Goldsmiths, gemologists and servants on Wednesday began scanning gold, diamonds and jewel-studded ornaments at the 12th-century Shree Jagannath temple at Ratna Bhandar (treasury) in Puri, the first such operation since 1978.
Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA), Arabinda Kumar Padhi, said the exercise began at 12:09 pm, which is an auspicious time. “3D mapping is now being done along with photography and video to prepare a comprehensive inventory,” he said. He added that about 80% of the treasures transported at Ratna Bhandar were counted during the first day’s exercise, which lasted six hours.
A supervision and handling team has been constituted for this operation as per the standard operating procedures of the state government. Officials from the Reserve Bank of India supervise the transfer of accounting measurements and procedures.
Puri district authorities and police accompanied the teams as they headed from the temple office to Singadwara (Lion Gate) on their way to the treasury under tight security.
Specialized gemologists, including experts from Mumbai, were tasked with identifying diamonds, rubies, pearls, rubies and other gemstones. Each ornament is placed on velvet fabric, illuminated from multiple angles, and digitally recorded. Tagging systems will be used to assign new serial numbers and match them to records from the 1978 operation.
The current process will convert measurements into grams for standardized documentation, unlike previous assessments that relied on traditional units, SJTA officials said. The records will also be digitized once the actual count is completed.
The exercise will be halted during major religious celebrations like Ram Navami and resume on April 8 as per schedule, officials said.
The treasury was last reorganized in 1905 and remained largely open until the 1978 operation. Many of the gems were not fully identifiable earlier. Current digital documentation aims to address this gap.
Authorities said necessary arrangements have been made to ensure that daily worship and public darshan continue uninterrupted.
