Ratna Bhandar of Jagannath temple likely to be opened on July 14: Min

Bhubaneswar, July 11 (FN Agency) The Ratna Bhandra of the 12th century Shree Jagannath Temple is all likely to be opened on July 14, state Law Minister Prithivraj Harichandan said on Thursday. Talking to the newsmen, Harichandan said the temple managing committee had approved the proposal of the high level committee headed by former Orissa High Court judge Justice Biswanath Rath , to open the Ratna Bhandar of the temple on July 14. The temple Managing Committee, which met at Puri on Wednesday approved the proposal of the Justice Rath committee after making minor changes to some SOPs suggested by the High-Level Committee.The Managing Committee had sent its approval on the proposal to the state government with a request to issue necessary orders to open the Ratna Bhandar on July 14.

The Law minister said the proposal of the temple managing committee will be thoroughly examined by the government and the Ratna Bhandar will most likely be opened on July 14 as suggested by the HighLevel committee and approved by the Sri Jagannath temple Managing Committee. A 16 member High Level committee headed by Justice Biswanath Rath was constituted by the Odisha government on July 4 last dissolving the High level committee headed by former Supreme court judge Justice Arjit Pashayat, constituted by the previous BJD government, for supervising the inventorization of valuable including the jewelleries stored in Ratna Bhandar of Sri Jagannath temple. The new committee in its second sitting on July 9 last decided to open the Ratna Bhandar which was last opened in 1978.