Puri: There is no secret chamber or tunnel inside the Ratna Bhandar of Shri Jagannath Temple in Puri, informed Law Minister Prithviraj Harichandan here today.
While talking to media persons, Shri Harichandan said, “As per the preliminary discussions with the scientists and experts involved in the Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) survey, there are no secret chambers or tunnels in either the Bahara (outer) or Bhitara (inner) Bhandar of the temple treasury.”
In September, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and Hyderabad-based CSIR-National Geophysical Research Institute (CSIR-NGRI) conducted the GPR survey of the Ratna Bhandar. The ASI is likely to submit the final GPR report soon, he said.
Though the preliminary consultations suggest that there are no more secret tunnels, the survey was, however, helpful to find out in detail the cracks inside the Ratna Bhandar, the Law Minister said. The ASI will make a permanent solution to repair the cracks, he added.
As the month of Kartik is going on, the temple is now crowded. For this, ASI will carry out repair work for one month after the end of Kartik month, he informed.
The Minister further noted that the inventory of the jewels and ornaments of the deities will commence after the New Year.
“After the repair work, all the jewels and ornaments kept in the temporary Bahara and Bhitara Bhandar will be relocated to the Ratna Bhandar. Inventory will be carried out inside the Ratna Bhandar,” he stated.
The Law Minister added that the inventory report will be published within 7 days after matching it with the old list.