Bhubaneswar: The state government will soon issue a standard operating procedure (SOP) for the inventory of ornaments and other valuables stored at the Ratna Bhandar of Jagannath temple at Odisha’s Puri town.

This was revealed by Law Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan today. “The state government has initiated the process for the inventory of ornaments at Puri Jagannath temple Ratna Bhandar. The inventory will be conducted inside the Ratna Bhandar itself. A standard operating procedure (SOP) for this purpose will be issued soon,” said the Law Minister.

Also Read: Odisha: ‘Queue’ system soon at Puri Jagannath temple to streamline darshan

Harichandan further revealed that the state government was forced to delay the exercise due to the heavy flow of devotees in the holy month of Kartika. “The state government will expedite the process after the completion of the holy month of Kartika on November 5,” he added.

Restoration work at Ratna Bhandar was completed in July this year  

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) had completed the repair and restoration work of Jagannath temple Ratna Bhandar in July this year.

Prior to the renovation work, the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) had relocated the ornaments and other valuables of both outer and inner chambers of the treasure trove to two separate rooms on the premises of the 12th century shrine at Puri.

Also Read: Puri: Ornaments of Lord Jagannath Shifted Back to Ratna Bhandar

The temple authorities shifted the ornaments of the presiding deities and other precious items back to the renovated Ratna Bhandar on September 23.

Govt had formed 16-member committee for Ratna Bhandar inventory 

It is worth mentioning here that the state government had formed a 16-member committee, headed by former Orissa High Court judge Justice Biswanath Rath, for opening the temple treasury and inventory of its valuables last year.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has recently nominated two officials to assist in the inventor of Ratna Bhandar valuables. Notably, the last official inventory of Ratna Bhandar had been done in 1978.