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Legend And History

The origin histories of the Temple of Sree Padmanabhaswamy, known to the most of the rest of India as “Ananthasayanam”, are lost in antiquity. It is not possible to determine with any exactitude, from any reliable historical documents or other sources that when and by whom the original idol of Sree Padmanabhaswamy was set up at this location. Some well known scholars, writers and historians, like the Late Dr. L.A.Ravi Varma of Travancore, have expressed the view that this Temple was established on the first day of Kali Yuga (which is over 5000 years ago). The story of the Temple are handed down through the centuries in the form of legends. One such legend which finds a place in the old palm leaf records of the Temple, as also in the famous grantha entitled “Ananthasayana Mahatmya”, mentions that it was set up by a Tulu Brahmin hermit named Divakaramuni on the 950th day of Kali Yuga.

The story as narrated in the Ananthasayana Mahatmya goes as follows.

Divakara muni wasa great Vishnu Bhaktha ans was at that time doing penance and in deep tapas in ‘Aatharta’ Desa. One day Maha Vishnu appeared before the sage in the form of a lively and beautiful 2-year old boy without revealing his real identity. The sanyasi wasvery much taken up with the charms of the child and because of the affection he involuntarily felt for him, he prevailed upon the god-child to stay with him. The child made one condition that the sanyasi should treat him with respect at all times and at any time he fails he fails to do so he (the child) would go away that very moment. This was accepted and so the child stays with him. The hermit gave him a great deal of loving care and tolerated the childish pranks of the little boy. One day, when the sanyasi was in deep meditation at his prayers, the chills took the ‘salagram’ which the sanyasi was using for worship and put it into his mouth and made such a nuisance of himself that Divakara Mini was greatly angered and could tolerate it no further. He thereupon chastised the child. In accordance with the earlier agreement, immediately the child ran away and disappeared from the spot. While going he said, “If you wish to see me again, you will find me again in Ananthankaadu”. It was only then that Divakara Muni realized who his erstwhile child guest had been. The hermit was stricken with inconsolable grief and for many days followed what, he believed was the route taken by the child foregoing food, rest and sleep in the process. Finally he reached a wooded area near the sea coast and then caught a glimpse of the Child disappearing into a huge ‘Ilappa’ tree standing nearby. Immediately that tree fell into the ground and it assumed that shape of recumbent Sree Maha Vishnu. That divine form had its head at ‘Thiruvallam’ (a place about 3 miles distant from the Fort, at where the Temple of Sree Padmanabhaswamy situates) and its feet at ‘Trippapur’ (5 miles away in the opposite direction). Overawed by the majesty and the size of the divine form, which thus manifested itself before him, the sanyasi prayed that the Lord condense himself in size so that it would become possible for him to contain the divine presentation within his limited field of vision. Thereupon the image of Bhagwan Vishnu shrank to a size, three times of the length of the sanyasy’s ‘Yoga dand’. Immensely gratified that his prayers had been granted, he made whatever offerings he could and conducted pooja to that wooden image. The lord havind been pleased ordained that from then onwards, poojas to Him at that place should be conducted by Tulu Brahmins from the same part of the country as Divakara Mini himself hailed. To this day half the number of ‘poojaris’ (priests) in this Temple continue to be drawn from the Tulu country.

Another generally accepted version about the origin of the Temple relates it to the famous sanyasi Vilvmangalathu Swamiyar, whose name is linked with the histories of several temples in Southern India. This swamiyar hailed from the Namboothiri Brahmin community and was a very dedicated Vishnu bhaktha. The legend that connects him with this Temple of Sree Padmanabhaswamy is in detail almost identical with the Divakara Muni tale related above. It is said that, when Sree Maha Vishnu presented himself in the “Ananthasayana” rupa (model) before the sage at Ananthankaadu, the latter had nothing worthwhile to offer him. From a mango tree standing nearby he plucked a few unripe fruits and put them into an empty coconut shell lying thereabout and in all humility offered it as ‘nivedyam’ to the Lord. Even today one of the pooja vessels in use in the temple for he offerings of nivedyams to the presiding deity consists of a gold encased half-coconut shell and one of the important items of nivedyam in vogue from time immemorial is unripe whole mangoes pickled in brine. It has also been the practice in the Temple during the past several centuries for the morning ‘pushpanjaly’ pooja is to be conducted by a Namboothiri Brahmin sanyasi (designated pushpanjaly Swamiyar) specially commissioned for this purpose.

These traditional customs coupled with the fact that the Pushpanjaly swamiyar holds a position of importance in the ‘Ettara Yogam’ (a committee which, at one time in the distant past, was the governing body of the Temple but has, over the years, become a ceremonial and advisory panel) lend substance and some measure of credence to the theory that this Temple was founded by Vilvamangalathu Swamiyar. On the other hand the claim of the Divakara Muni story can only be substantiated by the presence, among the accredited poojaris, of a large number of Tulu Brahmins.However, it is noteworthy that at no time did this community have a place in the ‘Ettara Yogam’. Besides being presented on the ‘Yogam’, the Namboothiri Brahmins also have a position of eminence in the rituals and ceremonies of the temple in that the Tantris(Main priests) have always been drawn from this community. It is also believed that the small Sree Krishna swamy temple, located near the
Western Swamiyar Madam (Official residence of one of the two pushpanjaly Swamiyars of the Temple) has been built over the Samadhi of Vilvamangalathu Swamiyar.

Some historians and researchists hold the view that the Thiruvambadi shrine of Sree Krishnaswamy, which is a separate temple located within the main temple walls, is older than the shrine of Sree Padmanabhaswamy. According to legend the shrines consecrated to Sree Narasimhaswamy and Sree Sastha, which are located inside the temple walls, were established at various times after the main shrine of Sree Padmanabhaswamy came into being. There is mention in the ‘Bhagavatha Purana’ (canto 10, chapter 79) that Sree Bala Rama visited “Spanandoorapuram” in the course of his pilgrimage and the belief is that this refers to the shrine of “Ananthasayanam” in “Thiru Ananthapuram”. Similarly in the ‘Brahmanda Purana’ also there is a reference to “Syanandoorapura”. All these lend considerable weight to the wide spread belief that this Temple is of great age and has been held in veneration over the centuries as an important shrine of Sree Maha Vishnu. The compositions of Nammalvar, the great Vaishnavite saint in praise of Sree Maha Vishnu, prove beyond doubt that this Temple existed in the fifth century of this era.Records indicate that from very early days the management of the Temple ws in the hands of a local committee called the ‘Ettara Yogam’ mentioned earlier. Old palm leaf records also show that the foundations for the first properly constructed Temple buildings were laid by the saint and ruler named Cheraman Perumal. He is also credited with having commissioned various persons to attend to the multifarious duties connected with the rituals, ceremonials and general administration of the Temple. Very many years later, about the year 1050A.D., the Temple was reconstructed and the management re-organized by the then ruler.

The next important recorded events relate to the period 1335 A.D. to 1384 A.D. when Travancore (as known then) was ruled by a powerful and wise king named Veera Marthanda Varma. He gradually established his authority completely over the management and administration of the Temple. There are records to indicate that in the year 1375 A.D. the Alpasi Utsavam (alpasi festival, one of the two important half yearly 10 days festivals which take place regularly even these days) was conducted in the Temple. Some of the important events relating to the Temple which took place after the demise of this Ruler until 1729 A.D. are given below.


Between 1459 A.D. and 1460 A.D. the idol of Sree Padmanabhaswamy was removed to a ‘Balalaya’ for the purpose of re-construction of the roof of the sanctum sanctorum.
About the middle of 1461 A.D. after the reconstruction, the idol was re installed in the old location and an Ottakkal Mandapam (Single granite stone slab abutting from the sanctum sanctorum) was put up.
In 1566 A.D. the foundations was laid for the Gopuram (pagoda) over the main eastern entrance.
In 1686 A.D. there was a serious fire resulting in the total destruction of the entire temple building, structures and fittings with the exception of the main idol. Work on the re-construction of the Temple wasstarted only in 1724.
In 1728 A.D. propitiatory ceremonies, connected with the serious fire of 1686, were conducted.

It was in the year 1729 that the great ruler Marthanda Varma became the king of Travancore. He made plans for reconstructing the Temple and in 1729 put the work under way. In 1730 the idol was again moved to ‘balalaya’ preparatory to the renovation and reconstruction of the sanctum sanctorum. In the end of the next year the work completed. The old wooden idol was replaced with a new one fashioned out of 12000 ‘salagrams’ moulded into shape with a particular kind of mortar made of ‘kadusharkara’. This is the idol which is even today worshipped and seen in the sanctum sanctorum and to which all poojas are offered. The Mandapam in front of the idol was re-built with one single slab of granite which is two and a half feet thick and twenty feet square.
It was during this Ruler’s time that most of what is seen today within the walls of the temple was constructed. It is on record that daily 4000 stone artisans, 6000 labourers and 100 elephants worked for a period of 6 months to finish the construction of the sreebalippura (corridor). This magnificent rectangular corridor built of stone surrounds the main shrines and is meant for providing protection from the weather for the deities when taken out in ritualistic processions. The ‘Gopuram’ for which foundations had been laid in 1566, was built in this period. Similarly the ‘flag-staff’ in front of the main shrine was also erected at this time. The special Teak log was brought from the forest 30 miles away by men and elephants without touching the ground, as laid down in the sastras. The Teak pole was then covered completely with gold sheets. The renovation of the Temple tank, the Padmatheertham, including the stone flagging of the steps and its completion in the form we see it today was also undertaken during this great ruler’s time.

