ASI resumes survey of Ratna Bhandar at Puri’s Shree Jagannath Temple

Bhubaneswar, Sept 21: The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) resumed its survey of the Ratna Bhandar, the sacred treasury of the Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri, Odisha, on Saturday. This second phase of inspection began at 2 PM and is set to last for three days, during which access for devotees to the deities will be restricted.

Arabinda Padhee, Chief Administrator of the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA), stated that the survey will take place daily from 1 PM until September 23, meaning darshan of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra, and Devi Subhadra will be closed to the public during this time. However, the temple’s daily rituals will proceed as usual.

Devotees wishing to purchase mahaprasad from Ananda Bazaar will need to enter through the Simhadwar and exit via the North gate, as indicated in a press release from the temple administration.

The inspection commenced with the presence of members from the Ratna Bhandar committee. ASI officials are conducting a technical survey of the treasury from 2 PM to 5 PM, with darshan expected to remain closed until 6 PM.

Padhee has requested the ASI Director General to expedite the completion of the technical survey by September 24, ahead of the special Dussehra rituals known as ‘Shola Puja’ and the upcoming holy month of Kartika. He also urged the ASI to submit the survey report promptly.