Treasure trove

Gold coins, an idol of Lord Vishnu and emeralds are among the many treasures found in hidden vaults of the Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple in the Indian state of Kerala.

The 16th-century temple in Thiruvananthapuram, the state capital, contains a 30-meter, seven-tiered tower and a corridor with 365 elaborately carved stone pillars. Four of the six underground cellars were opened regularly but two more, located about six meters below ground had been sealed for over 100 years.

Local legend says that opening the vaults brings bad luck but earlier this month, five of them were opened and revealed to be full of precious stones, ancient gold coins and diamond-studded crowns.

India's Supreme Court had ordered a seven-member committee to open the vaults at Padmanabhaswamy to calculate the temple's assets after a local activist, T. P. Sundararajan, filed a petition accusing the administrators of mismanagement.

An iron wall was found inside the sixth vault, which has not been opened for 136 years according to temple officials. The Kerala government has deployed armed policemen round-the-clock to ensure safekeeping and a decision on opening the last cellar is expected to be taken on Friday.

Worth billions

The value of the treasure trove is estimated to be at least 22 billion US dollars, making the temple the wealthiest religious institution in India.

Professor PJ Cherian, a researcher in history and archaeology at the Kerala Council for Historical Research, warned against jumping to conclusions too fast.

"They are just preparing an inventory now – making a list as per the Supreme Court's order. There is nothing authentic about it," he told Deutsche Welle. He added that the value had to be assessed according to the percentage of gold or precious metals found in the ornaments and coins, adding that "systematic scientific analysis" was necessary.

Keeping Travancore safe

The first foundations of the Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple were laid in 1566 by the kings of Travancore. Local legend says that the kingdom’s rulers sealed immense riches within the thick stone walls and vaults of the temple. The Travancore royal family gave their wealth to the temple because they consider themselves to be servants of its dominant deity, Padmanabhaswamy.

Unlike several temples from where huge caches of gold and other valuable were plundered, the valuables kept in the vaults of Sree Padmanabhaswami were kept safe.

"This part of Travancore was safe, independent, and protected from foreign invasion. No Hindu or Muslim kingdoms invaded this area," the former chairman of the Indian Council of Historical Research, M.G.S. Narayanan, told Deutsche Welle.

Since India gained independence from Britain, the temple has been controlled by a trust run by the descendants of the Travancore royal family.

A fierce debate has now arisen about what to do with the treasure. Some observers maintain it should remain with the family; while the Kerala government has said it belongs to the temple.

'Whoever has the key owns the wealth'

Narayanan cited a passage from the Travancore State Manual of 1906, which stipulates the temple should be managed by a committee of eight Brahmins and a member of the Travancore royal family.

For Professor Cherian, it was also clear: "Whoever owns the key of the temple, owns it. No confusion. It is the temple's wealth."

"At the same time, it is also public property," he added, pointing out that this did not mean that the state should take it over but simply ensure it is "safely conserved."

Others have suggested that the money be used for the public good. In an editorial, the Hindustan Times suggested "opening the vaults up and using the money to set up private schemes that can bring private schemes to the poor."

Billions of dollars worth of valuables have already been discovered in India’s temples, where Hindu devotees often donate gold and other precious objects as gifts as part of their pilgrimage.

Until the Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple treasure was discovered, offerings worth almost eight billion dollars made the Tirupati temple in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh India's wealthiest.

Author: Shivani Mathur
Editor: Anne Thomas