The authorities in the Puri Jagannath temple on Wednesday decided that the valuables and ornaments of the Lord will be shifted from a temporary strong room to the original Ratna Bhandar (treasury) on September 23.
Jewellery and other precious items stored in iron chests and almirahs had been shifted to the temporary facility inside the temple premises in July 2024 when the Ratna Bhandar was reopened after four decades for repair.
It was announced in July this year that the Archaeological Survey of India’s (ASI) has completed repair of the 12th-century shrine’s ‘Ratna Bhandar’.
As the repair work is complete, the valuables will be stored back in their original places, Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) chief administrator Arabinda Padhee told reporters.
“It has been decided to shift the Lord’s valuables to the original Ratna Bhandar during the auspicious time between 7.17 am and 11.17 am on September 23,” Padhee said.
Replying to a question, Padhee said that during the shifting, rituals will not be affected, but public darshan will be regulated on the day.
“If the shifting is not completed on September 23, it will continue on September 24,” he said, adding that a magistrate will remain present during the shifting to ensure a smooth process.
After the ornaments are stored in the permanent Ratna Bhandar, the chambers will be sealed in the presence of designated persons, and the key will be deposited in the district treasury.
The inventory of the valuables will be finalised by the temple management committee headed by Gajapati Maharaja Dibya Singha Deb, the titular king of Puri, Padhee said.
Meanwhile, Law Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan in Bhubaneswar said that Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has approved a proposal to shift the “Hundi” (donation box) from the ‘Nata Mandap’ of the temple for making the row darshan for devotees in a new format.
He said that due to the presence of the hundi, row darshan was not possible.
The date to shift the Hundi will be finalised after consultation with the temple administration and the Puri district collector.
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