughly equaling 12.06 grams), along with 39 silver ornaments weighing 4,671 bhari. The overall 1978 inventory documented hundreds of gold and silver items totaling over 128 kg of gold-mixed articles and 221 kg of silver-mixed ones across chambers.
This structured approach, backed by modern technology, is expected to be completed more efficiently than the 72-day process in 1978.