Deities


Sree Ananthapadmanabhaswamy
Agrashaala Ganapathi
Sree Yoga Narasimha Moorthi
Thiruvambadi Sreekrishnaswamy
Sreesastha (Sree Aathibhootha Nathan)
Kshethra Paalan
Agrashaala Ganapathi
Hanuman
Garuda
Sreerama with Seetha & Lekshmana
Vishwaksenan
Sree Veea Vyasar & Ashwathama

Attractions

Ottakkal Mandapam

The Ottakkal mandapam in the Sreepadmanabha swamy temple is a striking feature. The Mandapam is in front of the idol of Sreepadmanabhaswamy. This structure is built with one single slab of granite which is two and a half feet thick and twenty feet square. The abhishekams to Sreepadmanabhaswamy are performed in this mandapam. The pillars in this mandapam are covered with gold sheets.

Abhisheka Mandapam

This structure is in front of the Ottakkal Mandapam. This is the mandapam where the special poojas related with the temple festival and other special occasions are performed and the items for the poojas are get redied. Devotees can also use this mandapam for meditation and prayer.

Kulasekhara Mandapam

It is a marvelous and fantastic architectural work which is only on stone. It is also known as Aayiramkal Mandapam and Sapthaswara Mandapam. It is noted with its pillars which produces musical sounds when tapped. Inside this there are 28 big pillars around the mandapam. Of these on the pillars of the corner sides of the mandapam we can 11 pillars around itself. These small pillars can produce the musical notes and some musical instruments’ sounds when tapped. On the other pillars we can see some statues. On the top side of the walls the Ramayanam story is depicted. Also we can see a bell and chain in the middle of the mandapam which is made on stone. Restricted entry is allowed.

The Golden flag-staff (Dwaja Stambham)

An eighty feet height flag-staff stands in front of the main temple. The special Teak log was brought from the forest 30 miles away by men and elephants without touching the ground, as laid down in the sastras. The Teak pole was then covered completely with gold sheets. On the top of the flag-staff there is a statue of Garuda.

Gopuram

The temple has a seven storeyed gopuram. It situates on the main east entrance of the temple facing the east. It is a fine example of South Indian architecture. It has about 35 meters height. Standing on the top we can see the places around it. On the top of the gopuram we can see 7 domes of gold which is lined and glitter brightly in day light. The 10 incarnations of Lord Vishnu are displayed inside the first storey of the gopuram. Restricted entry is allowed.

The Sreebalippura (Corridor)

The temple has a sreebalippura. This magnificent rectangular corridor built of stone surrounds the main shrines and is meant for providing protection from the weather for the deities when taken out in ritualistic processions. It is a marvelous architecture on stones. It is on record that daily 4000 stone artisans, 6000 labourers and 100 elephants worked for a period of 6 months to finish the construction of the sreebalippura (corridor). Around the sreebaippura we can see 365 and a one quarter pillars with attractive carvings. Each pillars are made on a single stone.

Padma Theertham

The padmatheertham pond is located on the eastern side of the temple. This is the temple tank and is one of the oldest water bodies in the city of Thiruvananthapuram. Restricted entry is allowed for the devotees.

The Dravidian Style

Padmanabhaswamy temple is the only major specimen of the Dravidian style of architecture found in the State of Kerala.

Temple Architecture

Sri Padmanabhaswamy Temple is renowned for its sculptural beauty. With the ancient work of art in stone and bronze, the mural paintings and wood carvings, this ancient temple is a fine specimen of the Dravidian style of architecture. Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple stands majestically beside the holy tank, named Padma Theertham (meaning the lotus spring). The tower at the entrance is a seven-storey and about 35 meter (100 foot) in height. Decked with beautiful stone carvings, this tower is constructed in South Indian architecture. There is an eighty-foot flag post (Dhwaja stambha) in front of the temple which is covered with gold plated copper sheets.

Sree Anantha Padmanabhaswamy Temple has some interesting features such as the Bali Peeda Mandapam and Mukha Mandapam. These halls are decorated with beautiful sculptures of various Hindu deities. Another notable part is the Navagraha Mandapa whose ceiling displays the Navagrahas.

Broad Corridor with 365 and 1/4 Sculptured Granite Stone Pillars

Extending from the eastern side into the sanctum sanctorum is a broad corridor which has 365 and one-quarter sculptured granite-stone pillars with beautiful carvings. The remarkable touch of the artisans is felt in a piece of carving which has the figure of an elephant on one side and that of a bull on the other. It is notable that the horns of the bull look like the tusks of the elephant when seen from the other side and the trunk of the elephant seems like the hump for the bull.

There is a ground floor under the gopuram (main entrance in the eastern side) which is known as the 'Nataka Sala'. Here the famous temple art of Kerala, the Kathakali, was staged in the night during the annual ten-day Padmanabhaswamy Temple Festival (Uthsavam), held during the Malayalam months of Meenam and Thulam.

Temple Timings

Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple opens daily at 03:30 AM and closes at 07:20 PM. However, there are specific timings for darshan.

Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple Darshan Timings in Morning

03:30 AM to 04:45 AM
06:30 AM to 07:00 AM
8.30 AM to 10:00 AM
10:30 AM to 11:00 AM
11:45 AM to 12:00 PM

Evening Darshan Timings of Sri Padmanabha Swamy Temple

05:00 PM to 06:15 PM
06:45 PM to 07:20 PM

Please note that the temple worship timings are subject to change during festival occasion.

Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple Dress Code

Only Hindus are permitted inside the temple. And dress codes are to be strictly followed before entering the temple. Men should wear 'Mundu' or 'Dhoti' while visiting the temple. They also have to remove shirt or t-shirt above waist. Women have to wear Sari (Saree), Mundum Neriyathum (set-mundu), Skirt and Blouse, or Half Sari. This means no pants for men or churidhar for women is allowed inside the temple.

Dhotis are available for rent near temple locker room. Nowadays temple authorities allow to wear Dhotis over pants or churidhar for the convenience of devotees. The locker room near the temple main entrance offers Dhotis for rent. Cell Phones, Cameras, or any other Electronic Equipments are not allowed to be used inside the temple.

Pooja Details

Here are the details of Poojas that can be performed by devotees at Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Thiruvananthapuram.

General Archanas

Astothara Archana
Sahasranama Archana
Veeda Manthrarchana
Santhanagopala Archana
Vidhya Rahagopala Archana
Swayamvara Archana
Dhanwanthari Archana
Sudarshana Archana
Lekshminarayana Archana

Sooktam Archanas - Suktham

Purusha Sooktam
Bhoo Sooktha
Purusha Sooktam
Sree Sooktham
Bhaghya Sooktham
Aikyamathya Sooktham
Narayana Sooktham
Samvatha Sooktham

Abhishekams and Offerings

Aval (Sree Krishna Swamy)
Aravana
Panchamritham
Thrimadhuram
Unniyappam (Unni Appam)
Modakam (for Sree Ganapathi)
Paal Payasam
Ghee Payasama
Sharkara Payasam
Pongal
Ottayada
Idichu Pizhinja Payasam
Milk Abhishekam
Nei Vilakku
Vada Mala (Sree Hanuman Swamy)

Offerings

Here rice is offered to the Lord in coconut shell. Paal Payasam (Milk Kheer), Unni Appam and Aval with sugar are the other main offerings to Lord Padmanabhaswamy.

Muzhukkappu
Valiyalangaram
Panchamrutham
Ksheerabhishekam
Neivilakku
Aravana
Unniyappam
Pongal
Ponnum seeveli
Thulabharam


The idol of Lord Narasimha is offered with Panakam during Thursdays.

Aval Nivedyam is the main offering to Thiruvambadi Lord Krishna.

How to Reach

Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple can easily be accessed by road being its ideal location near the City Bus Station in East Fort, Thiruvananthapuram. The inter-state highway, National Highway 47 (NH 47) connects Thiruvananthapuram to all major cities and nearby states including Kollam, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Nagercoil, Coimbatore, Kanyakumari, Chennai, Hyderabad and Bangalore.

Thiruvananthapuram Central Railway Station is the nearest railway station, just 1 km away from Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple. Thiruvananthapuram Central Railway Station is one of the major railway stations in Kerala, managed by Southern Railways.

Thiruvananthapuram International Airport, around 4 km from the city center, is the nearest airport.

Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temple, Thiruvananthapuram, the richest Temple/Relegious Centre in the World.

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Treasure likely to cross Rs. 5 lakh crore,:nuts: says (?) CP Nair

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Flow of Devotees to Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple,Trivandrum

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The erstwhile royal family of Travanacore, which maintains the temple, believes that opening chamber B would be a bad omen.

A royal family source said that many legends were attached to the temple and that chamber B has a model of a snake on the main door.

"This is a clear indication that the door should not be opened because opening it might be a bad omen. I don't think the team can open it because there is a lot of faith attached to the temple," said the source.

Click here (http://www.asianage.com/india/legend-halts-kerala-temple-stocktaking-150)to read the Full Article .
From TV9 Kannada News

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OPENING OF CHAMBER-'B', THE 6 th SECRET VAULT IN SRI PADMANABHA SWAMI TEMPLE IS HIGHLY DANGEROUS & CATASTROPHIC TO MANKIND : On the behest of the Supreme Court of India the seven member committee in the presence of the Head Trustee of Travancore Trust of Sri Anantha Padmanabha Swamy Temple at Thiruvananthapuram in South Indian state of Kerala have opened the six secret vaults under 20 feet of the ground have discovered approximately $ 22 billion worth of highly valuable golden, diamond jewellery, golden utencils, weapons, Golden idols, golden elephants idols and diamond necklaces having 500 kilograms weight and 18 feet length and bags full of golden coins of different nations, including Nepolian and Italian coins in the last one week. With this Sri Anantha Padmanabha Swamy of Thiruvnanthapuram has emerged the richest God on the earth. And this world is looking at the opulence of this God with the mouths opened in a great shock and surprise.

