ASI starts Puri Jagannath temple's 'Ratna Bhandar' inspection

Puri, Sep 18 (PTI) A 26-member team of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) on Wednesday began an inspection of the ‘Ratna Bhandar’ (treasury) of the Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri, officials said.

The ASI team led by its Additional Director General Janhwij Sharma comprises experts from the Hyderabad-based CSIR-National Geophysical Research Institute (CSIR-NGRI).

The temple authorities had earlier urged the ASI to initiate scanning and geophysical investigation of the ‘Ratna Bhandar’ before undertaking the repair and renovation work.

The inner chamber of Lord Jagannth’s treasury was opened after a gap of 46 years in July, and ornaments and valuable items were shifted to a temporary strong room inside the temple.

The Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) chief administrator Arabinda Padhee said the whole operation is being carried out under the supervision of ASI, and adhering to the Standard Operation Procedure (SOP) laid down by the state government, the officials said.

The temple administration put on hold the entry of devotees to the 12th-century shrine from 1 pm on Wednesday till the completion of the ASI inspection. PTI