Lord Jagannath's Ornaments Shifted Back To Puri Srimandir Ratna Bhandar, Inventory Likely Soon

Puri: After almost a year of being stored in strong rooms within the temple complex, precious gemstones and ornaments of Holy siblings - Mahaprabhu Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra - were transferred back to the renovated Ratna Bhandar, the treasure trove of Puri Srimandir, on Tuesday. Under tight security, the Shree Jagannath temple administration (SJTA) completed the process as per the government's Standard Operating Procedure.

On July 18, 2024, all ornaments and jewels from the inner and outer Ratna Bhandar were moved to temporary strong rooms inside the temple, before the Bhandar was handed over to the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) for repair and renovation.

Speaking to media, SJTA chief administrator Arabinda Padhee said the entire process took around four hours. "The valuables were brought back from the temporary strong rooms to the original Ratna Bhandar between 10:55 AM and 2:55 PM on Tuesday. Following this, the inner Ratna Bhandar was sealed, and its keys were deposited in the district treasury under the supervision of the Puri District Magistrate, as required by the state government's SOP," he said.

The keys of outer Ratna Bhandar were distributed as per rules. One is with Srimandir administration, one with the representative of Puri Gajapati Maharaj, and another is with the Bhandar Mekap.

Before initiating the transfer, Justice Biswanath Rath, Chairman of high-level committee of Ratna Bhandar, along with SJTA chief administrator Padhee, Puri Collector and SP first offered prayers before the Holy Trinity and the Parshwa Debadebi (subsidiary deities) for smooth completion of the process.

The Ratna Bhandar was opened last year on July 14 for assessment of its condition before shifting the valuables. After repair and renovation was over in July 2025, the ASI formally handed over the Bhandar back to the temple administration.

Justice Biswanath Rath said, "After the new SOP of the state government comes, an inventory of all the gems and ornaments will be carried out." He shared that the last official evaluation of gems and jewellery was carried out in 1978, and the inventory will be updated after the next counting exercise.

During the transfer process on Tuesday, darshan of devotees at the 12th-century shrine was stopped from 9:30 AM, and a three-tier security system was put in place by the police. For now, devotees eagerly await inventory of Mahaprabhu's Ratna Bhandar.

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