Will Puri Jagannath Temple Ratna Bhandar Open On July 8? Odisha Govt Clarifies

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government is yet to take a final decision on the opening of the Ratna Bhandar (treasury) of Jagannath Temple in the pilgrim town of Puri, Law Minister Prithviraj Harichandan said on Wednesday.

“No decision has so far been taken on the opening of Ratna Bhandar on July 8,” the Minister said.

The Minister’s clarification came after an official of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) stated that the Ratna Bhandar of the 12th century shrine would be opened on July 8.

Meanwhile, an official statement said that no proposal from Shree Jagannath Temple Managing Committee regarding opening of Ratna Bhandar has been received by the government so far. “If any such proposal is received by the government in the future, necessary action will be taken. This has been clarified by the Law Department,” it said.

Stating that no decision has been taken by the Chhatisha Nijog, highest decision-making body of Jagannath Temple, regarding opening of Ratna Bhandar, the Minister said the state government is yet to take a final view on the matter as no concrete proposal has been received so far.

An official of the ASI has made a wrong statement and created confusion, the Minister said, adding that action will be taken against the ASI official who has given wrong and misleading information.

A decision on opening of the Ratna Bhandar will be taken after examining the matter threadbare, he added.

Earlier in the day, ASI Puri circle’s Superintending Archaeologist D B Garnayak had stated that the Ratna Bhandar of Jagannath Temple would be opened in the presence of the members of the core committee and technical committee on July 8 for inspection of its structural status.