Big change at Puri Jagannath Temple | Managing committee to be overhauled in a week, says minister

Bhubaneswar: Odisha Law Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan on Friday said the Shree Jagannath Temple Managing Committee (SJTMC), which oversees the functioning of the 12th-century shrine in Puri, would be reconstituted within a week.

Speaking to reporters after hoisting the tricolour in Puri, he said this would pave the way for the long-pending inventory of the valuables at the temple's 'Ratna Bhandar' or treasury.

"The managing committee of the temple will be reconstituted in the next three to five days or a week at maximum. Then, after getting approval from the committee, the inventory of valuables in the Ratna Bhandar will be done," he said.

Harichandan said the RBI has nominated two experts for the much-awaited inventory process.

The last full inventory of the Ratna Bhandar was carried out 46 years ago, in 1978.

The SJTMC has 18 members, and 10 of them are nominated by the government. The remaining are ex officio members, with 'Gajapati Maharaja' Dibyasingha Deb, the titular king of Puri, serving as the chairperson.

However, the state government has not nominated anyone after the term of the previous members ended on September 2, 2024.