Lord Jagannath’s Ratna Bhandar inventory to begin from March 25

Puri, Mar 2 (PTI) The Shree Jagannath Temple authorities on Monday decided to begin the much-awaited inventory of the Ratna Bhandar (treasury) at the 12th-century shrine from March 25, after a gap of 48 years, a senior official said.

The decision was taken at a meeting of the Shree Jagannath Temple Managing Committee (SJTMC), headed by Gajapati Maharaj Dibyasingha Deb, the titular king of Puri.

"It has been decided to start the inventory of Ratna Bhandar between 12.12 pm and 1:45 pm on March 25," Arabinda Padhee, the chief administrator of Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA), told reporters.

Padhee said the timing and date were decided based on the opinion of the scholars and religious experts.

They found this time and day (Shukla Pakshya Saptami of the month of Chaitra) as most auspicious for beginning inventory work of Ratna Bhandar, the treasury where the Lord's ornaments and valuables are stored in two chambers called Bahar Bhandar (outer chamber) and Bhitar Bhandar (inner chamber).

The chief administrator said that the inventory would not be conducted on Saturdays, Sundays and festival days as large number of devotees throng the shine.

"Priority will be given to the darshan of devotees," he said, adding that people can witness the deities when the inventory goes on inside the Ratna Bhandar.

He said the ornaments used by deities daily will also come under the exercise.

The entire process will be digitaised and an e-catalogue will be prepared for future reference.

The chief administrator said the state government had earlier approved the SOP for undertaking the exercise, which was last held in 1978.

Padhee said the inventory of the 'Bahar Ratna Bhandar' will be taken up first.

He said the previous inventory had taken 72 days.

"We cannot now say how many days are required, but the High Court has directed the state government to complete the exercise within 90 days," he added.

The HC had issued the direction on January 27.

"We will inform the HC on the measures taken on the Ratna Bhandar inventory process. This is a very sensitive matter and needs to be handled with utmost care," he said.

To ensure accuracy and transparency, the inventory will be digitised through e-cataloguing, and a special monthly calendar will be prepared. Two dedicated teams - a supervisory team and a handling team - have been constituted to ensure smooth execution of the process, he said.

The supervisory team, to be chaired by the SJTA chief administrator, includes two members from the Ratna Bhandar supervision committee and one servitor member.

Similarly, the handling team will comprise one member of the SJTMC, Pattajoshi Mahapatra, Bhandar Mekap, Tadhaukarana, Deulakarana, a Shree Mandir Bania sevak, two goldsmiths, two gemologists, and one officer from the Reserve Bank of India, among others.

Padhee emphasised that there will be no valuation of the ornaments. The exercise aims to ensure documentation, transparency, and security, and to compare current records with the 1978 inventory.

The inner chamber was unlocked on July 14, 2024, after 46 years, for the inventory and repair of its structure.

"In order to maintain transparency and safety, the keys of the inner chamber will be deposited every day after inventory at the district treasury," Padhee said. PTI AAM AAM MNB