Bhubaneswar: A senior Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) official said Wednesday that the Ratna Bhandar (treasury trove) of Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri will be opened July 8 when the holy triads will be out of the shrine on the annual nine-day sojourn.
The holy triad will embark on the nine-day sojourn (Rath Yatra Festival) leaving the sanctum sanctorum of the temple July 7.
The missing keys of Ratna Bhandar was one of the major poll planks of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which had assured to initiate a probe into the mystery behind the missing keys and carry out an inventory of the ornaments stored in the treasure trove if the party wins the elections.
“The Ratna Bhandar will be opened on July 8 in the presence of the technical core conservation committee of Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and the 12-member Ratna Bhandar committee formed by the state government. Following the inspection and assessment of the condition of the treasury trove of the 12th century shrine, decisions will be taken regarding the immediate steps needed for conservation and preservation of Ratna Bhandar,” said DB Garnayak, the Superintending Archaeologist of ASI.
Garnayk further added that several cracks and broken stone pieces and missing iron beams were spotted during the inspection of the outer chamber of the Ratna Bhandar in 2018.
Similarly, a 15-member ASI team comprising architects, expert engineers and scientific photographers through laser scanning carried out in November 2023 had also detected cracks at several places on the outer walls and joints of Ratna Bhandar.
He also stated that rain water may be seeping inside the Ratna Bhandar through the cracks.
Meanwhile, noted sand artist and Padma Shri Sudarshan Pattanik urged Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi to take immediate steps towards the repair of Ratna Bhandar.
Notably, the Ratna Bhandar of the Jagannath temple has two chambers.
The inner chamber contains precious ornaments used on rare occasions, while those ornaments needed during daily rituals and particular festivals are kept in the outer chamber of the Temple’s treasury.
The inner chamber was last opened around 39 years ago, July 14, 1985.
The inventory of precious ornaments kept in the treasury of Jagannath Temple was conducted in 1978 for the last time.
IANS