After HC order, Odisha government declares to catalogue jewelleries of Shree Jagannath Temple soon

Odisha government to catalogue Shree Jagannath Temple's jewellery inventory after HC directive, ensuring transparency and security.

After the Orissa High Court directed the State Government to complete the exercise of tallying the jewellery found from Ratna Bhandar, treasury of Shree Jagannath Temple, Puri, with the 1978 catalogue, Chief Minister Mohan Majhi-chaired high level meeting on Monday (February 16, 2026) announced to shortly inventory the precious metal.

As per the information presented before Odisha CM, all preparatory procedures required for the counting and inventory have been fully completed.

“The complete repair and conservation work of both the outer and inner Ratna Bhandar has already been finished. The entire work was carried out by the Archaeological Survey of India over 95 days, involving 333 hours of work. At present, both the temple administration and the State government are fully prepared to begin the counting and inventory process,” said a statement issued by Chief Minister’s Office.

“The Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for the counting and inventory has been prepared by the Shree Jagannath Temple Managing Committee. The process will commence after receiving government approval. The entire exercise will be conducted with complete transparency under strict security arrangements,” it further said.

The last inventory was conducted in 1978. In the current process, the assets will be verified against the 1978 list and a final updated inventory will be prepared. The entire process will also include photography and the preparation of a digital catalogue.

A division bench of Orissa High Court comprising Chief Justice Harish Tandon and Judge Justice M.S. Raman recently directed to complete the process of tallying and come up with inventory report within three next three months.