The Ratna Bhandar (storehouse for ornaments) of Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri is in need of repair, a senior administration official of the shrine said here today.
"The temple authorities would take necessary steps to restore the Ratna Bhandar after receiving the final report from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), which will be submitted to us in a week," P K Jena, the head of Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA), told reporters.
The administration yesterday called for an emergency meeting of the temple's managing committee, which was presided over by the Puri Gajapati Maharaja Dibyasingh Deb, at the Special Circuit House.
The meeting was held hours after a team of 16 members, including the ASI experts, inspected the condition of the Ratna Bhandar. They found rain water leaking into the repository.
Asked why the team did not enter the inner chamber of the Ratna Bhandara, Jena said the members were able to see all sides of the cell through an iron grill, they "did not find it necessary to open the room".
"In fact, we had taken five sets of keys with us. But after we were able to see all sides through the grill, we did not open the lock of the inner room," he pointed out.
On the status of Jagmohan, the prayer hall in the 12th century shrine, Jena said the temple administration would allow the devotees to enter it soon.
The repair work of the Nata Mandap (dance hall) would be taken up by the ASI once the Jagamohan is opened for the devotees, he added.
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