ASI to resolve mystery of secret tunnel inside Puri’s Jagannath Temple by using modern technology

PURI: Now after the opening of the outer and inner chambers of the Puri Srimandir Ratna Bhandar and the shifting process of all valuables to the temporary strong room is completed, people’s curiosity regarding the potential secret chamber and tunnel inside Shrimandir’s Ratna Bhandar has increased. Mysteries about secret chamber and tunnel inside Ratna Bhandar persist. All eyes are now set on LASER scanning and GPRS survey to ascertain if there is a secret chamber and a tunnel.

Many local people believe there is a secret tunnel inside the inner chamber of Ratna Bhandar.

It may be noted that Puri’s king and first( adya)  sevak of Bhagwan Jagannath Gajapati Maharaja Divya Singha Deb recently hinted that the ASI could employ modern technology to investigate.

“The ASI will use highly sophisticated instruments to do laser scanning to clear the air whether there is a secret tunnel in the inner Ratna Bhandar. ”Gajapati Maharaja Divya Singh Dev had said.

Now people think that the mystery surrounding the existence of a secret tunnel within the Ratna Bhandar of the Jagannath temple will be resolved after the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) conducts a thorough investigation using advanced laser scanning technology.

On the other hand, Shri Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA)  chief Arabinda Padhee said the SOP would be changed and permission would be sought from the government for the inspection.

Experts said there are such technologies that would not only trace out the secret chamber but also find metals under the floor or in the walls. According to exports  Ground Penetrating Radar can be used for this purpose.

“While using Ground Penetrating Radar, a signal is sent. When the signal returns, it will create an image. Then, the technology detects the image and tells what that object is,” said, an expert from NIT, Rourkela.

Ancient war weapons found in Ratna Bhandar

Age-old weapons including swords, spears, and javelins used in battles were found in the Puri Jagannath Temple’s Ratna Bhandar on Thursday when shifting of valuables to the temporary strong room from inner Ratna Bhandar.

“On July 14, when we opened the inner chamber of Ratna Bhandar,  we found several swords and javelins near a wooden chest in the inner chamber. These weapons were quite heavy and had turned black,” said one of the eleven committee members who accessed the treasury.

“ Shri Jagannath Temple was always the target for its wealth. Temple has been invaded and plundered 18 times in the past. To protect and safeguard the temple, ancient weapons might have been stored in the Ratna Bhandar by the reigning kings,” said a temple servitor.