'GARUDA MANTRA' ONLY CAN EXTRICATE THE 'NAGA BANDHAM' OF SECRET CHAMBER --B. Now the time has come to unveil the highly mysterious Chamber- 'B' the sixth vault in the underground of the Sri Anantha Padmanabha Swamy Temple, for which the Supreme Court of India has not yet given consent to the seven member search committee headed by former Kerala High Court Judge C.S.Rajan. This chamber is being considered by the Trust members and other learned Astrologers of India, as highly mysterious, sacred and risky and dangerous to unveil it. Because the steel door of the Chamber-B is having two big Cobra portraits on it, and this door have no nuts, bolts or other latches. It is considered to be fixed to the secret chamber with the 'Naga bandham' or 'Naga paasam' 'Mantras' by the then 'siddha purashas' lived during the reign of King Marthandavarma of 16th century. A door of such secret vault can be opened by a highly erudite 'Sadhus' or 'Mantrikas' who are having the knowledge of extricating 'Naga Bandham' or 'Naga Pasam' by chanting 'Garuda Mantra'. Except in that way, the door can not be opened by any means by anyone. At present no where in India or in the world such highly sacred and powerful 'Siddhapurshas' or 'Yogis' or 'Mantrikas' who does know how to execute highly sacred 'Garuda mantra' are existing.

If any human attempts are made with man-made technology to open the mysterious Chamber-B other than by chanting highly sacred and powerful 'Garuda Mantras' by a highly sacred 'Sadhus' or 'Mantrikas', catastrophes are likely to occur in and around the Temple premises or through out the India or through out the world according to vedic astrologers of India, who also revealed their inability to open the door by chanting the secret 'Garuda Mantra'. If 'Garuda Mantra' is chanted by any powerful 'Sadhu' or 'Yogi' or 'Mantrika' the door would gets automatically opened and no human efforts are needed to open it in other way.

Several assumptions are in air, that the opening of mysterious 'Chamber-B' could release poisonous chemical fumes, or it could lead to some secret and mysterious place, or a mind-boggling treasure could be found inside guarded by several Cobra species snakes or some other mysterious powers living inside could smash down the persons who tried to open the door or opened the door with man-made technology. Usually anywhere in the world, where ever there are 'treasure troves' are found, we also find 'cobras' or other snakes guarding around such treasures. It is also said that this Chamber could lead to the nearby Indian Ocean through a tunnel.

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The Supreme Court on Friday restrained the seven-member committee from opening vaults of the Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Thiruvananthapuram, which according to various estimates contains wealth worth over Rs. 1 lakh crore.

A bench of justices R.V. Raveendran and A.K. Patnaik asked the petitioner Raja Marthanda Varma, erstwhile Prince of Travancore, and the Kerala government to come out with appropriate suggestions for ensuring sanctity and security of the ancient temple which has come to the limelight following discovery of the huge wealth.

The apex court while restraining the opening of vault (B) and also the vault (A) posted the matter for further hearing on next Thursday.[/B]

During the arguments, senior counsel K.K. Venogopal, appearing for the erstwhile prince, clarified that the temple was a public property and no member of the royal family claims any ownership or right over the huge property.

“The royal family is not claiming any ownership. It is a public temple. It is not claiming any ownership of property.

No part of it belongs to any member of the family. The property belongs to Lord Padmanabhaswamy,” he told the bench.

The royal family which is the trustee of the temple has challenged the Kerala government’s decision to take over the administration of the temple which was earlier upheld by the Kerala High Court.

During today’s arguments, the bench observed that utmost security should be ensured in and around the temple in view of the discovery of the huge wealth.

Emphasising on security measures, the bench observed, “Instead of having their eyes on the deity or sanctum sanctorum, the eyes of many people will now be on these kallara (vaults).”

Counsel Venugopal also clarified that the value of the treasure reportedly discovered from the temple was not authentic as they were mere media speculations.

“So they were valuation by the media. They are newspaper valuations,” the bench remarked.

The apex court, during the last hearing on July 6, had directed videography of the ongoing unearthing of treasure trove inside the chambers of the temple.

The bench had proposed the appointment of a curator of a museum to preserve the treasure being unearthed from the centuries-old temple in Kerala.

The treasures found from cellars of the temple are estimated to be around Rs 1 lakh crore.

The apex court’s directions had come during the hearing of a petition by the heir of erstwhile prince of Travancore Raja Rama Varma, challenging a Kerala High Court ruling of January 31 this year, ordering takeover of the assets and management of the shrine by the state.

The court had also barred the observer, supervising the unearthing of the temple’s treasure, from giving any interview of the process, saying the matter is related to the state.

The apex court had earlier passed an interim order on a plea filed by Rama Varma’s uncle Marthanda Varma staying the high court’s order for takeover of the management and assets of the temple.

While hearing the petition, the court had directed that “there shall be a detailed inventory of the articles, valuables and ornaments found from the temple’s treasure trove.”

Source (http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article2210758.ece)

The Deseeya Aikya Vedi has asked the Centre to take steps at all costs to preserve and protect the valuables found in the vaults of the Sree Padmanabhswamy Temple.

In a memorandum sent to the Prime Minister with copy to the Union Finance Minister on Thursday, Vedi president Vellaikadavu G. Muraleedharan and general secretary C. Anidurdhan said the threat to the centuries-old heritage structure had to be seriously considered and any possible terrorist attack had to be thwarted. The metal detectors at the entry and exit alone would not help. They wanted arrangements to be made for a full video coverage of devotees visiting the temple. They also called for clearing the vicinity of the temple of shops and unauthorised traders.

Source (http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Thiruvananthapuram/article2210381.ece)

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Seventy-nine years ago, long before the latest discovery of phenomenal treasures in the Sree Padmanabhaswami Temple in Thiruvananthapuram, at least one of the several vaults of the temple had been opened and an inventory made of the precious objects found inside. The Hindu's correspondent, who witnessed the events, filed reports describing the scene and the finds.

On Sunday, December 6, 1931, around 10 a.m., at an auspicious time chosen by the temple officials, one of the vaults was opened. Following special religious rites, "the key was applied to the old and rusty locks." Sree Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma, the Maharaja, himself was at hand. An ambulance waited outside to attend to any emergency. The locks failed to yield, and the doors were broken open after a two-and-a-half-hour struggle.

Floodlights and torches were used to light up the space inside, and electrical fans were switched on to ‘pump air in and out' of the cellar. The temple officials found four chests made of brass which contained old coins. Next to them was “a granary like thing,” full of gold and silver coins. Over that there were several gold pots. There was a wooden chest fixed to the ground, and it had six chambers. In it were jewels with diamonds, rubies, emerald and other precious stones. In addition, there were over 300 gold pots and four vancheds, or coffers.

The officials who got into the first cellar found that another one was behind it. It was believed, The Hindu report mentioned, that in all there were four cellars: Mahabarathakonathu kallara, Sree Pandarathu kallara, Vedavyanakonathu kallara and Sarswathikonathu kallara.

By 3.30 p.m., the operation was stopped and the vault sealed. The four vancheds were taken to the Chellavagai, or palace treasury, “for counting and valuation.” It is not clear from the reports if any of the remaining cellars were opened in the following days. The reasons for opening the vaults too were not elaborated.

However, Emily Gilchrist Hatch, who was in Trivandrum in 1933, offered an explanation in her book, Travancore: A guide book for the visitor (Oxford University Press, 1933). She not only recalled the 1931 opening of the vault, but also mentioned a similar but unsuccessful attempt that had been made in 1908.

Ms. Hatch, who in the preface to her book profusely thanked the Travancore government for all the “help and counsel” extended to her, recorded that the temple had a vast amount of wealth ‘lain in vaults.'

“About 25 years ago,” she wrote, “when the State needed additional money, it was thought expedient to open these chests and use the wealth they contained.” “A group of people” got together and attempted to enter the vaults with torches. When they found them “infested with cobras” they “fled for their lives.”

However, in 1931 the temple officials were better prepared with “electric lights and system of fans,” she observed.

The 1930s were difficult times. The princely state Travancore, like the rest of India, was facing an economic depression. Revenues had fallen and the prices of agricultural produce had come down. It was in these difficult times that Sree Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma was invested with ruling powers, T. Austin, an Englishman, succeeded Subrahmanya Aiyar as Dewan, and C.P. Ramaswami Aiyar was appointed legal and constitutional adviser to the Travancore government.

However, in 1932, when the Dewan recalled the important events of the preceding year in his annual address to the Sri Mulam Popular Assembly, one of the two legislatures in Travancore then, there was no mention of any treasure being taken from the temple or used.

Ms. Hatch's book provided a description of how large wooden chests were placed “ready to receive the daily offerings.” She mentioned that as and when the chests became full they were lowered into the vaults for safe-keeping. This may partially explain how votive offerings like gold coins reached the vaults. But the description does not throw much light on how large artefacts such as the golden icon that was recently discovered reached the vaults.

Indeed, how such vast amounts of wealth and innumerable artefacts accumulated in the vaults, and remained safe without apparent pilferage for such a long period, remains a puzzle.

