Jagannath Temple's 'Ratna Bhandar' Inventory to Resume by April 2026, Silver Ingots' Fate Still in Limbo | India

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The Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) has set a deadline of next Akshaya Tritiya, falling on April 19, 2026, to complete the inventory of the refurbished 'Ratna Bhandar' at the Jagannath Temple in Puri, Odisha. The inventory, which will be conducted in phases to avoid disrupting temple rituals, will involve digitizing ornaments and other valuables stored in the 12th-century shrine. The Ratna Bhandar, a treasure chamber, was recently restored after four decades of renovation work. Meanwhile, the SJTA is still awaiting the outcome of a high court case regarding 522 silver ingots worth ₹90 crore recovered from the Emar Mutt in 2011. The ingots, weighing 18 tonnes, are currently stored in the district armoury for security reasons. The SJTA has requested the state government to press for the transfer of ownership to the temple. During a crucial meeting chaired by Gajapati Maharaja Dibyasingha Deb, the SJTA also approved a proposal to introduce the 'Swarna Alankara Dana Yojana', allowing devotees to donate gold and silver for making new ornaments for the temple's trinity - Lord Balabhadra, Devi Subhadra, and Lord Jagannath. The SJTA has also decided to increase financial assistance for servitors under the welfare scheme, with daughter's marriage support rising from ₹50,000 to ₹1 lakh and 'Brataghara' ceremony support increasing from ₹20,000 to ₹50,000. Additionally, the meeting discussed the issue of ISKCON's 'Rath Yatra' being held out of sync with the temple's regular ritual, but no further details were provided.