Secret tunnel inside Jagannath Temple? ASI to laser scan Ratna Bhandar

The temple administration will hand over both the outer and inner chamber of Ratna Bhandar to ASI for repair after a thorough check up.

As the inner chamber of the treasury was opened on Thursday to move the valuables to the temporary strongroom, Deb accompanied a 11-member committee overseeing the operation to inspect the inner chamber.

This is the first time in four decades that the inner chamber was opened, and comes over four days after ornaments and other valuables were moved from the outer chamber to a strongroom.

Though there is no documentary evidence on any secret tunnel inside the inner chamber, a section of servitors claims it exists.

While speaking to reporters on Thursday, Justice Biswanath Rath, chairman of the supervisory panel, claimed that it found no evidence of such a tunnel. He also told reporters it took 7.5 hours to move the ornaments.

“We never believed in such theories as it’s not based on any documentary evidence. We have shifted all ornaments and valuables and also inspected the walls of the inner chamber and we found no probability about the existence of a secret tunnel,” Rath told reporters, adding, however, that the panel would “act as per the direction of the state government”.

With all ornaments and valuables moved from the chambers, the focus is now on their repair. Ornaments stored in temporary strongrooms on the temple premises will be moved back to the Ratna Bhandar once the ASI completes this, following which the inventory process would start.