Source (http://www.thehindu.com/news/states/kerala/article2201786.ece)

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The awe-inspiring riches of Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temple have triggered a new wave of colonial invasion.

The New York Times, Washington Post, The Time Magazine, Newsweek, BBC and Deutsche Welle (Germany) are among other leading international dailies and TV channels which have sent their representatives to the state capital to cover the treasure hunt.

'Beneath a Temple in Southern India, a Treasure Trove of Staggering Riches,' was how The New York Times reported about the most surprising treasure hunt at the temple.

"Temples in India often have rich endowments, mainly by way of donations of gold and cash by pilgrims and wealthy patrons, but the wealth discovered at Padmanabha Swamy (Temple) dwarfs the known assets of every other Indian temple," says the report published in The New York Times.

The Time magazine has decided to go for an extensive coverage of the treasure hunt for which the task has been entrusted with Ishaan Tharoor, son of Shashi Tharoor MP who is representing Thiruvananthapuram in the Lok Sabha. Ishaan, who is based in New York and is with the editorial team of the magazine, has started working on a feature on the treasure hunt.

The German media, too, has evinced interest in the treasure hunt. Already two correspondents, one from a television channel (Deutsche Welle) and another from a leading magazine (Der Spiegel) have visited the state capital to cover the most soughtafter treasure trove at the Sree Padmanabha Swamy temple. "The thousands of necklaces, coins and precious stones have been kept in at least five underground vaults at the Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temple which is renowned for its intricate sculptures," was how the Pakistanbased 'Dawn' newspaper reported. "Onlookers and devotees thronged the shrine in the bustling centre of Thiruvananthapuram, the capital of India's southern Kerala state, as officials said treasure worth more than $20 billion had been found more than India's education budget,"was how the Reuters reported the event.

However, the CNN treated the treasure hunt from a different perspective. "Jetsetting spiritual gurus. Gilded temples. Sprawling ashrams. Tonnes of offerings. India's religious wealth belies the nation's dire poverty," said the CNN report.

Source (http://expressbuzz.com/states/kerala/kerala-temple-comes-under-global-media-spotlight/292022.html)

From New York Times (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/05/world/asia/05india.html)

From Reuters (http://uk.reuters.com/article/2011/07/04/us-india-temple-treasure-idUKTRE7631PN20110704)

From Dawn (http://www.dawn.com/2011/07/03/treasure-found-in-indian-temple.html)

From CNN (http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/07/05/india.temple.wealth/index.html)

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Image Courtesy : Metro Manorama

The Supreme Court restrained the seven-member committee from opening vaults of the Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Thiruvananthapuram.A bench of justices R.V Raveendran and A.K Patnaik asked the petitioner Raja Marthanda Varma, erstwhile Prince of Travancore, and the Kerala Government to come out with appropriate suggestions for ensuring sanctity and security of the Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temple which has come to the limelight following discovery of the huge wealth.

From NewsX

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From News24

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From Times Now

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From TV9 Telugu

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From Kairali TV

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^^ good tht u started a new one ajithetta

the tv9 clip is nonsense, worst channel i ve ever seen.
its funny, for wat they ve told in it... nammal thironthorathukkar kettittillatha padmanabha charitham okke aanu avar parayunnathu :P
last day one of my frenz from blore also called hearing this...LOL

^^
Yes.I know that.Especially the TV9 Kannada.Some Telugu channels are frustrated about the new happenings.The reason is well known.:)

When a team of unlikely explorers, including former judges and temple officials, started opening the vaults of a Kerala temple last week, they didn’t expect to find gold and precious stones worth $22 billion, according to preliminary estimates. A complete inventory of the artifacts found in the 16th century Hindu temple is expected to be filed to India’s Supreme Court next week.With the findings, Kerala’s Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple joins the ranks of the world’s top treasure troves. After eluding explorers and archeologists for years, these were found stashed in hidden vaults, secret chambers and caves.
Source : Wall Street Journal (http://blogs.wsj.com/indiarealtime/2011/07/06/the-worlds-top-five-treasure-troves/)

^^ good tht u started a new one ajithetta

the tv9 clip is nonsense, worst channel i ve ever seen.
its funny, for wat they ve told in it... nammal thironthorathukkar kettittillatha padmanabha charitham okke aanu avar parayunnathu :P
last day one of my frenz from blore also called hearing this...LOL

You know there was a Taking point @ 9.pm in Ajtab Channel where there is no person from kerala in the Talk & All People were north indians & They Were Actually Fighting in the Topic "Treasure to be protected or it should be sold"

Chumma Vaye Toniyathu Vilichu Parayayannu! Evanonum vera Pani Ellae
Atleast they can call Shasi Annan To talk na!

^^
He was there in NDTV.:)

I think that these people should have shown some more creativity. They could have filmed all this from beginning and created a very nice documentary which could have easily sold for $50 million to NGC or Discovery. After all such things happen only once in a while.

That money alone would have helped them build many things in the temple.

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Malayala Manorama

The head of the erstwhile royal family of Travancore, Uthradom Thirunal Marthanda Varma, on Friday informed the Supreme Court that neither he nor any of his family members was making any claim to the wealth or properties of the Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple in Thiruvananthapuram.

Senior counsel K.K. Venugopal, appearing for him, made this submission before a Bench of Justice R.V. Raveendran and Justice A.K. Patnaik, hearing special leave petitions against a Kerala High Court order for a government takeover of the administration of the temple.

Referring to the substantial quantity of valuable jewels and other artefacts found in the underground ‘kallaras' (safe vaults) of the temple in recent days as a court-appointed panel started opening them and making an inventory of their contents, Mr. Venugopal said: “The royal family is not claiming any ownership. No part of the property belongs to any member of the family. The Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple is a public temple and they are only trustees.”

Mr. Venugopal added: “The head of the Travancore family, Mr. Marthanda Varma, believed that the treasure should be used judiciously for religious and social uplift, running veda patasalas and maintenance of other Hindu temples which are not in good condition. The unique artefacts made as offerings to the deity show to what extent people are prepared to part with their wealth for the sake of God.”

Counsel said: “Newspapers and the media say that the value of the treasure is over Rs. 1 lakh crore and this is the richest temple in the world, even richer than the Vatican, but the intrinsic value of precious jewellery and copper coins must be assessed by an expert.”

Justice Raveendran, in a lighter vein, said: “By saying this is the richest temple in the world, you are defaming Lord Balaji of the Tirupati temple because it is always considered the richest temple.”

When Justice Raveendran said that “we are concerned with preservation and conservation of the property and not its valuation,” Mr. Venugopal said: “The value must be known, perhaps for using the proceeds for religious or social benefits. They cannot be allowed to lie in the kallaras. The artefacts may be kept in a museum independent of the temple.”

Justice Raveendran told counsel: “We are concerned in preserving the temple tradition and its sanctity. In the name of videography somebody should not go inside the temple sanctum sanctorum. When people know that these jewellery or artefacts are in the kallaras, instead of looking at the deity, they will be looking only at the kallaras and the focus will shift from God to [the] kallaras.”

The Bench, therefore, asked Mr. Varma and the State of Kerala to give suggestions on how the artefacts could be preserved and protected without affecting the temple tradition.

The Bench directed that until further orders, the opening of Kallara ‘B' should be postponed. Kallara ‘A', already opened, need not be re-opened for the present.

The Bench posted the matter for further hearing on July 14.

Source (http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article2210758.ece?homepage=true)

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NO EXCEPTION: A policeman, in a specially designed uniform, gets ready to enter Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Thiruvananthapuram on Friday. Trousers and shirts are not allowed to be worn in the temple.


Source : The Hindu

What do we know about the Indian kings who presided over the Kerala temple where an extraordinary treasure trove (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-13994351) has reportedly been found?

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Precious stones, gold and silver are among valuables said to have been found at the temple

The royal family of India's erstwhile southern kingdom of Travancore has a long history of resistance. A year before independence in 1947, the kingdom - one of more than 500 princely states - raised the banner of revolt and demanded freedom for itself.

"Travancore will become an independent country," a feisty representative said in 1946. "There was no particular reason why we should be in a worse position than Denmark, Switzerland and Siam." It was no empty talk from a proud dynasty. They downed a Dutch fleet in 1741, a rare example of an Asian state inflicting a naval defeat on a European power.

But finally, under immense pressure, the kingdom relented and joined India. One of the things the family was allowed to retain was its magnificent 16th Century Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple (http://www.sreepadmanabhaswamytemple.com/).

Wild speculation

So, many are not surprised that existing members of the former royal family contested a petition of a devotee in the Supreme Court seeking a state takeover of the showpiece temple on the grounds that its controllers were incapable of protecting its riches. India's highest court ordered a count of the temple's wealth - and this has triggered off a tsunami of wild speculation.

The media is awash with wildly speculative reports about the treasures buried in the temple's six underground vaults. They talk about "very old gold chains, diamonds and precious stones which cannot be valued in terms of money".

One report talks of 450 golden pots, 2,000 rubies and jewel-studded crowns, 400 gold chairs and the statue of a deity studded with 1,000 diamonds. Apparently, all this amounted to 65 "treasure sacks" which could be worth some $20bn - more than India's annual education budget. The truth is that all of this is speculation, and the people who were sent to value the riches have been told to submit the inventory and its value to the court.

Still, it is reasonably clear that like many thriving temples in India, the Sree Padmanabhaswamy in Kerala's capital Trivandrum contains considerable wealth. These are proceeds from what one historian calls "taxes, gifts from devotees, bribes and looted wealth of conquered states". One indicator is a report from 1931 (http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article2201786.ece) when at least one vault of the temple was opened for an inventory. (Again, contrary to many reports this is not the first time the vaults of the temple have been opened.)

