The wealth of the famous Padmanabhaswamy temple in Travancore, if displayed to the people, will boost tourism and also help in the upkeep of the iconic place
The Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple in Thiruvananthpuram, in Kerala, said to be the richest temple in the world, has of late attracted national and international attention, for both right and the wrong reasons. The right reason, of course, is the curiosity generated about the centuries old antiquities, stored in six vaults buried under the shrine, that were unearthed for the first time in 2011. Since then, there has been a demand to shift the treasures from the temple into a museum. The treasure, comprising of gold idols, precious stones, gems and jewelries, centuries old coins, is worth billions.
The wrong reason is that the administration of the temple, which was hitherto run by the royal family of Travancore with the help of priests, was found to have serious lapses when subjected to scrutiny by the amicus curiae Gopal Subramaniam, appointed by the Supreme Court. According to the report large quantities of treasure, enumerated in 2011 inventory, have been stolen from the temple's vaults, suggesting that the erstwhile royal families in connivance with the priests treated the temple's wealth as their private property. Many original gold articles were found to be replaced by false ones.
Now the apex court has ordered to disband the trust, and directed the former Comptroller and Auditor General Vinod Rai to supervise a special audit of the complete assets and the property belonging to the temple.
However, blinded by religious faith and in order to glorify mystical elements, the devotees, priests and some staunch Hindu organisations have been spreading rumours that the treasures should remain inside the temple, as they are offerings to the god. The priests have speculated that the gods will be angered and the world will be doomed if the the treasures are removed from the temple. According to them, the safety and security of the shrine should be the responsibility of the Governments at the Centre and the State.
The custodians of religion must understand that the treasure sitting in the temple had been donated to the temple by the royals, unconditionally. They have not left any will suggesting that the treasure should not be shown to the public or not moved to a museum. Hence, there is no harm in displaying it to the public.
Articles of archaeological and historical importance have always been of immense interest and attraction for the common man throughout the world. There are museums in other countries, like the Crown Jewels in london.
In case the rare artifacts, like the reclining gold idol of lord Vishnu or centuries-old gold coins are showcased, it will certainly attract hundreds of tourists from across the world, which in turn will give a big big boost to the tourism industry of the State. Also, the revenue collected from the tourists will help in maintenaning this world-famous temple that presently neither the State nor the Centre is in a position to afford.