Puri: Preparations for the long-awaited inventorisation of ornaments/jewels stored in the Ratna Bhandar of Shree Jagannath Temple have formally begun, with a training programme for officials and stakeholders underway.
A high-level meeting in this regard was held at the temple administration office under the chairmanship of Justice Biswanath Rath, who heads the Ratna Bhandar High Level Committee.
The meeting was attended by the Chief Administrator of the temple, the Puri Superintendent of Police, the Administrator (Niti and Development), five servitor representatives from the Managing Committee, and key functionaries including the Chhatisa Niyog Mahanayak, Bhandar Mekap, Tadhaukaran, and Deulakaran.
According to the final Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) prepared by the state government, the process of inventorisation—locally referred to as “ganati manati”—is scheduled to commence from the 25th of this month.
Officials discussed modalities for conducting the exercise, which will be carried out in three phases. During the process, devotees will be allowed to have darshan of the deities from ‘bahar katha’ of the temple, while the inventorisation work will remain suspended on weekends, crowded days, and during major festivals and special occasions to avoid disruption.
As part of the exercise, ornaments/jewels currently stored in the inner Ratna Bhandar will be cross-verified with the inventory report prepared in 1978.
The development has generated significant anticipation among millions of devotees of Lord Jagannath, for whom the Ratna Bhandar holds deep religious and cultural significance.
