No discrepancy found in Jagannath temple Ratna Bhandar inventory so far

Authorities have found no discrepancies so far in the ongoing inventory of valuables in the Ratna Bhandar of Puri’s Jagannath temple. The process, which began on March 25, has been paused briefly for rituals and will resume soon

Bhubaneswar: No discrepancy has been noticed so far in the inventory of the valuables in the Ratna Bhandar of Puri’s Jagannath temple, authorities of the 12th-century shrine said on Monday.

Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) chief administrator Arabinda Padhee, who is monitoring the exercise that started on March 25, said the inventory of valuables of Chalanti Bhandar, which stores daily-use ornaments, and Bahar Bhandar, which has festival ornaments, has been completed under CCTV surveillance, while the process is underway for Bhitar Bhandar (inner chamber).

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“All ornaments stored in the Ratna Bhandar, be it gold or precious stones, have matched the 1978 inventory so far. Not a single discrepancy has been recorded by the grace of the Lord,” Padhee said.

He said the process, however, has been paused for the time being from April 18 due to Chandan Yatra, and it will resume in due course.

“We cannot say how much more time will be required to complete the process,” Padhee said, while replying to a question.

While the previous Ratna Bhandar inventory was done 48 years ago in 1978 over 72 days, this time, nine days of the process have been completed, an official said.

Chairman of the Srimandir Ratna Bhandar Inspection Committee, Justice Biswanath Rath, said, “The inventory work of the Lord’s treasury started on March 25. A short break has been taken due to rituals like Chandan Yatra. We hope the process will be completed smoothly by the grace of the Lord.” Justice Rath said that gemologists, goldsmiths and experts from RBI are involved in the process to ensure accuracy.

“To maintain transparency, the entire process is being videographed, and 3D mapping is being done as part of documentation,” he said.