PURI, Aug 23 : The shifting of empty treasure chests and almirahs from the Bahar and Bhitar Ratna Bhandar of the Sri Jagannath Temple was completed on Friday.
The empty treasure chests and almirahs were taken out from the Bahar and Bhitar Ratna Bhandar of the temple in the presence of the Ratna Bhandar shifting team, headed by Justice Biswanath Rath, adhering to the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) set by the state government.
Although the time for the work was scheduled for 1 PM, it began at 2 PM and was completed by 5 PM, according to sources from the Sri Jagannath Temple. The entire operation was recorded on video and conducted in the presence of a magistrate. The items were then stored in a room close to the Niladri Vihar Temple Museum.
The keys to both the Bhandars have been deposited in the district treasury. The deities’ daily rituals were rescheduled, and the temple gates were opened at around 2:40 AM to allow the priests to perform their duties. The darshan of the deities was closed to devotees from 1 PM until the work was completed.
Earlier, on July 14 and 18, all the treasures of the deities stored in these Ratna Bhandars were shifted to two temporary strong rooms in a phased manner as per the SOP and under video camera documentation to facilitate the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) in carrying out repairs.
These empty almirahs and treasure chests could not be removed earlier because the size of the treasury door was too small. On Friday, workers cut the door to remove these almirahs, and the door was repaired immediately afterward. The temple body has requested a fresh SOP for the shifting process.
The twelve-member Ratna Bhandar supervising team, led by Justice Biswanath Rath, included temple Chief Administrator (convenor) Arabind Padhi, District Magistrate Sidhartth Shankar Swain, Superintendent of Police Pinak Mishra, Chhatisha Nijog chief Janardan Pattajoshi Mahapatra, MC members, and a magistrate.
Personnel providing logistics support, such as ODRAF members, snake helpline experts, medical staff, and support staff, were present during the shifting operation.
Padhi informed the media that the temple would write a letter to the Director General of the ASI to initiate their repair work on the Ratna Bhandar. It was previously resolved that the ASI will use modern electronic gadgets to scan the entire Ratna Bhandar to determine if there is any hidden compartment inside the temple’s treasury, for which another SOP will be issued.
The Odisha government has entrusted the ASI with the repair, preservation, and conservation of this twelfth-century temple since 1976. After the completion of repairs, the ornaments belonging to both the Bahar and Bhitar Ratna Bhandars, which have been shifted to two temporary strong rooms, will be returned to their original locations.
A fresh inventory of the entire wealth will be conducted, and the new list will be compared with the old one prepared in 1978, temple sources said. (UNI)
Follow our WhatsApp channel
