PURI: Uncertainty continues to prevail over opening of the Bhitar Ratna Bhandar (inner treasury) of Srimandir with the managing committee of Shri Jagannath temple not taking up the matter for discussion in its meeting on Tuesday.
Chief Administrator of Shri Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) Vir Vikram Yadav said since the Ratna Bhandar issue was not in the agenda, it could not be discussed in the meeting. The issue will be taken up when it finds a place in the agenda.
Sources said a member of the SJTA raised the issue during the meeting but it was dismissed. As demand for opening the Bhitar Ratna Bhandar of Srimandir is gathering steam, political parties and many religious institutions have been asking the government to open the inner treasury for repairs and conduct a fresh inventory.
As per temple norms, the treasury should be opened every three years and inventory of the wealth conducted. However, it has not been done in the last 27 years. Meanwhile, the meeting of the temple managing committee decided to create a digital database of the immovable property of Srimandir.
The SJTA chief said records of land owned by Lord Jagannath will be digitised soon. “Odisha Space Application Centre (ORSAC) will help the SJTA and Revenue department in the project. We will also identify all the places where temple lands are located and a database will be created under the project,” he said.
The Adarsha Gurukul project, which would look into school education of children of temple servitors, was also discussed in the meeting. Birla Foundation will implement the Adarsh Gurukul school project. In the next meeting, Birla Foundation will be invited to have a detailed discussion on the master plan for the Gurukul project, Yadav informed.
Progress of the sevayat housing project was also reviewed during the meet. In the first phase, housing units under the project will come up at Harichandi Sahi and a tender has already been floated for construction of the boundary wall. The tender will be opened on October 6. The daily rituals of the Trinity were rescheduled anticipating heavy rush of devotees during the holy month of Kartik.
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