Puri: The counting and inventory process of the Ratna Bhandar (temple treasury) begins today. A special team has already entered the Shri Jagannath Temple for this purpose. Notably, a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) has been prepared to ensure that the daily rituals of the deities and the darshan (viewing) for devotees are not disrupted during the process.
Following the counting, the jewelry and ornaments will be tallied with the 1978 inventory list. Along with the matching process, the items will also be weighed. Two gemologists have been appointed to identify the precious stones. Furthermore, digital photography of all the ornaments will be conducted.
After identification, counting, and weighing, the items will be wrapped in 2 to 3 layers of protective material and secured in chests. Six specialized chests have been prepared for this purpose. Gold ornaments will be placed on yellow cloth, silver ornaments on white cloth, and other jewelry will be handled on red cloth before being systematically stored in the chests. The counting process involves temple goldsmiths, government bank goldsmiths, gemologists, and officials from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
Dr. Arabinda Padhee, Chief Administrator of the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA), has sought the cooperation of all servitors, appointed officials, and devotees for the smooth execution of this critical task. He assured that the daily rituals of the deities will continue uninterrupted during the counting. While authorized priests can enter the Jagamohan and the Sanctum Sanctorum for rituals, public darshan from the Bhitar Katha (inner boundary) will be restricted for security reasons. Devotees will only be allowed to have darshan from the Bahar Katha (outer boundary).
