Puri Jagannath temple’s Ratna Bhandar inventory begins after 48 years

The inventory of the Ratna Bhandar (treasury) of the Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri began on Wednesday after a gap of 48 years for documentation of the jewellery and other valuables stored in the 12th-century shrine, officials said.

Temple servitors, bank officials, gemologists and representatives of the RBI took part in the inventory process on the first day.

Shree Jagannath Temple Administration’s (SJTA) Chief Administrator, Arabinda Padhee, said that the first day of inventory work was wound up after six hours of counting, weighing, videography, photography and 3D mapping of the valuables.

He said authorised personnel entered the temple around 11.30 am, dressed in traditional dhoti and gamchha, and the exercise commenced during the designated auspicious window between 12.09 pm and 1.45 pm.