In a letter to Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Majhi on Wednesday, Puri Srimandir Managing Committee Member Sudarsan Pattnaik urged him to direct the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to begin immediate maintenance and repair work on the inner Ratna Bhandar (treasure trove) chamber of the Lord Jagannath Temple.
It is the responsibility of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to preserve and restore this ancient temple as needed. During an inspection of the inner Ratna Bhandar Chamber (Bhandara Ghara) in 2018, the ASI technical committee discovered numerous structural issues and damages in the walls, ceiling, and overall basement structure. They had suggested that the problems be fixed right away. Even after six long years, nothing has been done about it, so by this point, the damages may have gotten worse. In February 2024, cracks on the exterior of Ratna Bhandar were also discovered by laser scanning,” he wrote in a letter to the Chief Minister of Odisha.
He said, “I pray your honour on behalf of devotees of the Mahaprabhu, to instruct ASI to take up the repair and maintenance work of inner Ratna Bhandar immediately, as the forthcoming monsoon may cause further damage and threaten the integrity of entire temple structure.”