A bit of drama accompanied the opening of the vault then. The rusting locks were broken after a two-and-a-half hour effort and an ambulance waited outside to attend to any "emergency". Floodlights and torches lit up the place, and fans pumped air into the vaults. Officials found "four chests made of brass which contained old coins"; a "granary-like thing" full of gold and silver coins; gold pots; and a six-chamber wooden chest full of diamonds, rubies, emeralds and other precious stones. They also found more than 300 gold pots. The 1931 report talks about four such cellars.

In 1933, Emily Gilchrist Hatch wrote a travel guide for Travancore. She recorded that the "temple had a vast amount of wealth lain in vaults". She wrote that 25 years earlier, temple authorities would open the vaults and use the wealth "when the state required additional money". Ms Hatch walked the thin line between fact and fiction when she wrote that a group of people tried to enter the vaults once, found it "infested with cobras" and fled. When I related this to historian friends, they laughed heartily.

Benefactor royals

Historians, like MG Sasibhooshan who has written a history of the temple, say it is no surprise that the Sree Padmanabhaswamy is a rich temple.

The Travancore ruling family follows a matrilineal tradition. So there was no dowry going out for grooms' families when the dynasty's girls got married, and money remained in the family. The dynasty was also hailed as a progressive one among India's princely states. It introduced English education in the state in the early 19th Century (the first kingdom in southern India to do so), opened the gates of all temples - including Sree Padmanabhaswamy - to the lower castes and untouchables in 1936, and abolished capital punishment in 1946. (Of course, this was reinstated after India became independent the following year.)

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The current Maharajah of Travancore has been the managing trustee of the temple


Challenged by the missionaries, the dynasty opened a number of their own schools. The kingdom paid for the education of a poor Dalit [untouchable] boy called KR Narayanan and funded his scholarship to London School of Economics. Mr Narayanan became the first Dalit president of India in 1997. In 1956, royal family members invested in an English trading company and acquired it in 1971 when the English company divested its holdings. The family's links with Britain endure - historian MG Sasibhooshan says the company still supplies pepper to Buckingham Palace.

So who does the much talked-about treasure of Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple belong to? Many argue such wealth belongs to the people now and indeed all such wealth could be used for public good.

Kerala's chief minister has said the wealth belongs to the temple, something which many historians agree with. The temple, they say, is a private family property. There are still others who believe that the wealth comes under the purview of an antiquated colonial law called the Indian Treasure Trove Act, dating back to 1878 (http://asi.nic.in/pdf_data/9.pdf), which says that when any treasure "exceeding in amount of value 10 rupees is found", the finder should inform the authorities, who in turn would try to trace its owners. So will the erstwhile rulers of Travancore retain their treasure they believe rightfully belongs to them?

Source : BBC News (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-14063061)

The Supreme Court restrained the seven-member committee from opening vaults of the Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Thiruvananthapuram.

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Source : Kerala Kaumudi

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Source : Mathrubhumi

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Source : Metro Vaartha

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Source : Malayala Manorama

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Source : Mathrubhumi

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Source : Kerala Kaumudi

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The Padmanabhaswamy temple complex

The Padmanabhaswamy temple is suddenly the richest in the world. Who will have a say on its untold treasures?

Keep The Shine On


July 1, 1949: Princely states Travancore and Cochin merge to form a precursor to the state of Kerala. Since 1947, Padmanabhaswamy temple has been run by a trust controlled by royal family descendants
December 2009: Retired IPS officer Sundararajan files petition questioning the royal family’s rights on the shrine; demands that the temple be handed over to the government
Jan 31, 2011: Kerala High Court directs government to form a trust to take control of the temple, its assets and management
May 2, 2011: The royal family objects. Supreme Court stays HC order, appoints a seven-member panel to do an audit of the temple’s treasures
June 27, 2011: Stocktaking begins, five underground vaults yield treasure worth an estimated Rs 1 lakh crore
July 4, 2011: Attempts to open sixth and last vault, Chamber B, believed to contain the most valuable items, fail.

The quiet in the ancient precincts of the Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple is unperturbed even as a media storm brews on the outside. The fabulous wealth within its vaults or the large posse of policemen present do not deter the white mundu- or sari-clad devotees from their religious duties—they go about their prayers calmly, oblivious of the clatter of TV crews. But the treasures that are tumbling out of the six kallaras (vaults) can unnerve even the hardiest of spiritual men. One person who saw the treasure of the ante-chamber of Vault A could not stop shivering even at the end of the day.

There are bagfuls of diamonds and rubies, there are ancient gold rice trinkets and crowns, there are gold statues of Mahavishnu, there’s an 18-feet-long gold chain, a thousand other gold chains, ropes made of pure gold, staffs, golden coconut shells. There are hundreds of kilos of raasi (Kerala’s first indigenous gold coin), coins from the Napoleon era belonging to the early 19th century, Venetian gold coins called ducats from the 17th-18th century. As someone said, there seems to be more riches stuffed in the temple vaults than even stories from the Arabian Nights could conjure.

Whose treasures are these? Why were they stacked up in the temple’s vaults? “The sacks of diamonds, rubies and emeralds were probably purchased by the kings or were given as gifts by traders visiting these parts from all over the world,” says archaeologist S. Hemachandran. He says in those days precious metals and jewellery were stored in copper vessels but perhaps because of the corroding nature of copper, sacks were used to hold the gems. Shreekumar Varma, novelist and grandson of the last queen of Travancore, Sethu Lakshmi Bayi, says, “It was always known that there was much accumulated wealth in the temple but no one knew how much. There was a ritual practised formerly that before the coronation of a king, the gold would be brought out and the king would immerse himself completely in the gold and become ‘ponnuthampuran’ (golden chief) and only then would he be considered fit to be king. This ritual was put to an end by Raja Moolam Thirunal” (who reigned from 1885-1924). So far, there have been wild estimates of the value of the treasure, ranging from Rs 1,00,000 crore to even 10 times that (see box).

The temple has six vaults, A-F, of which five have been opened so far. When the first vault was opened, it was found to be practically empty. On a hunch, the members opened an ante-chamber inside, and out tumbled sacks of diamonds and rubies, tonnes of gold. Some sources say there may be more ante-chambers within the vaults. A Supreme Court-appointed seven-member panel is now tasked with the arduous exercise of inventorying the temple’s treasures.

It all began with a petition by former ips officer T.P. Sundararajan who had moved the courts to have an inventory done of the temple treasures. He now says he is happy with the net result though the methods adopted in inventorying could have been better. “The inventory taken on the basis of weight is substantially correct though not fully accurate. But I am satisfied that the treasure is being put back into the vaults and sealed,” he says.

What made Sundararajan, an IB officer during Indira Gandhi’s rule, go to the courts with his demand? Sundararajan gave up the ips when his father became blind and came to live in their ancestral home, a stone’s throw from the west nada (door) of the Padmanabhaswamy temple. He would take his father daily to the temple, and soon he too became an ardent devotee. Today, the septuagenarian spends close to eight hours in the temple, starting his day at 2.30 am. Sundararajan, like many in Thiruvananthapuram, was always aware of its treasures. Much of the ancient offerings and donations to the temple are maintained in the matilakam records (written on cadjan or palm leaves) of the temple which date back to the 14th century. Many of those records are now said to be lost while some are preserved in government archives. Sundararajan was afraid the temple trust under the control of Sree Uthradom Thirunal Marthanda Varma, younger brother of the last ruler of Travancore, did not have the wherewithal to protect the temple treasures.

After Independence, all the major temples under the control and management of the erstwhile princely states came under the control of the Travancore and Cochin devaswom boards. But, under a special covenant, the administration of Padmanabhaswamy temple continued to be with the last ruler of Travancore, Sree Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma. The Travancore Cochin Hindu Religious Institutions Act, 1950, says “the administration of Sree Padmanabhaswamy and Sree Pandaravaya properties and all other properties and funds of the said temple are vested in trust with the ruler of Travancore”. In 1971, the privy purse was abolished which took away the term ruler. Balarama Varma passed away in 1991. In 1993, a constitution bench ruled that any treaties, covenants, assurances entered into by the rulers of the erstwhile princely states and the government of India were void. “The question of the legitimacy of the royal family as the controlling trustees of the temple under Sree Uthradom Thirunal Marthanda Varma, present head of the Travancore royal family, came into play,” says Anand Padmanabhan, counsel for Sundararajan. In 2009, Sundararajan appealed to the high court and later the SC for an inventory of the temple to be duly prepared. In May this year, the apex court appointed a seven-member panel to prepare the inventory and on June 27 the first of the vaults was opened.

As the complex process of evaluating the wealth carries on, the question on everyone’s mind is: who does the treasure belong to? “It’s very significant that the vaults were locked for over a hundred years and all the wealth preserved because, unlike the kingdoms of the north, the lifestyles of the Travancore kings were simple, without any ostentation,” says Shreekumar Varma. “The kings were Padmanabhadasas...I feel the wealth belongs to the royal family. It has been administering the temple for so long without any problems...the family is devoted to the god.”

“Unlike the kingdoms of the north, Travancore’s kings led simple lives, which is perhaps why the treasures survived.”

