The Naveen Patnaik government on Thursday formed a high-level committee chaired by a former Supreme Court judge to supervise the inventory of jewellery stored in Puri's Jagannath Temple's Ratna Bhandar (treasure trove).

The government formed a committee to investigate the inventory issue in response to the Orissa High Court's directive. The committee, chaired by Justice Arijit Pasayat, has 12 members, including Dr Ramakanata Panda, a renowned cardiologist. Dr Panda will serve as the committee's vice-chairperson, supervising the inventory-making process.

The committee also includes Bidhubhusan Samal, former Chairman-Cum-Managing Director (CMD) of Allahabad Bank, noted Chartered Accountant A.K. Sabat, a representative of Puri King Gajapati Dibyasingha Deb, a representative of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), senior servitors Durga Das Mohapatra, Madhav Chandra Mohapatra, Jagannath Kar, and Ganesh Mekap, Puri collector, and Chief Administrator of the Puri Shree Jagannath Temple Administration.

The committee's first meeting is slated for March 9 in Puri, according to officials.

The Ratna Bhandar comprises mainly two chambers (inner and outer) and it stores the jewels and ornaments that the three deities are adorned with. The outer chamber contains ornaments for the goddesses' daily use.

It may be mentioned that the inner chamber of the Ratna Bhandar has not been opened since 1978 while the outer chamber was opened in 2018.