The Odisha government, on Monday, announced that it is fully prepared to conduct a comprehensive inventory of the Ratna Bhandar (treasury) at the Puri Jagannath Temple, and the exercise will begin soon.
The state government’s statement follows a recent direction from the Orissa High Court, which mandated the state government to complete the long-pending inventory work of jewellery and other valuables in the temple’s Ratna Bhandar within a three-month deadline.
The temple administration had previously decided on January 17 to begin the inventory of the refurbished treasury on an “auspicious day” following the state government’s approval.
The Ratna Bhandar has an inner and an outer chamber. While the outer chamber of the Ratna Bhandar is accessed regularly for daily rituals, the inner chamber was only unlocked on July 14, 2024—marking the first time it had been opened in 46 years—to allow for structural repairs and preparations for the audit.
The last official inventory of the temple’s gold, diamonds, and precious stones was conducted nearly half a century ago, in 1978.
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) reviewed current preparations on Monday, focusing on the approved Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) established by the temple’s apex managing committee, headed by Gajapati Maharaja Dibyasingha Deb, the titular king of Puri.
ମହାପ୍ରଭୁ ଶ୍ରୀଜଗନ୍ନାଥଙ୍କ ଶ୍ରୀମନ୍ଦିର ରତ୍ନଭଣ୍ଡାର ଅଳଙ୍କାରର ଖୁବ୍ ଶୀଘ୍ର ଗଣତି-ମଣତି ଆରମ୍ଭ ନେଇ ଲୋକସେବା ଭବନରେ ମାନ୍ୟବର ମୁଖ୍ୟମନ୍ତ୍ରୀ ଶ୍ରୀ ମୋହନ ଚରଣ ମାଝୀଙ୍କ ଅଧ୍ୟକ୍ଷତାରେ ଅନୁଷ୍ଠିତ ଉଚ୍ଚସ୍ତରୀୟ ବୈଠକରେ ଆଲୋଚନା ହୋଇଛି। ଗଣତି-ମଣତି ପାଇଁ ସମ୍ପୂର୍ଣ୍ଣ ପ୍ରକ୍ରିୟାର SOP ଶ୍ରୀମନ୍ଦିର ପରିଚାଳନା କମିଟି ଦ୍ବାରା ପ୍ରସ୍ତୁତ… pic.twitter.com/y7Wn0BVm90
— CMO Odisha (@CMO_Odisha) February 16, 2026
Under the new guidelines, officials will match the current findings against the 1978 records. To ensure modern standards of documentation, a digital catalogue will be created, featuring high-resolution photographs of all ornaments and heritage items.
According to the CMO statement, the meeting discussed in detail the process of counting the treasures of the treasures, security arrangements and administrative preparations.
Ahead of the chief minister’s review meeting, a preliminary discussion of senior officials was held at the residence of Law Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan.
The Puri Jagannath Temple functions under the law department of the state government.
In a post from his X handle, Harichandan said, “The meeting discussed in detail the process of inventory of Ratna Bhandar items, security arrangements and administrative preparations. The final decision regarding the date of the inventory will be taken by the chief minister.”
The review meeting was attended by Justice Biswanath Rath, a former judge of the Orissa High Court, who is also the chairperson of the high-level committee appointed by the state government to oversee the opening, repair, and inventory of the Ratna Bhandar. The law minister and other senior officials also attended the meeting.
The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) recently completed extensive conservation work on the inner chamber, a task that spanned 95 days and 333 hours of work.
Opposition BJD spokesperson Lenin Mohanty criticised the BJP-led government for the 20-month delay since taking office, suggesting that the inventory only moved forward due to judicial intervention.
“The BJP came to power by misleading the people by using the name of Lord Jagannath. The party had committed to repairing and undertaking an inventory of Ratna Bhandar after coming to power. They have been in office for about 20 months, but have not undertaken an inventory. A direction from the high court was required for inventory of the Lord’s treasury,” Mohanty told reporters.
The Orissa High Court’s division bench, led by Chief Justice Harish Tandon, has set a firm three-month window for the completion of the exercise, ensuring that the treasures of the 12th-century shrine are finally accounted for.
