BHUBANESWAR: Repair and renovation of the Ratna Bhandar of Shree Jagannath temple, which began in December last year, will be completed by Niladri Bije on July 8, Gajapati Dibyasingha Deb said.
He reviewed the final phase of renovation works of Ratna Bhandar on Thursday along with Srimandir technical committee members and officials from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). He said this repair work was necessary and the structural condition of both Bahara Bhandar and Bhitara Ratna Bhandar was extremely poor. “Ratna Bhandar now appears safe and has been beautifully done. The renovation has been done in alignment with the shrine’s Kalinga architectural style,” he said.
Gajapati added that this is a historic work as the inner Ratna Bhandar remained sealed for four decades. “Soon after the work is completed by Niladri Bije and after the Trinity return to the Ratna Simhasana, the inventorisation of Ratna Bhandar will begin as per the SOP,” he added.
ASI Puri circle head DB Garnayak said, “At least 550 damaged stone blocks and a corbel arch have been changed in both the Bhitara and Bahara Ratna Bhandar. These are the major stone blocks from exterior and interior side walls of both chambers of Ratna Bhandar, which had deteriorated over the years.”
Apart from this, 15 damaged beams in the structure have been replaced with stainless steel beams, both big and small. In the Bhitara Ratna Bhandar, black granite flooring has been done and the granite was sourced from Nilagiri. “All the stone work has been done in Khondalite stone sourced from within the state as Khondalite was originally used in Ratna Bhandar,” he said. Besides, the renovation works have been done entirely in traditional dry masonry method. Currently, monitoring work is underway.
Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) chief Arabinda Padhee said that the steel door of outer Ratna Bhandar has been replaced with a new stainless steel door and outside it, a Burma teak wood gate has been installed.