Ratna bhandar inventory process resumes from today

Puri: The inventory and counting process of the Ratna Bhandar at Jagannath Temple in Puri of Odisha will resume from today after remaining suspended due to the Chandan Yatra rituals.

The counting work had been temporarily halted because of the Bahara Chandan Yatra ceremonies. From today, the inventory process will restart as per the previously approved Standard Operating Procedure (SOP). Officials said the counting of valuables inside the inner treasury will continue for the next two days.

The process will begin after the Madhyahna Dhupa ritual, around 4 PM, and continue till the completion of Sandhya Dhupa rituals. During the counting period, bhitara katha darshan for devotees will remain closed. However, devotees will still be able to have darshan of the deities from the bahara katha barricade, similar to earlier arrangements.

Earlier, the counting process continued for nearly 57 hours and 8 minutes over a span of nine days. Around four days were spent counting valuables inside the inner treasury. More than 120 precious ornaments and jewels were reportedly counted inside the Ratna Bhandar.

After completion of the outer Ratna Bhandar inventory process, the inner treasury was opened on April 13. The ongoing counting and verification process is also being cross-checked with the official inventory records prepared in 1978.