BHUBANESWAR: The inventory of Jagannath Temple’s Ratna Bhandar will commence on March 25, temple chief administrator Arabinda Kumar Padhee announced on Monday.The Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) has not fixed a timeline for completion of the exercise, though the Orissa high court had directed the govt on Jan 27 to finish the process within three months.Padhee noted that the last inventory, conducted in 1978, spanned over 70 days (between May 13 and July 23). “Given the complexity of daily rituals, it is difficult to predict how long the upcoming inventory will take. If necessary, we will seek an extension from the high court,” he said after a meeting of the temple managing committee.The inventory will begin during an auspicious period between 12:12 pm and 1:45 pm on March 25. It will not be carried out on weekends or major festive occasions.On Feb 16, the temple committee had formed two teams – supervising and handling – to implement the exercise. The supervising team includes the chief administrator, two members from the previously formed high-level committee (HLC) on Ratna Bhandar and one member of the Ratna Bhandar sub-committee. The handling team comprises the chief administrator, HLC chairman, a servitor from the temple managing committee, four other servitors, six empanelled goldsmiths of a PSU bank, two gemologists, two officials from the Reserve Bank of India and two photographers.While the supervisory team will monitor proceedings, the handling team will audit the gems and jewellery. The state govt has allocated Rs 5 crore in the budget for the exercise. Padhee clarified that only three members of the supervisory team and 10 members of the handling team will be allowed inside the Ratna Bhandar at a time.
