Puri Srimandir Ratna Bhandar repair work halted till Jan 2 in view of year-end devotee rush

The repair work of the Puri Srimandir Ratna Bhandar, the treasure trove of the 12th-century shrine, will remain suspended from December 25 to January 2 in view of a high influx of devotees during the year-end, informed the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) on Tuesday.

This decision has been taken by the temple administration expecting a surge in devotees' footfall during the English New Year and the holiday season. The move aims at ensuring smooth crowd management and seamless rituals and darshan.

The repair activities will resume on January 3, adhering to the state government-approved guidelines and the administrative protocols set by the SJTA.

It is worth mentioning that the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) commenced the repair and renovation work of the Ratna Bhandar on December 17, and on the first day cleaning and staging works were carried out as per a Standard Operating Procedure issued by the state government.

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Senior ASI official DB Garnayak had previously said that a temporary platform, standing at 20 feet high, has been constructed to carry out swift repairs. Further, he shared that the scaffolding work inside the inner chamber of the Jagannath Temple Ratna Bhandar was successfully completed on December 17 itself, and the process of de-plastering the inner chamber was scheduled next.

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Meanwhile, Odisha’s Law Minister Prithviraj Harichandan, in one of his recent statements said that the Odisha government had directed ASI to complete the repair works within three months following which the process of inventory of ornaments in the Ratna Bhandar would begin.