Puri, May 9: The inventory and verification process of the Ratna Bhandar, the revered treasury of Jagannath Temple, is set to resume from May 11 after a temporary pause during the sacred Chandan Jatra rituals.
The exercise, being carried out under the supervision of the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration, is considered one of the most significant and sensitive administrative operations undertaken at the centuries-old shrine in recent years.
Authorities are meticulously documenting centuries-old ornaments, precious jewels and valuables stored inside the Ratna Bhandar using modern technology and strict security protocols to ensure transparency, proper preservation and accurate record-keeping.
Officials said the process, which involves temple servitors, bank representatives, gemologists and experts from multiple agencies, will continue as per the approved Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) while regular rituals and public darshan remain unaffected.
SJTA Chief Administrator Arabinda Kumar Padhee stated that the inventory work will restart on Monday in accordance with the approved Standard Operating Procedure (SOP).
Officials said the previous phase of the inventory operation continued for around 57 hours over nine days. During that period, more than 120 ornaments stored in the inner chamber of the Ratna Bhandar were counted, covering nearly 20 per cent of the total inventory exercise. However, the counting inside the inner chamber could only be conducted on four of those nine days.
Under the SOP, all ornaments and valuables will be matched with temple records dating back to 1978 after the counting process is completed. Experts, including gemologists, will assist in identifying and weighing each item before they are digitally recorded and securely packed.
Temple authorities further informed that gold, silver and other valuables will be preserved in specially designed chests after being wrapped in colour-coded cloths according to their metal type, ensuring proper preservation and transparency in the process.
The inventory exercise first began on March 25 under tight security arrangements involving temple servitors, bank officials, gemologists and representatives from the Reserve Bank of India.
Earlier, Padhee had said that nearly 80 per cent of the movable valuables in the Chalanti Ratna Bhandar had already been documented during the first phase using advanced technologies such as 3D mapping, photography and videography.
The second phase of the inventory process was conducted from April 8 to 10, while regular rituals of Lord Jagannath and public darshan continued without interruption.