There are all sorts of views on this; the conservative one veers towards favouring the status quo. Historian M.G. Sashibhushan, who has been following the Travancore royal family for many years, says, “The Padmanabhaswamy temple is the life and breath of the royal family. The treasure should remain with the temple and the royal family be allowed to administer the temple’s affairs.” But if it belongs to the royals, won’t they have to pay wealth tax? “Charitable institutions are exempt from wealth tax,” says chartered accountant Goda Varma Raja. “Technically, the wealth belongs to the deity. The royal family will never touch even a bit of it.” Kerala chief minister Oommen Chandy has also been quick to say the treasures will not be removed from the temple. But finally it’s the court that will decide who the treasure belongs to. Right now, the top priority for the government is to safeguard the riches. “There is a three-tier security system in place—the outside perimeter, the inner perimeter and electronic surveillance. We are factoring in all types of exigencies and have formed a quick response team too,” says additional dgp Venugopal K. Nair, who is in charge of temple security.

The next step in this fascinating story is the opening of the sixth and final vault—the mysterious kallara B. What lies inside it? The last vault has become controversial because the underground chamber is said to lie directly below the deity and it is considered the most sacred of all the vaults. The city of Thiruvananthapuram is rife with rumours that if the doors to the vault are opened, a terrible curse will befall the city, and those who open the vault will perish. Some recall the old folklore that there are deadly snakes inside ready to attack anybody who tries to get in. Another story goes that the door of this vault opens into a secret passage that runs underground, a tunnel large enough for two people to walk through, right up to Kanyakumari.

When the Supreme Court panel tried to open this vault last week, they found an iron door that did not yield to any key. A gas-cutter may now have to be used to open this door. But this method is deemed inappropriate because it will disturb the sanctity of the temple and the authorities are not willing to allow this to happen. The panel members are sure to try to open the vault again very soon. Will it yield even more riches, will it unleash a plague, what is in store for Lord Padmanabha’s city?

Source : Outlook (http://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?277576)

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Raja Ravi Varma portrait of a bejewelled Rani Bharani Thirunal Lakshmi Bayi (1848-1901)

A Travancore princess reminisces on the palace’s ties with the Padmanabhaswamy temple

My great uncle, the late Maharaja Chitra Thirunal Rama Varma’s birthday fell on Diwali and his mother’s six days later. We celebrate birthdays according to the Hindu star, not the date of birth. Diwali was also the start of the 10-day annual festival at Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple. Everybody who could come made it a point to do so. At night, the long temple corridors would be lit by lamps shivering in the returning monsoon winds. Sudarshana, the gentle cow elephant, would sway by majestically, bearing 2-3 drummers on her back.

Then would follow the colourful, funny-shaped flags. My great uncle would walk on the right side of the corridor. For many he was the maharaja. For me he was just ‘Ponnammavan’, my beloved golden uncle. He walked like the slave (“Padmanabhadasa”) he was to the Lord. There was worship in his stance, devotion in his eyes, which used to tear over when taking the Lord’s name. On the left would walk the other men of the family.

Behind them would be the decorated idols of Sree Padmanabha and Sree Narasimhaswamy, borne on the shoulders of the priests riding the lotus, Garuda, palanquin etc depending on the day of the festival. At breakneck speed, Lord Krishna would join them in front of the room where we, the women of the family, would wait for the “seeveli” procession. A most wonderful aroma would rise from the flowers, incense and rosewater. A chant would be heard, plaintive and esoteric. Deeparadhana (aarti) would follow. We would get our customary prasadam of flowers and tulsi leaves before leaving.

For a long time, ‘temple’ to me meant only the Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple. As per the custom, the male children in the family were put on the single block of stone in front of the sanctum sanctorum on their first birthday. Their mothers would call them ‘Padmanabhadasa’. It is believed that anything that falls or is placed there becomes the property of the Lord automatically. When my youngest brother Aditya Varma was put there, I was most insistent that my aunt also surrender the towel she had brought along with her, which was put on the floor accidentally.

Sree Padmanabha was part of our lives, much like the way the tanpura is integral to a concert. We learned the 1,000 names of the Lord (sahasranama) by rote, listening to it recited endlessly by grandmothers. My great-uncle Sri Chitra Tirunal wore distinctive yellow sandal paste on his forehead, and my grandmother’s neck used to smell of the same whenever I snuggled up to her. Ponnammavan would regale us with stories from the Ramayana and Mahabharata, something I see my aunt do to my six-year-old twin nieces today.

Being part of the family meant that I could go to the temple only during fixed timings. One day just for the fun of it I ‘disguised’ myself in an outfit of sari, glitzy plastic bangles, skewed wig and a bindi that seemed as big as a dinner plate. A couple of guards looked at me strangely and I spoke to my friends in Hindi to throw them off scent. The priests, I discovered, were more interested in giving prasadam to those proffering dakshinas of ten rupees (a mini fortune those days) rather than signs of devotion! I was thrilled to listen to people say that a darshan of Sree Padmanabha was complete only if they saw Ponnammavan too!

Ponnammavan’s younger brother and successor, Sri Uthradom Tirunal Marthanda Varma, aged 89, goes to the temple every morning. If he misses a day, he has to pay a ‘fine’ for his absence to the Lord. Whenever any member of my family leaves or returns to Thiruvananthapuram, they go to the temple to mark their attendance. When flying in, we prefer sitting on the right side of the aeroplane as it offers an aerial view of the temple as we touch down.

(Lakshmi Bayi is the 12th princess of Travancore)

Source : Outlook (http://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?277577)

http://photo.outlookindia.com/images/gallery/20110707/temple_security_20110718.jpg
Police reviewing security at the temple

The fantabulist speculation aside, putting a value on the uncovered treasures is nigh impossible

The guesstimates of the treasure trove had shot up from Rs 50,000 crore to Rs 10 lakh crore by last weekend. But the truth is nobody knows how much the gold and jewels are worth—antique value of artefacts dating back to even the 12th century cannot be estimated easily. “We can only comment if we had inspected the objects at first hand,” says Menaka Kumari Shah, head of Christie’s India. Antique dealers say at this point all the estimates are just wild guesses. “To give figures for what the precious stones are worth is absurd,” says Deepak Natesan of Natesan’s Antiquarts in Mumbai. “Antique value varies from piece to piece. For example, if it is a gold coin, you have to see if it was widely circulated or whether it had a limited run—the value would be greater for the latter,” he says.

The Venetian gold coins were probably circulated during the 17th and early 18th century. “They are very thin coins, less than four grams and were very popular in the coastal regions. They were used for pepper trading by the Portuguese, Dutch and the English. There will be markings on them and it will be easy to fix the period once we see the coins,” says archaeologist S. Hemachandran. The price of other bigger items like the gold statues of Mahavishnu, gold staffs, the 18-feet-long gold chain studded with precious stones will be even more difficult to estimate. There are also reports of 10 golden lamps belonging to the early 12th century donated by the Pandyan King Parntaka to the temple. Experts say even international auction houses will find it difficult to put a value to such ancient artefacts.

Source : Outlook (http://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?277578)

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Until next Thursday, peace will remain, worries could wait. With the Supreme Court telling the seven-member committee not to open the ‘B’ vault for the time being and the committee itself putting off the next move till the day, the devotees and the Royal family could heave a sigh of relief.

The time is now for the Royal family to think about its next move considering the directive of the Supreme Court to submit a detailed report on the rituals and customs followed by the temple.

The Court has also asked for suggestions on the part of the Royal family over the issue of handling the treasure and on the security concerns it raises.

The Court order has come in the wake of the complaint of the Royal family that videography and photography of articles inside the vaults are against the temple’s customs.

According to sources, had the Royal family prepared its earlier affidavit to the Court with utmost care and sought the permission of the Court to conduct customary rituals in the temple before the opening of the vaults, the complaints that have now risen about it could have been avoided. So this time, it would require investment of some thinking before the Royal family submits its suggestions.

On the Royal family’s heed, the Court has said that there should be no move to dilute the purity of the temple. The Royal family had also complained that many people were entering the vaults along with the seven-member committee which should be stopped.

However, the fact remains that the stay of the Court is only till July 14. On that day, the earlier petition of the Royal family challenging the Kerala High Court order asking the State Government to take over the temple and its assets would also be taken up. But now that the state has made it clear that the treasure belongs to the temple and is about to submit its suggestions on the security aspects to be considered in the temple, the Royal family might not be expecting a major blow.

Meanwhile, the devotees around the temple shared their relief on the issue. ‘’Let the dust thrown up by ‘A’ vault settle down, then the opening of ‘B’ could be thought of. The details of the rituals in the temple should be given to the Supreme Court, which could change a lot of things,’’ said a devotee and a member of the Anayoottu Samithi.

Source (http://expressbuzz.com/cities/thiruvananthapuram/royal-family-devotees-heave-a-sigh-of-relief/292503.html)

I did not watch it , I heard from my friend that in the "NIJAM" program in SUN, they claimed that the treasure also belongs to the Tamil nadu .... Comedy.. Even SC is confused what to do with it!!! People from outside the state started to claim on it!!! (kaashu varumbo manushyanmaarku importance koodum .. Daivathinum???!!!!!! :) )

Two more vaults will be opened today in Sri Padmanabhswamy Temple, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. A Supreme Court appointed seven member team is taking stock of the treasure trove that surfaced in cellar chambers of the temple, a week ago. The estimated value of the treasure found at the temple is estimated to be over Rs 1 lakh crore so far.


