Temple Managing Committee Puts Stamp On Ratna Bhandar Opening Date, Forms Panel To Probe ‘Adapa Bije Pahandi’ Mishap

Puri: A proposal will be sent to Odisha government for opening the Ratna Bhandar (the treasury) on July 14, the Shree Jagannath Temple Managing Committee decided in a meeting on Wednesday.

Speaking to the media, Chief Administration of Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) Vir Vikram Yadav said the proposal of the 16-member high-level committee headed by Justice Biswanath Rath was discussed in the meeting. “The panel had also suggested the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for opening of the treasury. Some more suggestions have been added to it. These will be sent to the government and can be disclosed only after its approval,” the SJTA chief said.

He further said that the managing committee has proposed in the SOP to open the Ratna Bhandar on July 14. “Steps will be taken as per the direction of the state government,” he added.

On July 9, Justice Biswanath Rath Committee proposed to reopen Bahara (outer) and Bhitara (inner) enclosures of the Ratna Bhandar on July 14 for both inventorisation and conservation works with approval of the state government.

Speaking about the mishap during the ‘Adapa Bije Pahandi’ of the Lords, Yadav said that all members have expressed regret over the incident. “A three-member committee, comprising ADM, Administrator (Development), and an officer of DSP rank, will investigate the incident and examine the footage of the incident to see if the designated persons were present at the spot and identify those responsible for it. They have been asked to submit the report within 10 days of Niladri Bije,” he added.

Earlier, senior servitor Jagannath Swain Mohapatra had blamed the sevayats for the ‘sad’ incident. He said that ropes to control Lord Balabhadra’s movement was not tied properly, causing the deity to fall on the slanting ladder. “The number of sevayat were more than was actually required for the pahandi ritual,” he claimed.

Mohapatra added that he has asked the Puri Collector to issue ID cards to sevayats required for the ritual.

.