Auditing of the Ratna Bhandar (treasury) at Jagannath Temple was finally performed on Wednesday, the first time in almost 48 years that the complete process was conducted. This is done through a meticulous examination of gold, diamonds and other jewelled ornaments in the historic treasury located in the temple.
The exercise started at 12:09 pm according to Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) administrator Arabinda Kumar Padhee, who regards the time as auspicious. Officials also announced that about 80 percent of the movable treasures had been evaluated in the initial day of operations, which was closely six hours. High tech methods, like 3D mapping, photography, and videography are a part of the audit to design an accurate and clear inventory.
The use of two special teams, one to supervise and other to handle, has been implemented according to the state government standard operating procedures. The Reserve Bank of India also has experts in the field of measurement conversion and accounting practices.
It has greatly increased security, and the teams are escorted to the treasury by the police and other district officials. Specialised gemmologists, such as those in Mumbai, are naming and naming precious stones like diamonds, rubies, sapphires and pearls. One by one each ornament has been studied, mounted on velvet cloth and photographed with the help of good light.
According to the officials, every item will be labeled with new serial numbers and will be compared with the records of the 1978 audit. Measures will now be standardised in grams and later digitised unlike in the past. The process will stop on the occasion of large festivals such as Ram Navami and then restart on April 8, without causing much inconvenience to religious events.