BHUBANESWAR: The empty almirahs and chests in both the chambers of the Ratna Bhandar of Shree Jagannath temple will be shifted out of the treasury on August 23. They will be transferred to the Niladri Vihar museum located on the premises of the 12th century shrine. Public ‘darshan’ of the Trinity will be prohibited during the exercise.
This was decided at a meeting of the 11-member core committee on reopening of Ratna Bhandar on Tuesday. Committee chairman Justice Biswanath Rath said the members have decided to enter the Ratna Bhandar after the rituals are completed at 2 pm on Friday. A medical team, snake helpline members and a group of iron grill cutters will be kept in readiness within the shrine.
Justice Rath informed that almost all the wooden almirahs in both the chambers are in severely dilapidated condition and some even broke while being moved to check the presence of anything behind them, on July 18. Since the team only has a three-hour period to shift the containers, it plans to tape the broken wooden parts of the almirahs before taking them to the museum. They will be repaired at a later stage.
The state government, in its SOP for shifting of the containers, has allowed cutting of the outer door of the Bahara Bhandar to take the chests out as all of them are wider than the door.
“If required, we will cut the door frame of the Bahara Bhandar for taking the chests out. The door frame will be brought back to the same position and shape, as per the SOP, after the chambers are repaired and new almirahs containing the precious jewels and ornaments brought back to Bahara and Bhitara Bhandars from the temporary strongrooms,” Justice Rath informed.
While there is one iron chest in the Bahara Bhandar, the Bhitara Bhandar has three chests including two wooden and one iron. All the four chests are of the same size.
The empty Ratna Bhandar will subsequently be handed over to the Archaeological Survey of India to examine it for presence of any secret chambers or tunnel using non-destructive technology and repairing the cracks and other structural damages in the treasury.
On the day, devotees willing to buy Mahaprasad will be allowed to enter the Anand Bazaar through the Lions Gate and exit through the north gate.