Laser scan for Ratna Bhandar approved before repairs

Puri: The managing committee of the Jagannath temple in Puri on Monday approved the standard operating procedure (SOP) for conducting scanning of the Ratna Bhandar (treasury) of the 12th-century shrine with the latest scientific tools.

The Ratna Bhandar was reopened last month after 46 years for an inventory of valuables and the repair of its structure. It has two chambers - inner and outer.

A section of the people believe that more chambers or tunnels may be inside the inner chamber though, they are not seen by the naked eye, Shree Jagannath Managing Committee (SJMC) said. “In order to clear the doubts from people’s mind, the SJMC approved scientific or laser scanning before repair of the Ratna Bhandar,” a member of the committee said after a meeting in which the SOP was approved.