BHUBANESWAR: The state govt has decided to create a digital catalogue of the valuables of Ratna Bhandar of
Jagannath Temple
during the ensuing inventory on July 14. According to govt, documentation of the divine treasury is essential for future generations.
"The experts, who would be engaged in the inventory work, may not be available in next 20 or 25 years.
If we create a digital catalogue or library of the Ratna Bhandars articles, it will be useful whenever an inventory is conducted in future," said law minister Prithiviraj Harichandan.
As per the plan, enumeration of the jewellery would be videographed by the govt. Each and every article would be properly documented and persevered digitally.
Currently, official data on Ratna Bhandar available with the temple administration is neither conclusive nor clear. As per the record of right (RoR) prepared under of Jagannath Temple Act 1954, the treasury's outer chamber has 150 gold ornaments weighing nearly 3,200 bhari/tola (1 bhari or tola about 12 grams). Its inner chamber has 180 items of jewellery, including 74 items of pure gold ornaments some of which weigh more than 100 bhari each, plates of gold, pearls, diamonds, corals, and 146 items of silver articles weighing more than 500 bhari each.
"Valuation of gold, silver, diamond and other precious and antique stones of the shrine treasury was never done in the past. We hope the govt properly identifies the ornaments and antique metals, and finds out their market prices," said Debasis Das, a Puri-based lawyer.
In a related development, law minister on Thursday said govt would stick to July 14 to start the inventory and conservation as proposed by the high-powered 16-member committee headed by retired judge of Orissa high court Biswanath Rath.
"Govt will stick to the date, however, we may make some changes in the standard operating procedures (SOPs). We are analysing the draft SOPs," minister Harichandan said.
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