Repair works of Ratna Bhandar completed: ASI

Puri: The Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) in Puri on Monday announced that the ASI has completed repair of the 12th century shrine’s ‘Ratna Bhandar’ (treasury) and inventory-related work will begin after approval of the State government. This was announced at a joint press briefing by SJTA Chief Administrator Arabinda Padhee and Archaeological Survey of India’s (ASI) Superintending Archaeologist D B Garnayak here.

The ASI is the custodian of the 65-metre-tall imposing temple in the seaside town. “By the infinite grace of the Lord, the conservation and renovation work of the Ratna Bhandar, both outer and inner, has been completed today,” Padhee told reporters. The outer chamber is regularly used to store and retrieve ornaments for daily rituals and festivals. The most valuable ornaments made of gold and diamond are kept in the inner chamber, which had not been opened for 46 years due to concerns about its structural integrity and the need for repairs.

The inner chamber of the Ratna Bhandar was reopened in 2024 for an inventory of valuables and the repair of its structure. The conservation work was carried out by the ASI for about 333 hours over a period of 95 days. As many as 80 people worked to conserve the Lord’s treasury, said Padhee.

About the inventory of valuables in the Ratna Bhandar, Padhee said the works related to it will begin only after the permission of the State government. The Jagannath temple in Puri functions under the Law department of the Odisha government.

Jewellery and other precious items stored in iron chests and almirahs were shifted to temporary strong rooms inside the temple in two phases in July last year when the Ratna Bhandar was reopened after four decades.

The valuables will be taken inside the Ratna Bhandar shortly, since the repair is now complete, the SJTA Chief Administrator said. The last inventory of the Ratna Bhandar was prepared in 1978.

Padhee said the repair and conservation works were carried out as per the State government’s prescribed guidelines. “By the grace of the Lord, the repair work was completed before Niladri Bije of deities on July 8,” he said. ‘Niladri Bije’ refers to the return of the sibling deities - Lord Balabhadra, Devi Subhadra and Lord Jagannath - to the sanctum sanctorum of the temple, markingconclusion of the Rath Yatra festival.