Ornaments in Deity Jagannath’s Ratna Bhandar to be inventoried after 48 years

Reserve Bank to supervise the exercise which begins on 25th March

Puri (Odisha) – The process of inventorying the ornaments in the Ratna Bhandar of Deity Jagannath in the world-famous Shri Jagannath Temple in Puri will begin on March 25th. The Odisha Government has fixed the muhurta (auspicious time) for the beginning of this exercise between 12:12 p.m. and 1:45 p.m. on March 25th. The exercise will begin from this time and will continue for a few months. This exercise was done earlier in 1978. It lasted for 72 days. Photography and videography of the entire exercise will be done. Two senior officials of the Reserve Bank of India, as well as a registered jewellers of a nationalized bank will also be present at this time.

Chief Administrator Arvind Padhi said, ‘It is difficult to say how long this process will take to finish. A schedule of the days on which the exercise will be conducted would be published separately. The State Government will provide two gemologists. They will identify the precious gems. Deity’s jewellery that is used daily is kept in the outer Ratna Bhandar. It will be taken out and inventoried first. After that, the inner Ratna Bhandar will be opened.

The Magistrate will bring the key to the Ratna Bhandar every day and deposit it on the same day after the exercise

The State Government has issued guidelines for inventory of jewellery. A 3-member committee will oversee the entire process. There will be separate boxes for gold, silver and other valuable jewellery. 10 people will keep the jewellery safe in the boxes. The magistrate will bring the key to the Ratna Bhandar every day and will return the key on the same day after the process for that day is completed. The inventory will not be conducted on Saturdays, Sundays and festivals due to the rush of devotees. The Odisha High Court has directed that the counting be completed within 3 months; however, an extension of this time limit can be requested.

Inventory 48 years ago: 128 kg gold, 221 kg silver

‘Ratna Bhandar’ is an ancient treasure of precious ornaments of Deity Jagannath, Balarama and Goddess Subhadra. This temple is located in the north direction of Jagmohan (Assembly Hall). According to the census conducted in 1978, there are 128.38 kg of gold and 221.53 kg of silver ornaments here. This includes diamonds as well as other ornaments. On 14th July 2024, the Ratna Bhandar was opened for renovation after 46 years. Now the precious ornaments will be placed back in the original store.