Jagannath Temple treasury audit begins; 1st such exercise in 48 years

3D mapping, photography and videography was being carried out to prepare a comprehensive inventory of Shree Jagannath Temple’s Ratna Bhandar

Published on: Mar 26, 2026, 09:03:47 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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Goldsmiths, gemmologists, and servitors on Wednesday began the survey of gold, diamonds, and jewelled ornaments at Puri’s 12th-century Shree Jagannath Temple Ratna Bhandar (treasury), the first such exercise in since 1978.

Gemmologists, including from Mumbai, have been tasked with identifying precious stones. (PTI)

Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) administrator Arabinda Kumar Padhee said the exercise began at 12:09pm, considered an auspicious time. “3D mapping along with photography and videography is being carried out to prepare a comprehensive inventory,” he said. He added that around 80% of the movable treasures in the Ratna Bhandar were counted during the first day’s six-hour exercise.

A supervising and a handling team were constituted for the exercise as per the state government’s Standard Operating Procedure. Officials from the Reserve Bank of India are overseeing the conversion of measurements and accounting procedures.

Puri district authorities and police accompanied the teams as they proceeded from the temple office to the Singhadwara (Lion Gate) en route to the treasury under tight security.

Specialised gemmologists, including experts from Mumbai, have been tasked with identifying diamonds, sapphires, pearls, rubies, and other precious stones. Each ornament was being placed on velvet cloth, illuminated from multiple angles, and digitally recorded. Tagging systems will be used to assign new serial numbers and match them with records from the 1978 process.

SJTA officials said that the current process will convert measurements into grams for standardised documentation, unlike earlier assessments that relied on traditional units. The records will also be digitised once the physical counting is completed.

Officials said the exercise will pause during major religious observances such as Ram Navami and resume on April 8 as per the schedule.

The treasury was last reorganised in 1905 and remained largely unopened until the 1978 process. Several gemstones could not be fully identified earlier. The current digital documentation aims to address this gap.

Authorities said arrangements have been made to ensure that daily worship and public darshan continue without disruption.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More

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