Bhubaneswar: Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) on Tuesday said the transfer of valuables from the Ratna Bhandar (treasury) of the shrine to a temporary strongroom will resume on Thursday.
The process began on Sunday when an 11-member team of govt officers and servitors opened the Ratna Bhandar for repair and inventory after 46 years. However, due to time constraint, they could only shift ornaments from the outer chamber to the temporary strongroom on the temple premises, postponing the relocation of items from the inner chamber.
Two separate makeshift strongrooms have been created to store the valuables of the outer and inner chambers of Ratna Bhandar.
“We opened both the chambers on Sunday and have already shifted valuables from the outer chamber with the help of Bhandar Mekap (treasury caretaker) servitors. Valuables from the inner chamber will be relocated on Thursday between 9.51 am and 12.15 pm, an auspicious period,” said Justice (retired) Biswanath Rath, chairman of the 16-member committee which is supervising the inventory of Ratna Bhandar. Rath said the team members had spotted only wooden and iron chests (sinduks) and almirahs in the inner chamber. The boxes could not be shifted due to paucity of time.
“Since the boxes and almirahs seem very heavy, they cannot be moved to the strongroom. We will open the boxes and shift the items in small containers or sacks to the temporary storeroom, which has been equipped with CCTV cameras, fire safety measures and other necessary precautions,” Rath said.
SJTA’s chief administrator Arabinda Padhee said the entire process will be videographed, following the same standard operating procedure (SOP) like on Sunday. The same 11 committee members will be involved, with Bhandar Mekap servitors and Snake Helpline members on standby. Although no reptiles were found in the Ratna Bhandar on Sunday, SJTA still wants snake catchers deployed as a precautionary measure.
“Movement of devotees in the temple will be restricted on Thursday. We will allow ASI officials to carry out conservation work only after the shifting of all articles. Inventory will start only after the completion of the Ratna Bhandar’s repair and restoration,” Padhee said.

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