The Shree Jagannath Temple Managing Committee has decided to make a fresh list of precious ornaments and gem-studded jewellery of the lords stored inside the temple here very soon.
The committee would constitute a subcommittee for the task. On the advice of the subcommittee, a special committee comprising senior journalists and eminent persons would be formed to ensure transparency in the listing of the ornaments.
A proposal to this effect mooted by Chief Administrator of the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) Arabinda Padhee was unanimously accepted by the managing committee at a meeting presided over by Puri Gajapati Maharaja Dibyashingh Deb at his royal palace here on Thursday.
The first listing of the temple ornaments had reportedly been made in 1905 during the British era. later, a relisting was made in 1952-53 during the preparation of Record of Rights of the temple. In 1978, the State Government conducted another round of listing of the ornaments and published it in its gazette.
However, the Thursday’s meeting revealed that the listings of the ornaments made earlier were not comprehensive.
The managing committee also formed nine subcommittees, on finance, rituals, temple treasury, appeal, research on the Jagannath cult, publications, propagation, land and pension trust board for the temple staff. The subcommittees were too advised to take decisions with regard to the Nabakalebar festival next year.
The temple administrator informed that the SJTA has requested Director General of Union Tourism Usha Sharma to allow display of a tableau on the Nabakelabr of the deities at the next Republic Day parade in New Delhi which would help in propagation of the festival at the national level.
“Apart from this, the Union Tourism Department has also been requested to include major tourist destinations of Odisha like Chilika lake, Sun Temple, Dhauli Shanti Stupa, Chandipur beach, Bhitarkanika mangrove sanctuary, Jain caves of Khandagiri and Udayagiri, Similipal, Deomali, Debrigarh and Tikarpada and popular dances of the State such as Odishi, Sambalpuri and Ghumura in the Atulya Bharat Calendar,” Padhee informed the meeting. Among others, sevayats’ welfare, construction of hospital and Mediclaim insurance for the sevayats also figured in the discussions at the meeting.