The high-level committee formed under the chairmanship of retired judge Justice Biswanath Rath, to prepare the inventory of the ornaments stored in the treasure trove of the 12th-century Jagannath Temple, has suggested opening the Ratna Bhandar on July 14.

The committee, which met at Puri on Tuesday, has decided to send a proposal to open the Ratna Bhandar on July 14. As the deities are on a nine-day sojourn and will only enter the main shrine on July 19, the day of Niladri Bije, the committee has found it convenient to make the inventory and repair the ornaments with the help of the goldsmiths during this period.

Justice Rath said: “At the meeting, the members of the committee reached a consensus that the Ratna Bhandar will be opened up. Whether the keys are available or not or whether it functions or not, Ratna Bhandar will be reopened. We will use modern technologies for this. A standard operating procedure will be maintained for this purpose.”

The opening of the Ratna Bhandar was a major issue in the recent general elections. The BJP had raked up the issue and questioned the dilly-dallying attitude of the BJD government towards opening the Ratna Bhandar. It had promised that once it formed the government, it would initiate steps to open the Ratna Bhandar. It later dissolved the committee constituted by the BJD government under the chairmanship of Justice Arijit Pasayat to do the inventory of the Ratna Bhandar and formed a new committee under the chairmanship of Justice Biswanath Rath.

After presiding over the meeting, Justice Rath said the gold ornaments cannot be moved outside the temple premises. We have earmarked a specific place inside the shrine where all the jewellery and gold ornaments will be shifted and necessary inventory will be made.”

The committee had the tough job of finding the right expertise to examine the nature and character of ornaments (22 or 24 carat), the nature of gems and other items stored in the Ratna Bhandar. “A detailed SOP on the counting and entry to the Ratna Bhadar will be prepared,” Justice Rath said.

Justice Rath maintained that care would be taken to ensure that devotees were not deprived of darshan of the deities during the opening of the treasure trove.

A member of the committee, Rajib Sahu, said: “We are expecting government approval for the opening up of the Ratna Bhandar by July 14. The SOPs will be followed keeping in view the high court’s direction on the issue of opening up Ratna Bhandar.”

The Ratna Bhandar comprises two chambers (inner and outer) and stores the jewels and ornaments the three deities are adorned with. The inner chamber has not been opened since 1978. The outer chamber was opened in 2018.