Govt plans permanent security for Padmanabhaswamy temple

The Kerala government today said it wished to preserve the treasure trove found in the cellars of the centuries-old Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple in the shrine itself but the final decision was left to the Supreme Court.

"It is the wish of the government, majority of the people and also of Hindu organisations to keep the valuable wealth at the temple," Chief Minister Oommen Chandy told reporters after a cabinet meeting, which discussed the issue.

Security now provided at the temple was temporary and government was working on modalities for a stable security system with modern technical support without affecting the tradition and culture of the temple, Chandy said.

The system would not come in the way of devotees for conducting darshan at the temple. The arrangements also needed court approval, he added.

Stating that the temple is a pride of Kerala, Chandy said, "It is the duty of the state and society to preserve the wealth." However, it was for the apex court to take a final decision on the matter, he added.

On the quantum of wealth recovered at the five cellars of the temple during the stock taking by the apex court-appointed committee, including two former High court judges, Chandy said nobody was authorised to disclose the value of the wealth.

The apex court had asked the committee to take inventory of the articles at the temple, he said.

"I came to understand that the Travancore Royal family, which heads the Temple Trust, have approached the Supreme Court against disclosing the value of the objects found at the temple", he said.

Out of the six cellars, five had been opened and the articles found from there were enlisted by July 4.

With the inventory of the priceless articles still on, security has been tightened by deploying trained personnel including armed commandos and 24-hour patrolling put in place.

The temple shot into the limelight with the unearthing of a staggering wealth including a stunning range of articles, comprising gold ornaments, idols engraved with precious stones, jewels, heaps of solid gold coins and silver and gold platters and lamps from its cellars.