The Sri Padmanabhaswamy temple, one of the oldest in Kerala, may soon turn out to be one of the India's richest temples. There are apprehensions about the safety of the priceless wealth found inside the temple chambers. The Centre is expected to provide security forces to guard the temple premises following the discovery. The chambers are believed to contain priceless gold and silver ornaments. The chambers had been kept shut for the last 130 years but were finally opened on June 27 following a Supreme Court order. One of the chambers, that was remained shut for nearly a century revealed precious jewels, stones, ornaments a
The opening of the first four chambers showed that three of them housed gold ornaments, vessels, jewels and precious stones worth hundreds of crores of rupees. It also had gold chains, diamond-studded bracelets, a crown and a golden bow. The temple, built in 18th century by King Marthanda Varma of the Travancore royal lineage, is run by a trust under control of the royal house and Lord Padmanabha is the family deity of Travancore Royal house. The apex court had issued orders on a private petition, which sought measures for greater transparency and accountability in management of the temple. The Supreme Court appointed committee consists of two former Kerala High Court judges. The actual worth of the treasure will only be revealed in a report to the Supreme Court.

http://cautionindia.blogspot.com/2011/07/padmanabhaswamy-temple-treasure-may.html


:nuts::nuts::nuts::nuts::nuts::nuts::nuts::nuts::nuts:

http://timeglobalspin.files.wordpress.com/2011/07/aptopix-india-temple-treasu.jpg?w=450&h=310
Indian police commandos patrol the premises of the Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple

Renowned as sites of great spirituality and stunning architecture, India's myriad ancient temples draw tens of millions of devotees and tourists each year. But it's been a long time since any of its many hallowed shrines were in the news for possessing something altogether more mundane: a vast golden treasure (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/05/world/asia/05india.html?_r=3), worth approximately $22 billion, according to government officials.

An inspection last week sanctioned by India's Supreme Court into the vaults of the Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple in the southern Indian city of Thiruvananthapuram revealed the complex held in its coffers a mind-boggling fortune in thousands of centuries-old gold coins, ropes of gold, precious diamonds, gems and beautiful jewel-encrusted artifacts. So far, five of six vaults have been inspected — some allegedly for the first time in over a century — and a full-fledged appraisal of the treasures held within has yet to take place. The $22 billion sum may be an exaggeration; equivalent to the announced "one lakh crore" rupees (the unit of a lakh in India signifies 100,000, a crore is 10 million), the figure smacks of hyperbole.

Yet, in a country that's still hobbled by such great poverty as India, there's something utterly startling about the treasure's discovery, which appears far larger than the known endowments of even India's most lavishly funded temple sites. According to the Christian Science Monitor, the reported $22 billion figure is double India's 2011-2012 education budget (http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Global-News/2011/0705/22-billion-in-gold-diamonds-jewels-found-in-Indian-temple-s-secret-vaults). The vaults were opened for inspection after a local activist filed a case that reached the Supreme Court alleging the temple's authorities were not properly tending to the site's security. And now some in the traditionally leftist state of Kerala where the temple is located are calling for the hoard to be handed over to the government (http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Govt-may-take-temple-treasure--Panel/813266/) in order to be dispensed in the public interest.

But Oommen Chandy, the Chief Minister of Kerala, has already insisted (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/thiruvananthapuram/Let-temple-riches-be-where-theyre-Chandy/articleshow/9106029.cms) that the temple's treasures should be left where they are and will not be appropriated by the state. (Full disclosure: the author's father happens to be the parliamentarian in New Delhi elected from Thiruvananthapuram.) Still, the decision about what happens to the ancient hoard will only be made after all of it is valued and accounted for — a process which may take months, and one that will be made by India's Supreme Court, an institution known of late for its judicial activism.

What was the provenance of all this wealth? The temple has been around for nearly a millennia, but gained its real luster by the 18th century, when it was patronized by the powerful monarchs of the local state of Travancore. Not long after decisively defeating a Dutch army in the 1741 Battle of Colachel (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Colachel), Marthanda Varma, king of Travancore, set about building the towering structure that defines Sree Padmanabhaswamy to this day and dubbed himself and all those in his lineage servants of Padmanabha, another name for the Hindu god Vishnu. Ever since, the prestige of the temple and Travancore's royal dynasty have been entwined, the latter deriving a fair amount of symbolic power from their connection to the former.

After Indian independence in 1947 and the dissolution of its many semi-independent princely states, it's suspected that much of the royal dynasty's considerable wealth was funneled into the temple and that, combined with decades of accumulated donations, has created this extraordinary treasure trove. The descendants of the house of Travancore still supervise the trust that administers Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple, but, unlike some of India's other disparate (and defunct) royal families, appear to have been rather careful about their bequest, keeping it in the dark and under lock and key for decades.

That fastidiousness will likely dampen whatever political flames are sure to spark after this treasure's unearthing. In India, home to virtually all the world's religions, contests over holy sites are always hot-button issues, and often sadly a matter of life and death (http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1942725,00.html). Some among the country's Hindu far-right still invoke in present political discourse the 11th century sacking of the great (and wealthy) temple at Somnath (http://books.google.com/books?id=0BYYAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA218&lpg=PA218&dq=firishta+account+of+somnath&source=bl&ots=QOaBQANRNu&sig=r6itG4V6bzxHvUkRKmyY1mFftzA&hl=en&ei=l4ETToSzFo-3tgeusqnpDQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CBUQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=firishta%20account%20of%20somnath&f=false) in western India by Muslim invaders, among other historical grievances. But it's unlikely the hoard at Sree Padmanabhaswamy will be carted off — though one can only hope that both state and temple authorities find a means to bring such reportedly exquisite treasures safely to light, for all to see.


Ishaan Tharoor is a writer-reporter for TIME and editor of Global Spin (http://globalspin.blogs.time.com/). Find him on Twitter at @ishaantharoor (http://www.twitter.com/ishaantharoor).

Source : TIME (http://globalspin.blogs.time.com/2011/07/06/an-indian-temples-hidden-22-billion-treasure-hoard-may-wake-political-dragons/)

http://i.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/07/08/india.temple.treasure/t1larg.indian.temple.jpg
The riches were stashed for centuries in the vaults of the famed Sree Padmnabha Swamy temple.

New Delhi (CNN) -- India's supreme court has temporarily stopped its inspectors from prying open the final vault of a centuries-old Hindu temple, officials said Friday.

The temple grabbed international headlines for its hoards of gold, gems and jewels believed to be worth billions of dollars.

Senior lawyer K.K. Venugopal, who is representing the trust that controls the famed Sree Padmnabha Swamy temple in the coastal state of Kerala, told CNN that the order came over issues of security and appraisal of the riches.

He explained that a curator needs to be appointed to determine the antique value of the artifacts. Some of them, he said, date back to the Napoleonic period.

The discoveries will also have to be filmed and catalogued in accordance with court directions, Venugopal added.

A seven-member team of explorers and temple officials last week began inventory of the treasure stashed in six underground chambers of the shrine by the royal family of formerly Travancore, now part of Kerala.

The stock-taking was ordered after a legal battle over temple management reached the supreme court.

Venugopal told the judges Friday that his clients -- descendants of the erstwhile royals -- do not claim ownership of the wealth.

They want that it should be used for social good, for the poor and for propagation of religion. The artifacts may also be kept in a museum," Venugopal said. The court will resume its hearing on the lawsuit next week.

Source : CNN (http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/07/08/india.temple.treasure/index.html)

I did not watch it , I heard from my friend that in the "NIJAM" program in SUN, they claimed that the treasure also belongs to the Tamil nadu .... Comedy.. Even SC is confused what to do with it!!! People from outside the state started to claim on it!!! (kaashu varumbo manushyanmaarku importance koodum .. Daivathinum???!!!!!! :) )

Tirupathi is crores revenue spinning temple and also visited by thousands of devotees daily. The revenue comes from devotees across the globe. Neither the now Andhra gvt or then Madras presidency or creator from ancient tamilakam thondaiman claims the revenue or tressure. It belongs to the temple!

Though Padmanabswamy temple history dates back to 6-9th century tamil alwars time and also one of the 108 divya desams sung by tamil alwars i don't think tn people or others can claim the property. IMHO, the assets belongs to the temple!

Just we can be happy that temple is not dozed (the 16th century one) or looted by mughal invaders like how somnath or srirangam or other templers suffered! Also british rule in India also didn't take it away to england like other assets!

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Malayala Manorama

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Kerala Kaumudi

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Police personnel lined up outside the Sree Padmanabha Swamy temple in Thiruvananthapuram on Friday.

The authorities have no choice left but to preserve the treasures found in the Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temple in a museum under the temple with the highest safety measures, Rajan Gurukkal, historian and vice chancellor, Mahatma Gandhi University has said. According to him, “Whether vested in Crown or Devaswom, or both, choice of use is legally precluded.”

Reportedly, the treasure trove consists of many precious objects, overtly devotional gifts to the temple, Prof. Gurukkal said in a statement. It is true that there are secular objects too such as gems, gold and silver in bullion, coins, ornaments, apart from numerous artefacts — probably royal acquisitions by way of donations, fines and war booty. One of the six chambers, namely the ‘pandaravaka’ (vested in the Crown) is believed to house the royal treasure of the Travancore kings, as the name suggests.

According to him, historically, the temple dates back to the 9th century as one of the thirteen Vaishnava shrines sung by the Alvars (Vaishnava hymnists). With the ruling lineage of Travancore rising to prominence as a full blown dynasty, the temple, renovated and expanded by the kings, especially Marthandavarma (1729-58), became integral to the royal household. It is natural that the temple wealth and royal assets converged, enabling their preservation in the temple as hidden treasure for security reasons.

