Puri: Following hue and cry, the Ratna Bhandar of Lord Jagannath will be reopened on 14 July as the State Government has given required permission to the Temple Managing Committee and issued SOP in this regard.
Speaking to media persons here this evening, Law Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan today said, “The high-level committee suggested a standard operating procedure (SOP). The managing committee also examined it and sent it to the government. The government has accepted it today and given permission to open the Bhandar on tomorrow.”
The Chief Administrator of Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) has been entrusted with the responsibility to manage the process smoothly, he said.
“In order to maintain transparency in the inventory of ornaments, we are seeking assistance from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). Their representatives will be present during that time and cooperate with the team of the managing committee,” he said.
Separate teams have been formed to carry out each work needed for inventory of the Ratna Bhandar, which will be done after 46 years.
The Law Minister said digital photography of the ornaments and valuables will be made so that a digital document of the ornaments will be created which can be used as a reference document in the coming years.
The authorized persons will try to open the treasury with the duplicate key available with the Puri district administration. If it is not opened, the lock will be broken in presence of the magistrate, he said.
He assured that neither the rituals nor public darshan will be affected to carry out the work.
Additionally, an ASI team will enter the Ratna Bhandar to inspect the inner wall, as a laser scan of the outer wall conducted by the ASI had revealed it is in very bad shape. The ASI, which is in charge of the conservation and repair of the 12th-century shrine, had suggested repairs to the Ratna Bhandar.
Justice Rath stated that the high-level committee has proposed to shift the treasure to another facility inside the temple for inventory, which may continue for a long time.
In the 1978 inventory, there was no time limit framed to complete it and categorize the ornaments and precious stones, he added. Justice Rath said both the inventory of ornaments and repairs to the Ratna Bhandar will be carried out simultaneously.
The committee has prepared several standard operating procedures (SOPs) for shifting, inventorying, and categorizing the wealth, which will be implemented after government approval.
He said that the committee has proposed hiring expert jewelers and goldsmiths to examine the ornaments and, if necessary, conduct repairs. The priority is to shift all the ornaments to a designated room inside the temple, make an inventory, and then categorize the ornaments and jewels.
The goldsmiths will test and ascertain the standard of gold used in making the ornaments and will describe the nature and character of different types of precious jewels like diamonds, emeralds, rubies, and other semi-precious stones used in the ornaments.
During the Rath Yatra, the ASI team will examine the inner structure of the Ratna Bhandar and carry out repairs by July 19, the concluding date of the Rath Yatra, Justice Rath said.
The Ratna Bhandar, which was last opened in 1978. The newly elected BJP government in the state reconstituted a high-level committee on July 4, headed by former Orissa High Court judge Justice Biswanath Rath.
In 2018, then Minister Law Pratap Jena had informed the Odisha Legislative Assembly that ‘Ratna Bhandar’ had over 12,831 bhari (one bhari equals to 11.66 gram) of gold ornaments fitted with precious stones along with 22,153 bhari of silver utensils and other items