Goldsmiths, gemmologists, and servitors have begun surveying the 12th-century Shree Jagannath Temple Ratna Bhandar in Puri, marking the first such exercise in 48 years.
The Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) administrator Arabinda Kumar Padhee said the exercise started at 12:09pm, an auspicious time, and involves 3D mapping, photography, and videography to create a comprehensive inventory.
Around 80% of the movable treasures were counted during the first day's six-hour exercise, with officials from the Reserve Bank of India overseeing the conversion of measurements and accounting procedures.
Specialised gemmologists, including experts from Mumbai, are tasked with identifying diamonds, sapphires, pearls, rubies, and other precious stones, which are being placed on velvet cloth, illuminated from multiple angles, and digitally recorded.
Tagging systems will be used to assign new serial numbers and match them with records from the 1978 process, while the current process will convert measurements into grams for standardised documentation.
The exercise will pause during major religious observances and resume on April 8 as per the schedule.
The treasury was last reorganised in 1905 and remained largely unopened until the 1978 process, with several gemstones unable to be fully identified earlier.
Authorities have made arrangements to ensure daily worship and public darshan continue without disruption.
