Puri, July 18: The mystery over the Ratna Bhandar in Puri Jagannath Temple is going to be apparently clear within a day or two. The ancient treasure trove, believed to store valuables ingluding gold, diamond and gems-studded ornaments of Lord Jagannath and the sibling deities, has been opened today for the second time in a week, to take stock of its belongings.
Yet, retrival of the ancient ornaments recovered from the inner and outer chambers of the Ratna Bhandar is underway. A technical team led by an ASI officials, have initiated their inspection to discover the major cracks and holes in the Ratna Bhandar walls, floors and vaults which need immediate interventions. Meanwhile, the ASI team was assigned to explore the deep tunnel inside the Ratna Bhandar that is believed to be heading towards the Narendra Pokhari, by some centenarians of Odisha.
Based on some legends, scriptures of some ancient gazetteers and to address general perceptions, the ASI authorities are all set to initiate a frantic underground survey of the Ratna Bhandar.
Ultra modern devices including smart gadgets will be accompanied in digging out the truth relating to the Ratna Bhandar’s safety tunnel, said an ASI official during inspection of the inner Ratna Bhandar today.
Puri Gajapati Maharaj on the presence of an underground passage from the inner Ratna Bhandar said, inventory of the inner chambers was initiated a while ago. The major belongings of the chambers are on transit. Thus, existence of any secret tunnels out from the Ratna Bhandar is yet to be probed
ASI officials are asked to observe it on their own ways once the accomodations are once absolutely vacated, the Gajapati Maharaj said.
However, the scion of royal king said, “I never find any slit or pit either on the wall or from the soiled floor of the Ratna Bhandar during my shorttime stay inside the Ratna Bhandar while the inventory process was underway.”
