The counting process will not be allowed to disrupt the daily rituals and religious ceremonies of Lord Jagannath
Ratna Bhandar counting and verification to begin today: The counting and weighing of ornaments in the Ratna Bhandar at Puri Srimandir will begin today. The 2-day process will continue till September 1, as per the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) approved by the Odisha government.
As per reports, the exercise will be taken up keeping various festivals in view. The counting of valuables from the Chalanti Bhandar has already been completed, while the inventory of the Bahar Bhandar is nearing completion. The focus will now be on counting and documenting the jewellery and other valuables kept inside the inner Ratna Bhandar.
The exercise will be conducted under the supervision of a high-level Ratna Bhandar inspection team. Experts from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), gemologists, photographers and other specialists will be involved in the process. The entire exercise will be documented through videography and photography, while 3D mapping will also be carried out. During Rath Yatra, the counting and weighing process continued for 2 hours and 27 minutes. Nine rare ornaments used on the deities were counted and matched during the exercise.
The administration has stressed that the counting process will not be allowed to disrupt the daily rituals and religious ceremonies of Lord Jagannath under any circumstances. During the exercise, the duration of darshan for devotees may be reduced. Devotees will be allowed to have darshan only from the ‘Bahar Katha’ during this period.
The Srimandir administration has appealed to all servitors and devotees to extend their cooperation and support, as they have done during previous phases of the exercise.
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