PURI: After a brief suspension owing to ongoing rituals, the counting and verification of precious ornaments stored inside the inner Ratna Bhandar of the temple will resume from May 11, officials said on Saturday.
According to Chief Administrator of Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) Dr Arabinda Padhee, the inventory process will continue for two days on May 11 and 12.
The verification work had earlier been paused due to the Bahara Chandan Yatra rituals of the deities. While Saturday marks the final day of the Bahara Chandan Yatra on the occasion of Bhaunri, the Haladi Pani ritual is scheduled to be observed on Sunday.
Temple authorities said the counting process had been temporarily halted to ensure that the daily niti-kanti and other temple rituals were not disrupted. However, in accordance with the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) issued by the Odisha Government, the inventory work will resume from May 11. Further dates for the verification exercise will be announced later, officials added.
The counting and verification of ornaments inside the Ratna Bhandar had commenced on April 14, and more than 100 ornaments have already been verified so far.
During the process, Bania servitors, gem experts and officials from the Reserve Bank of India remain present. The entire procedure is being conducted under CCTV surveillance, with complete videography and photography of the ornaments also being carried out.
Padhee further informed that devotees are being allowed darshan of the deities from near the Bahara Katha while the counting process is underway.
