The Archaeological Survey of India will submit its inquiry report on the alleged disappearance of a precious stone from the sanctum sanctorum of the 12th Century Puri Jagannath temple to the temple administration on Wednesday.
“We have completed our inquiry and submit our detailed report to the temple administration on Wednesday,” ASI Bhubaneswar circle superintendent Arun Mallik told The Telegraph.
The inquiry followed allegations that a stone from the Ratna Singhasana (bejewelled throne) of the deities had gone missing during the Rath Yatra when ASI officials inspected the sanctum sanctorum of the shrine in the absence of deities. The deities are worshipped on the Ratna Singhasana, an elevated pedestal, inside the sanctum sanctorum.
The temple administration had lodged a complaint with the ASI, which is in charge of the conservation of the temple since 1975, after servitor Ipsit Pratihari alleged that a stone was missing.
Sources said that ASI in its report would deny the missing of any stone “How can a stone get misplaced under our supervision? ” said a senior official of the ASI.
