500 kilograms of raw silver brought for silver plating of the Kalahat Doors of Srimandir will be shifted to the district treasury, informed the Sri Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) on Monday.
The decision was taken after obtaining a green signal from the District Collector to move the silver which is currently kept at the strong room of Niladri Bhaktaniwas.
It is pertinent to mention here that silver plates with intricate designs have been installed on the gigantic seven wooden doors; Beherana, Jayabijaya, Satapahacha, Bhoga Mandap, Laxmi Mandir, Adi Nrusingha Temple and Bimala Temple. Only Kalahat Door which has remained without a trace of silver, will be plated during next year’s Rath Yatra.
Since the deities are inside the temple, it will be difficult to undertake the silver plating work during normal days. Therefore, the SJTA aims to complete the work during Rath Yatra when the Trinity would be away at their Aunt's place, the Sree Gundicha Temple.
The white metal, weighing 5 quintals, has been kept in 11 boxes.
Nearly two tons of silver have been used for the silver cladding work at the Puri Jagannath temple. A devotee from Mumbai has donated around 1300 kg of silver for the purpose.