Bhubaneswar: A team on Wednesday inspected the ‘Ratna Bhandar’ or treasury at the Jagannath temple in Puri and came across cracks in the wall and roof of the structure, an official said on Wednesday.
“The team members thoroughly examined the Ratna Bhandar. The ASI members and the Core Committee members found moisture on the walls,” Sri Jagannath Temple Chief Administrator Pradeep Kumar Jena told reporters.
“There are a number of cracks and the technical committee will submit a detailed report on the matter,” said Puri Collector Arvind Agarwal.
The team inspected only one of the seven chambers in ‘Ratna Bhandar’. The 10-member team inspected the ‘Ratna Bhandar’ (treasury) of the 12th century temple after a gap of 34 years.
“It was not required to enter the inner Ratna Bhandar as the team could see the condition of it through the grille,” Jena added.
The Odisha High Court had ordered the Archeological Survey of India (ASI) on March 22 to assess the structural condition of the treasury and submit a status report.
The ASI would soon submit a report pertaining to the inspection, the official added.
The team, including two ASI experts, was mandated to inspect the treasury’s structural stability and not the valuables stored therein, Jena said on Tuesday.
It was opened twice in the past — in 1964 and 1984.
Precious jewellery and ornaments of the deities are kept in the temple treasury, which was last inspected in 1984, when only three of its seven chambers were opened.
(IANS)
