Puri: No discrepancies have been detected so far in the ongoing inventory of valuables in the Ratna Bhandar of Shree Jagannath Temple, officials overseeing the exercise said on Monday.
Chief Administrator of the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration, Dr Arabinda Kumar Padhee, stated that the enumeration of ornaments housed in the Chalanti Bhandar (stores daily-use ornaments) and Bahar Bhandar (which has festival ornaments) has been completed under CCTV surveillance. The process is currently underway for the Bhitar Bhandar, the inner chamber of the shrine’s treasury.
“All ornaments stored in the Ratna Bhandar — including gold and precious stones — have so far matched the 1978 inventory records. Not a single discrepancy has been observed,” Dr Padhee said, attributing the smooth progress to divine grace.
The exercise, which began on March 25, has been temporarily suspended from April 18 in view of the ongoing Chandan Yatra rituals. Officials indicated that the process will resume at an appropriate time after the festival.
Authorities declined to specify a timeline for completion. An official noted that while the previous inventory conducted in 1978 took 72 days, the current exercise has completed nine days of work so far.
Chairman of the Srimandir Ratna Bhandar Inspection Committee, Justice Biswanath Rath, said the verification is being carried out with the involvement of gemologists, goldsmiths, and experts from the Reserve Bank of India to ensure precision and credibility.
To enhance transparency and documentation, the entire process is being videographed, and 3D mapping of the treasury contents is also being undertaken, he added.
