The Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) has informed the Orissa High Court that all the ornaments of Lord Jagannath and his siblings are safe in the Ratna Bhandar (treasure trove) of the shrine and there is no need for its inventory at this moment.

The SJTA administration said that as the repair work of the jagmohan (the hall facing the sanctum sanctorum) is going on, the inventory is not required at this moment, sources said. About the ornaments, SJTA informed the high court that the Ratna Bhandar has 149.460 kg of gold and 184 kg of silver. The inventory was made in 1978.

Advocate Alok Mohapatra told The Telegraph: “The SJTA has submitted the affidavit about the ornaments of the Lord and said all are safe. The Ratna Bhandar comprises mainly two chambers (inner and outer) and it stores the jewels and ornaments that the three deities are adorned with. The outer chamber is regularly opened and ornaments are taken out by the priests on the occasion of various festivals. There is another small chamber where ornaments are kept for daily uses of deities."

Mohapatra said: “The temple administration remained silent about the condition of the ornaments that are being kept inside the inner chamber. The temple administration has also not mentioned the year of the inventory. The SJTA said there was no need to constitute a sub-committee for the purpose of inventory at this moment."

He said: “We will submit our rejoinder, challenging the SJTA affidavit. The temple administration also remained silent when it was weighed. The affidavit seems to be superficial in nature. The Ratna Bhandar has not been opened for the last 45 years, and all have the right to know whether the ornaments are safe.

“All of us know that Lord Jagannath owns pearls, diamonds, corals and precious jewels donated by devotees and kings over the centuries. It remained silent on the issue. In 1978, servitors and officials entered the inner chamber using some candles and now in the 21st century, we do have all modern technology available to us that would facilitate the entry to the inner chamber smoothly. What prevented the SJTA from doing a fresh inventory? Now it's the court which will take a decision on the August 14th hearing.”

Lawyer Pitambara Acharya said: “The Puri district collector had earlier said the keys to the inner chamber were missing. Even there were cracks in the wall of the temple and seepage was noticed. Now there has been apprehension about the safety of the ornaments. There is a public opinion to do a fresh inventory and it should be done."

On the issue of the missing key of the Ratna Bhandar, chief minister Naveen Patnaik had ordered the formation of an inquiry panel in June 2018 headed by Justice Raghubir Dash to probe into the matter and find persons accountable.