Technical Survey Of Ratna Bhandar In Puri Jagannath Temple Completed Ahead Of Schedule

Bhubaneswar: The technical survey of Ratna Bhandar inside Shree Jagannath Temple in Odisha’s Puri town was completed on Sunday, one day ahead of the schedule.

Speaking to mediapersons, Chief Administrator of the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) Arabinda Padhee said the ground penetrating radar survey of Ratna Bhandar (treasury) of the temple was carried out by a team of National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI) headed by GPR specialist Anand Kumar Pandey.

“The survey, which was started at 2 pm on Saturday, was scheduled to go on for three days. But, due to the grace of Lord Jagannath, the survey work ended one day before the schedule,” he said.

Padhee further said the NGRI team carried out the survey of floor and walls of the Ratna Bhandar from inside as well as outside. “We are expecting the NGRI will submit its survey report within 10 days. We will decide our next step on the basis of the report and recommendations of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI),” he added.

Dimension wise (horizontal and vertical) pictures of the entire Ratna Bhandar, including its floors and walls, were taken using three GPR cameras of 200,400 and 900 MHz frequencies. The cameras penetrated 10 metre down the floor to take the photos. “The data will be analysed in seven phases and the report presented to the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) which will then submit it to Shree Jagannath Temple Administration for further action,” Pandey said

While the survey by the NGRI team was the second one, an experts’ team led by the ASI conducted laser scanning of both the Ratna Bhandars (Bhitara and Bahar) on September 18. Under the supervision of ASI Additional Director General (ADG) Jahnavij Sharma, the technical inspection was undertaken using high-tech gadgets and other scientific equipment to conduct a detail assessment of the Ratna Bhandar.

However, as the work remained inconclusive, the team decided to conduct a detailed GPRS survey of the entire structure.