New Delhi/ Bhopal, August 22, 2026

The next round of inventory of jewellery and other valuables kept in the Ratna Bhandar of Puri’s Shree Jagannath Temple will be conducted on August 31 and September 1, temple authorities announced on Saturday. The exercise is part of the ongoing verification and documentation of the centuries-old treasury after its reopening and restoration.

“The next Ratna Bhandar inventory would be conducted on August 31 and September 1,” Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) chief administrator Arabinda Padhee said, according to agency reports.

The previous round was conducted on July 19, when Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra were at the Shree Gundicha Temple during their annual Rath Yatra sojourn. The absence of the sibling deities from the main temple provided a suitable window for carrying out the sensitive exercise under prescribed religious and security protocols.

The fresh inventory carries particular significance because the valuables of the Ratna Bhandar were last comprehensively inventoried in 1978. That exercise, spread over 72 days, recorded hundreds of gold and silver articles kept in different sections of the treasury, according to reports.

The present process followed the reopening of the Ratna Bhandar in July 2024 after remaining inaccessible for decades. The Archaeological Survey of India subsequently carried out conservation and repair work before the valuables were taken up for systematic verification and documentation.

The inventory is being conducted under tight security and in the presence of authorised officials, temple servitors and experts. Ornaments and other valuables are being checked against earlier records and digitally documented as part of the exercise.

According to agency reports, temple authorities have said that no discrepancy with the 1978 records had emerged during the verification completed so far. The exercise involves matching individual articles with available historical records while preparing updated documentation of the treasury.

The Ratna Bhandar has different sections holding ornaments used for the sibling deities as well as valuables accumulated over generations. Earlier rounds of the inventory have covered articles from different sections of the treasury in phases.

The exercise is closely watched because the Ratna Bhandar is more than a temple treasury. It holds jewellery and valuables offered to Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra over generations, giving their preservation and documentation deep religious significance for devotees.

Its reopening and subsequent conservation had itself generated considerable public interest in Odisha. The long gap since the previous comprehensive inventory also added to demands for proper documentation and safe preservation of the valuables.

The temple administration has consequently been carrying out the process in stages, keeping security requirements and the rituals of the 12th-century shrine in view.

The August 31 and September 1 exercise will now take the verification process further. With the July round already completed, the temple administration will continue matching the valuables with historical records and updating their documentation as the long-awaited Ratna Bhandar inventory moves towards completion.