Bhubaneswar: Over 12,000 tola (bhari) gold jewelries and precious gem stones are stored at Ratna Bhandar of Sri Mandir in Puri, informed Law Minister Pratap Jena to the House.

As per the list prepared and available with the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) after opening of the treasury in 1978, the Ratna Bhandar had 12831.1 bhari gold ornaments and other valuable items including precious gem stones, said Jena while replying to a question asked by BJP MLA Dilip Ray in Assembly here today.

Similarly, the Ratna Bhandar had 22,153 bhari silver utensils and other puja items including costly gem stones, he said.

Besides, 14 gold and silver items could not be included in the list as those could not be measured due to some reasons.

There is no official record available with the administration about estimation of the jewelries and items while preparing the list, the Minister added.

Notably, Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) had recently opened the outer portion of Ratna Bhandar situated inside Sri Mandir to inspect the structural condition following directive of Orissa High Court.