Bhubaneswar, June 26 (IANS): Noted sand artist and a member of the Shree Jagannath Temple Managing Committee, Sudarsan Patttnaik, has urged Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi to direct the Archaeology Survey of India (ASI) to immediately begin repair and maintenance work of the inner chamber of the Ratna Bhandar, the treasury of Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri.

“I pray on behalf of the devotees of the Mahaprabhu to instruct the ASI to take up repair and maintenance work of the inner Ratna Bhandar immediately, as the forthcoming monsoon may cause further damage and threaten the integrity of the entire temple structure,” Pattnaik said in a letter to CM Majhi.

He also said that ASI had noticed many cracks during an inspection in 2018 and recommended immediate action to address the problem. However, no action has been taken in this regard despite the lapse of six years.

“In 2018, the technical committee of ASI inspected the inner Ratna Bhandar chamber (Bhandara Ghara) and found many structural problems/damages on the walls, ceiling, and in the basement structure. ASI had recommended immediate repair work to fix the issues. But it has not been acted upon even after six years, thus the damages might have further deteriorated by now. The laser scanning done in February 2024 also detected cracks on the outside of Ratna Bhandar,” Pattanik said.

Speaking to mediapersons on Wednesday, Pattnaik said he believes that the state government will take strong action in this regard.

The Ratna Bhandar of the Jagannath temple has two chambers. The inner chamber contains precious ornaments used on rare occasions, while the ornaments needed for daily rituals and particular festivals are kept in the outer chamber of the treasury. The inner chamber was last opened 39 years ago on July 14, 1985.