Indian Temple’s Treasure Estimated at $24 BN & Counting
July 06, 11
 The Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple in Kerala hid billions worth of gold and jewelry Photo: Shahoo |
The temple’s six vaults, some of which have been sealed for hundreds of years, are being opened and inventoried by a team appointed by
The inventory is a result of court proceedings to determine who should control of the Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple in Thiruvananthapuram, capital of the southern Indian state of Kerala.
Control is now vested with the descendants of the former Maharajah, but a petition has alleged mismanagement and the court will decide whether the state should take over.
Valuation is difficult as apart from the intrinsic value of the items at current prices, all the items unearthed also have a very high historic value.
While authorities have refused to divulge details until the inventory is complete, it was reported in the media that the treasures unearthed include hundreds of kilos of gold coins issued by the erstwhile kingdom of Travancore, the British East India Company, the erstwhile princely state of Venice, Mysore and even some of Australian origin; a four-foot-tall gold statue studded with emeralds; jewel encrusted crowns and 15-foot-long gold necklaces.
Kerala has been a spice-trading centre for millennia and P.J. Cherian, director of the Kerala Council for Historic Research, observed, "Traders, who used to come from other parts of the country and abroad for buying spices and other commodities, used to make handsome offerings to the deity, not only for his blessings but also to please the then rulers.”
The final vault, protected by an iron wall, is currently in the process of being opened.