Puri, May 18: The Ratna Bhandar of Puri Jagannath Temple will reopen on Tuesday for further inventory and verification of ornaments. After the midday rituals, the designated team will enter the inner chamber to continue the counting process.

This marks the sixth day of counting inside the inner Ratna Bhandar and the eleventh day overall. Devotees will be allowed darshan only from the outer courtyard, as the temple administration has decided to suspend inner chamber darshan on counting days to avoid unnecessary disruptions.

According to temple authorities, seven more days of counting will take place this month: May 19, 21, 23, 26, 28, 29, and 30.

Inventory So Far

In the first 10 days, nearly 60 hours of counting have been completed. In the movable treasury, all ornaments except two currently adorning Lord Jagannath have been tallied.

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In the outer treasury, three ornaments remain unidentified, though the overall count has increased compared to the 1978 inventory list.

Inside the inner Ratna Bhandar, approximately 130 ornaments — about 25 per cent of the total — have been verified over five days.

As per the 1978 records, the inner treasury contains 367 types of gold ornaments weighing 4,364 bhari and 231 types of silver ornaments weighing 14,878 bhari.

Newly identified ornaments not listed in 1978 are being added to the updated 2026 inventory. Each ornament is being documented with 3D mapping, photography, and videography.

Gold ornaments are wrapped in yellow cloth, silver in white, and others in red before being stored in steel boxes and placed in new chests.

Security Breached, Again!

Security concerns arose Monday when a drone was spotted flying over the temple premises around 5:55 pm. The Singhadwar police, along with a special team, quickly intercepted the drone.

It was found to be operated by Dipu Kumar Yadav (25) from Jharkhand, who was identified in the Dhanakuti Sahi lane area. He has been detained at Singhadwar police station, and further legal action will follow.

The temple administration reiterated its commitment to safeguarding the sanctity of the Ratna Bhandar while ensuring transparency in the counting process, alongside strict security measures around the temple premises.