Bhubaneswar, (Orissa Tday), July 6: A decision regarding the opening of the Ratna Bhandar (treasury) at Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri, Odisha, is expected to be made on July 9, announced Justice Biswanath Rath, who chairs the committee overseeing its reopening for repairs and inventory of valuables.
Following the inaugural meeting of the reconstituted committee, the former Orissa High Court Judge informed reporters that the decision on opening the Ratna Bhandar would be finalized during the upcoming committee session on July 9.
Justice Rath noted the existence of a duplicate key stored in the government treasury for the Ratna Bhandar, with instructions for the Chief Administrator of Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) to present it during the next meeting.
He emphasized that if the key fails to open the lock, it will be necessary to break it open. A comprehensive Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) detailing the entire process will be submitted to the government for approval.
Recently, the Odisha government established the new committee chaired by Justice Biswanath Rath, comprising 15 members including ASI and Gajapati Maharaj representatives, the Puri Collector, and the SJTA Chief Administrator as the convener.
Ratna Bhandar opening decision set for July 9 meeting
