The Shree Jagannath Temple in Odisha's Puri will begin counting and verifying ornaments held in the inner Ratna Bhandar on Monday, marking an important event after 48 years. The highly sensitive process will take place under strict security, with all preparations finished.
Strict Security and Key Handling Protocol
The framework for the exercise was finalised during a review meeting at the temple office chaired by Chief Administrator Arabinda Padhee. Officials claimed that the entire operation will be carried out with extreme caution and strict adherence to the state government-approved Standard Operating Procedure (SOP).

According to the proposal, the doors to the inner Ratna Bhandar would be opened only after the keys are obtained from the treasury under strict security. The keys will be transported in front of a magistrate and returned to the treasury at the end of each day. This policy will be adhered to throughout the counting process to maintain transparency and security.
Padhee stated that additional measures had been implemented due to the task's intricacy. He noted that counting the inner Ratna Bhandar is more difficult than counting the outer treasury, but all required procedures have been taken to ensure its successful implementation.

Law Minister Prithviraj Harichandan stated, "The counting of the inner Ratna Bhandar will begin on the 13th and would be done with the utmost care. The key will be obtained from the treasury, and the entire process will be video recorded for transparency." He added that the procedure is likely to be completed before Snana Yatra, with all documents safely stored for future reference.
Inventory Verification Without Weighing.
According to official documents, the inner treasury contains 367 gold ornaments weighing approximately 50 kg and 231 silver decorations weighing 173.55 kg. However, officials have underlined that decorations would not be weighed during this operation. Instead, each item will be validated against existing records, and a new inventory list will be generated.