Kerala has stumbled upon a treasure trove in the underground chambers of the centuries-old Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple here, where a Supreme Court appointed panel prepared the inventory of the priceless heap of precious metals.
The value of articles stocked in the vaults of the temple, managed by the royal family of the erstwhile Travancore princely state, would run into thousands of crores of rupees. Unofficial sources associated with the ongoing examination of the temple cellars pegged the jackpot at Rs 50,000 crore.
According to noted historian Dr M G S Narayanan, Padmanabhaswamy is one of the Vaishnava temples in the country and dates back to 9th Century. Hence, the vaults would be containing several centuries old precious objects.
The temple has six vaults and two of them had not been opened for the past one-and-a-half century. A major chunk of the estimated treasure belonged to the cellar, coded as A. The inventory of another chamber B is not over. The inventory thus far included gold coins, thousands of gold chains, precious stones including emerald, gems, diamonds, crowns and royal ornaments. Besides, coins and objects of antique and historical value have been unearthed from the temple.
The wealth at the temple has opened a debate over government control over the property. Prominent Hindu organisation Nair Service Society said the treasure found at the temple should remain with the temple.
Atheist leader U Kalanadan said the property was stashed in the temple cellars by the erstwhile kings. Hence, it could not be claimed as Hindu property. The government should take over the temple wealth for public use, he said.
Meanwhile, the government has decided to beef up the security at the temple. Modern security system would be put in place for the temple and the police have completed a security audit in this regard, said DGP Jacob Punnose.
The value of articles stocked in the vaults of the temple, managed by the royal family of the erstwhile Travancore princely state, would run into thousands of crores of rupees. Unofficial sources associated with the ongoing examination of the temple cellars pegged the jackpot at Rs 50,000 crore.
According to noted historian Dr M G S Narayanan, Padmanabhaswamy is one of the Vaishnava temples in the country and dates back to 9th Century. Hence, the vaults would be containing several centuries old precious objects.
The temple has six vaults and two of them had not been opened for the past one-and-a-half century. A major chunk of the estimated treasure belonged to the cellar, coded as A. The inventory of another chamber B is not over. The inventory thus far included gold coins, thousands of gold chains, precious stones including emerald, gems, diamonds, crowns and royal ornaments. Besides, coins and objects of antique and historical value have been unearthed from the temple.
The wealth at the temple has opened a debate over government control over the property. Prominent Hindu organisation Nair Service Society said the treasure found at the temple should remain with the temple.
Atheist leader U Kalanadan said the property was stashed in the temple cellars by the erstwhile kings. Hence, it could not be claimed as Hindu property. The government should take over the temple wealth for public use, he said.
Meanwhile, the government has decided to beef up the security at the temple. Modern security system would be put in place for the temple and the police have completed a security audit in this regard, said DGP Jacob Punnose.
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