Bhubaneswar: After 46 years, the inner chamber of the Ratna Bhandar (treasure trove) at the Lord Jagannath Temple in Puri was opened on Sunday, following standard operating procedures.
The opening was overseen by former Orissa High Court judge Biswanath Rath, Dr. Arabinda Kumar Padhee, the chief administrator of the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA), DB Gadanayak, superintendent of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), and a representative of the titular king, Gajapati Maharaja of Puri.
Following several hours of inspection and procedural adherence, the team exited the Ratna Bhandar at approximately 5:20 p.m.
Dr. Arabinda Kumar Padhee, chief administrator of the SJTA, stated, “With the blessings of Mahaprabhu, all gold ornaments and jewels present in the outer chamber of the Ratna Bhandar were completely shifted to the temporary strong room made in the Changada Ghara/Phula Ghara in the presence of a magistrate and other authorized members, following all SOPs of the government.”
The valuables from the outer chamber were successfully transferred and sealed in the temporary strong room in the presence of a magistrate, Dr. Padhee confirmed.
Regarding the inner chamber, Dr. Padhee explained, “We proceeded to the Ratna Bhandar’s inner chamber, which was secured by three locks. However, the keys held by the district administration failed to open any of the locks. Following the standard operating procedures (SOPs) provided by the government, we broke the locks in the presence of the magistrate and gained access to the inner chamber. Upon inspection, we examined the valuables stored in the almirahs and chests.”
Dr. Padhee further elaborated, “The committee decided not to shift the valuables in the inner chamber immediately as it would take more time. As per the rules, the process of shifting valuables has to be done at once, which was not possible today.”
He concluded by stating, “We will fix a date to shift the valuables of the inner chamber to a temporary strong room created at Khata Seja Ghara after the completion of the ‘Bahuda Yatra’ and ‘Suna Vesha’ rituals.”