The Ratna Bhandar within the Lord Jagannath Temple in Odisha is set to open on Sunday after 46 years for an inventory of the ornaments and other valuables. The doors of the revered treasury were last opened in 1978. The development comes mere weeks after the BJP took over the reigns of the state government.
"Ratna Bhandar at Lord Jagannath Temple will be opened on July 14. The decision was approved by the government. We will open the Ratna Bhandar, we will repair it and counting of ornaments will be done,” confirmed Odisha Law Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan.
An expert team led by the SJTA chief administrator will visit the treasury on Sunday in line with a government-approved proposal. The group will include members of the Archaeological Survey of India and temple servitors. The ASI — which looks after the maintenance of the 12th century shrine — will use the opportunity to carry out repairs.
“To maintain transparency in the process for inventory of the ornaments, we are taking the help of the RBI. Representatives of the RBI will remain present during the inventory and extend support to the team formed by the managing committee for this purpose,” the Minister added.
Officials had taken more than 70 days to complete the inventory process in 1978. This time around, the Odisha government plans to use technology in order to speed up the process. Harichandan also indicated on Saturday that the officials would take photos as they worked in order to create a digital catalog of the ornaments for future reference.
Separate teams have been formed to carry out each work. They will first fix a 'Suba Bela' (good time) to open the treasury with the duplicate key available with the Puri district administration. The lock will be broken down in the presence of a magistrate if that does not work out.
(With inputs from agencies)
