Sabarimala gold-plating row deepens; Kerala Devaswom Minister defends probe, opposition raises allegations

Sabarimala temple gold

The Sabrimala gold-plating controversy has intensified, with investigators struggling to trace key records linked to the 30.3 kg of gold and 1,900 kg of copper donated by industrialist Vijay Mallya in 1998 for cladding the sanctum sanctorum and wooden carvings of the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple in Kerala.

Devaswom Minister V N Vasavan, in response to ANI, said a detailed probe was underway under High Court supervision.

"The pedestal was recovered from the residence of Unnikrishnan Potty, who himself raised the complaint, which reveals who the culprit is. More facts will emerge as the investigation progresses," the minister said.

On opposition charges of negligence by the state government and Travancore Devaswom Board, the minister said the allegations were aimed at diverting attention. "When the very item in question was found in the complainant's house, the facts became evident," Vasavan added, while confirming that Unnikrishnan Potty's influence was under scrutiny.

The probe team clarified there was no dispute over Mallya's donation but admitted that registers and supporting documents confirming the quantity of gold used were missing. Without these, the actual amount of gold plated or lost cannot be verified, raising suspicion of deliberate record tampering.

Opposition Leader V D Satheesan has alleged large-scale irregularities. He pointed out that the Dwarapalaka (door guardian) idols, gold-plated in 1999 with a 40-year warranty, were inexplicably sent for replating in 2019.

"They took 42 kg of gold but returned only 38 kg. Four kg went missing. Why did the Devaswom not verify the weight?" he asked.

He further alleged that gold was transported to Chennai without board approval and questioned why Unnikrishnan Potty, who sponsored the replating, was not an accused when the pedestal was recovered from his relative's home.

Historical records show that the 1998 gold cladding, completed in 1999, was carried out under the leadership of Chennai-based jeweller Nagarajan of JNR Jewellery with the expertise of 53 Tamil Nadu artisans. The process involved layering gold beaten into thin foils and bonding them onto copper plates with mercury.

In 2019, during repairs, Devaswom records listed the removed panels as copper sheets. When the replated panels were returned, records showed a reduction of 4.41 kg. Unnikrishnan Potty testified that the sheets given to him were copper-based with residual gold, later replated at a Chennai firm.

At the time, K S Baiju served as Thiruvabharanam Commissioner before retiring, succeeded by R G Radhakrishnan under whose supervision the work was carried out. Then Devaswom Board President A Padmakumar. Unnikrishnan Potty, along with his associates from Bengaluru, sponsored the 2019 replating.