Bhubaneswar, Apr 20 (PTI) No discrepancy has been noticed so far in the inventory of the valuables in the Ratna Bhandar of Puri’s Jagannath temple, authorities of the 12th century shrine said on Monday.
Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) chief administrator Arabinda Padhee, who is monitoring the exercise that started on March 25, said the inventory of valuables of Chalanti Bhandar, which stores daily-use ornaments, and Bahar Bhandar, which has festival ornaments, has been completed under CCTV surveillance, while the process is underway for Bhitar Bhandar (inner chamber).
“All ornaments stored in the Ratna Bhandar — be it gold or precious stones — matched the 1978 inventory so far. Not a single discrepancy has been recorded by grace of the Lord,” Padhee said.
He said the process, however, has been paused for the time being from April 18 due to Chandan Yatra and it will resume again in suitable time.
“We cannot say how much more time will be required to complete the process,” Padhee said, while replying to a question.
While the previous Ratna Bhandar inventory was made 48 years ago in 1978 in 72 days, this time, nine days of the process has been completed, an official said.
Chairman of the Srimandir Ratna Bhandar Inspection Committee, Justice Biswanath Rath, said, “The inventory work of the Lord’s treasury started on March 25. A short break has been taken due to rituals like Chandan Yatra. We hope the process will be completed smoothly by grace of the Lord.” Justice Rath said that gemologists, goldsmiths, and experts from RBI are involved in the process to ensure accuracy.
“To maintain transparency, the entire process is being videographed, and 3D mapping is being done as part of documentation,” he said. PTI AAM AAM ACD
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