BHUBANESWAR: The inventory of the Ratna Bhandar of the historic Jagannath Temple will commence on March 25, informed the Chief Administrator of the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA), Arabinda Padhee.
The decision was taken at a meeting of the temple managing committee presided over by Dibyasingha Deb, the Gajapati Maharaja of Puri. Briefing mediapersons after the meeting, Padhee said the inventory of ornaments belonging to the presiding deities—BhagwanJagannath, BhagwanBalabhadra and Devi Subhadra—will begin between 12:12 pm and 1:45 pm on the seventh day of the Chaitra month Sukla Pakshya.
Padhee stated that the managing committee extensively discussed and approved the standard operating procedure (SOP) laid down by the state government for conducting the inventory. The fresh enumeration will be undertaken in comparison with the previous inventory conducted in 1978, which took 72 days to complete. However, officials currently lack records detailing the number of hours worked on each of those days.
To ensure transparency and accuracy, multiple agencies and experts will be involved in the process. The Reserve Bank of India has agreed to depute two senior officers, while nationalised banks will submit a list of empanelled goldsmiths to assist in the assessment. The state government will also appoint two gemologists to categorise the precious and semi-precious stones embedded in the temple ornaments.
As per the approved procedure, the district magistrate will collect the Ratna Bhandar keys from the treasury each day before the commencement of work and redeposit them after the day’s inventory process concludes. A three-member supervisory panel will oversee the entire operation, while a 10-member team will physically handle and place the ornaments into specially designated chests. Separate chests have been constructed for gold, silver and other precious ornaments to ensure systematic storage.
The entire exercise will be comprehensively documented. Video camera teams and operators will be selected by the chief administrator. The inventory process, including detailed photography, digital record maintenance and e-cataloguing of ornaments, will be digitised and securely stored for future reference. Padhee said the state government has already decided to adopt a fully digitised documentation system to enhance transparency and preservation.
The Orissa High Court has directed that the inventory be completed within three months. However, given the magnitude of the task, the SJTA may approach the court seeking an extension if required.
Darshan arrangements will be regulated during the inventory period. Devotees will be allowed to have darshan only from outside barricades, including from the Bahar Katha area, during the counting process. To manage crowd pressure, the inventory exercise will not take place on Saturdays, Sundays, festival days or on days marked by heavy ritual schedules. A monthly calendar specifying the working days will be prepared and shared with servitors in advance, along with public updates through the media.
On the same day, the temple managing committee also approved a surplus annual budget of ₹82 crore for the financial year 2026–27. The temple’s corpus fund has increased to ₹1,600 crore following the addition of ₹500 crore sanctioned by the state government.
Padhee further informed that efforts are underway to reopen the Gundicha Temple for devotees once the ongoing repair works are complete.
