Bhubaneswar: The inner chamber of Ratna Bhandar (treasure trove) of the Holy Trinity was re-opened at 9:51 a.m. today, following the pre-determined schedule and SOPs set by the government.
On Tuesday, Justice Biswanath Rath, chairman of the Ratna Bhandar inventorisation committee, informed that the inner chamber would be opened between 9:51 a.m. and 12:15 p.m. on July 18.
“The inner chamber of Ratna Bhandar was opened in the presence of the 11-member committee constituted to monitor the complete process of transferring valuables and ornaments of Lord Jagannath and His sibling deities to the temporary strong room made inside Khata-Seja Ghara, after which the strong room will be sealed.” Said, Siddharth Shankar Swain, Collector & District Magistrate, Puri.
The keys to the Ratna Bhandar, except for the outer chamber, will be sent to the district treasury.
Due to security reasons, commoners and non-authorized servitors were barred from entering the Shree Mandir premises from 8 a.m. onwards.
The temple rituals will be given special attention during the entire process, the committee will ensure the smooth facilitation of all nitis (rituals) of the Lords.
Following the transfer of valuables, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) will carry out conservation work inside the inner chamber.
On July 14, after nearly 46 years, the inner chamber of Ratna Bhandar was opened at 1:28 p.m. in the presence of Orissa HC Judge Biswanath Rath, Shree Jagannath Temple Administrator (SJTA) Chief Administrator Dr Arabinda Kumar Padhee, ASI Superintendent DB Gadanayak, Ratna Bhandar monitoring committee member Dr CBK Mohanty, Ratna Bhandar sub-committee member Durga Dasmohapatra, monitoring panel member Jagannath Dasmohapatra, and a representative of Puri’s titular king, Gajapati Maharaja.