The treasure is unbelievably huge and invaluable and the debate is on, as to what should be done with the treasure. However, the discussions, predominantly by the people, so far have been largely sentimental, with the legal position of the treasure trove unclear, he said. It is a matter of tacit recognition that virtually Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temple is the owner of the treasure, but without precluding royal control.

Irrespective of whether the treasure is vested in the Crown or Temple or both, it is archaeological wealth accumulated over several centuries. Legally speaking, there exists no choice other than preservation. Any objects of an archaeological treasure trove, except unworked natural objects, or minerals extracted from a natural deposit, or objects otherwise not designated to be of heritage value, belong to the nation.

Nevertheless, this hardly means that the national Government whose constitutional prerogative is only to preserve, can turn the objects into cash and spend it, unless enabled through a legislative intervention by the Parliament, Prof. Gurukkal pointed out. As such the Government can only preserve these objects of immense heritage value, under constitutional obligation. All presumption about the original source or owner of the treasure, and prescriptive suggestions about utilisation of the valuables therefore go unwarranted in the case of heritage objects.

As per the extant Acts, statutes and regulations, the Central Government is the sole constitutional authority over any potential treasure trove of national heritage value. There is a genealogy of legislations relating to the heritage treasure law in the country, starting with the Indian Treasure-Trove Act, 1878, and the Ancient

Monuments Preservation Act, 1904. The Ancient and Historical Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1951, and the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, improved with constitutional provisions into the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act 1958, strengthened by the Antiquities and Art Treasures Act 1972, and supplemented by the Antiquities and Art Treasure Rules 1973, provide for the Union Government’s monopolistic control over heritage treasures.

The court has now democratised information about the existence of the treasure, and registered the items thereof for accountability, he pointed out. “Now people have a right to see them. It is extremely important academically too to record the finds. No choice left, the Government of India will have to come to terms with the constitutional responsibility of preserving the treasure in a museum under the temple with the highest safety measures, Prof. Gurukkal said.

Source (http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Kochi/article2214044.ece)

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Source : Kerala Kaumudi

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Source : Kerala Kaumudi

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Monsoon,Alappuzha Fish Curry,Arundhathi Roy etc...Take a rest to the usual global media reports about Kerala.Now its the turn of Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temple,Thiruvananthapuram.

To name a few are The Times,Sunday Times,New York Times,Washington Post,Associated Press,Time Magazine,Christian Science Monitor,Huffington Post,Deutsche Welle,Der Spiegel etc

Source : Mathrubhumi

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Source : Metro Vaartha

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Source : Metro Vaartha

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Source : Malayala Manorama

hEJASjysiUA

Kudos Ajith..you are doing a great job . One doesn't even have to look at any other media to know about the latest regarding our beloved Lord Padmanabha. Keep it up .:):):)

Kudos Ajith..you are doing a great job . One doesn't even have to look at any other media to know about the latest regarding our beloved Lord Padmanabha. Keep it up .:):):)

+1000000

Ajith, Good job .

Any way I am glad that I am the one who first reported about Sreepadmanabhaswamy Temple incident in SSC . This was not a headlines in newspaper until July 27th 2011. May be I got a call from Bhagavan to report this:)



This was the first post first post (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=80406936&postcount=3451)

SC panel begins to open royal treasure
The secret lockers at the Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Kerala’s capital are believed to contain an enormous quantity of valuables

A treasure hunt began today in Thiruvananthapuram, the capital city of Kerala, under the orders of the Supreme Court.

There are six underground lockers at the Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple, considered one of the holiest shrines dedicated to Vishnu in South India (the modern structure dates back to the 16th century and the location, by belief, goes back to Puranic times). The temple was also the treasury-repository of the wealth of the erstwhile royal house of Tranvancore, which ruled in the name of the deity since 1750, when the then king, Marthanda Varma, declared himself and his descendants to be its servants. This position continued till 1947.

The six traditional lockers are believed to contain an enormous quantity of valuables — there is talk of about Rs 1,000 crore worth. Two of these have not been opened for 150 years and the other four have been closed since the 1950s. This has been due to certain legal issues connected to the administration of the temple, of which the head of the erstwhile royal family continues to be the official custodian. There are various matters in the high court.

http://resources1.news.com.au/images/2011/07/09/1226091/470429-india-temple-treasures.jpg
The 16th-century Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Trivandrum, India.

WAITING in the musty darkness beneath one of India's most secretive Hindu temples this month, a team of experts prepared to prise open the granite door of Chamber A, a vault that had been sealed for a century.

For three days they had been working their way through the hidden chambers of the Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple in Kerala, southern India, aware of tales that it was guarded by curses and poisonous snakes.

Their torches would catch a flash of a jewel or strip of gold that hinted at the fabulous riches long said to be hidden there.

It took three men straining on iron bars half an hour to prise open the door. As it finally creaked open, firemen wearing masks rushed into the 2.4m by 1.5m vault to pump in oxygen. They emerged shocked and speechless.

A team member could not contain his excitement. "We entered in pairs and shone our torches in the room and it was amazing. There are just no words to explain it," he said.

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"It was full of gold chains the same height as me. There were heavy belts of gold, ornaments and precious stones. Then there were steps leading down into a smaller room where gold coins were scattered all over the floor."

The value of the find has been estimated at $18 billion. Among the treasures hidden beneath the temple in Trivandrum, the capital of Kerala, were 18kg of Napoleonic era gold coins, a tonne of gold trinkets, a 5.5m gold necklace, a sack full of diamonds and jewellery studded with yet more diamonds. One statue, a 30cm-high jewel-encrusted portrayal of the temple deity Lord Vishnu, is estimated to be worth $105 million.

Yet the 500-year-old temple, which only devout Hindus are allowed to enter, may still be hiding an even more splendid hoard. This week India's Supreme Court is expected to approve the opening of the final vault - Chamber B - which has been sealed for more than 150 years.

Judges delayed the final decision on Friday after requesting advice on what to do about a jammed lock that the ancient key will no longer open. Any attempt to force the lock or damage the structure would risk inciting already angry Hindus.

Legend has it the chamber can be entered only in times of crisis. Word of a terrible curse being unleashed on Kerala if the door is opened unnecessarily has swept through the area.

In hushed tones worshippers outside the temple walls described the "bad omen" of the chamber door, which is guarded by a five-headed cobra with gemstones for eyes.

Stories of previous efforts to open the chamber have compounded local superstitions. In 1933, British writer Emily Gilchrist Hatch described one attempt. "When the state needed additional money, it was thought expedient to open these chests and use the wealth they contained," she wrote. "A group of people got together and attempted to enter the vaults with torches. When they found them infested with cobras they fled."

The sound of rushing water in the chambers has given rise to the belief that secret passageways link the vaults to the Arabian Sea, 5km away.

For almost three centuries the maharajahs of Travancore, which included large swaths of southern India, guarded the treasure. Last week Uthradam Thirunal Marthanda Varma, 90, the current maharajah, remained ensconced in his palace, which resembles an English country house with a pagoda roof. His friends said he was "worried about the consequences" now the world knew about the treasure.

Armed guards have now been placed around the temple. But the biggest threat may lie in a debate about the treasure. There are calls for it to be used to boost Kerala's economy or to aid the poor. Hindu groups say treasure should stay in the vaults for ever.

Oommen Chandy, Kerala's Chief Minister, has said the artefacts will be protected by the state at the temple. This means that no non-Hindu will get the chance to see the treasure.

Source : The Australian (http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/talk-of-curses-as-india-mulls-another-chamber-of-gold/story-e6frg6so-1226091861999)

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Malayala Manorama

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Kerala Kaumudi

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Source : Metro Vaartha

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Source : Malayala Manorama

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Source : Mathrubhumi

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Source : Kerala Kaumudi

The treasure trove, including gold, silver and diamond ornaments, recovered from the secret vaults of Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple belongs to the deity, High Court advocate Dinesh Shenoy has said.

Shenoy was speaking at a discussion on ‘Temple Laws in Kerala’ held in connection with the two-day workshop of lawyers organised by the Abhibhashaka Parishad here.

“The treasure, from whichever source it has come, belongs to the deity of the temple which is a juridical person under the Indian laws,” Dinesh Shenoy said.

“The trustees of the temple alone have the right to take any decision thereon and such decisions should be for the welfare of the devotees,” Shenoy added.
Source (http://expressbuzz.com/states/kerala/kerala-temple-treasure-belongs-to-deity-experts/293023.html)

Hindu Organisations’ meet on Tuesday

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A joint meeting of various Hindu organisations will be held here on July 12 to discuss the situation following the inventorying of the treasure at Sree Padmanabha Swamy temple. The meeting has been convened by Hindu Aikyavedi general secretary Kummanam Rajasekharan

The meeting has been planned since there is a debate over the utilisation of the treasure trove, Rajasekharan said In a statement here on Sunda

http://expressbuzz.com/cities/thiruvananthapuram/hindu-organisations%E2%80%99-meet-on-tuesday/293006.html

@ Ajith

super title for this thread....felt goosebumps:):cheers:

Hi...sorry to disturb...could someone change the spelling of Relegious to RELIGIOUS in the topic heading

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6th Depository is guarded by 'Naga Bandham.'(?)

NTV Telugu

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TV5 Telugu

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TV9 Kannada

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Metro Manorama

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Source : Kerala Kaumudi

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Source : Mathrubhumi

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Source : Malayala Manorama

Marthanda Varma, the eldest member of the Travancore royal family spoke to CNN-IBN in an exclusive interview on all the treasure that was unearthed at the Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple. He feels it should not become such a huge topic of discussion.

Dakshina Muraleedharan: The world is talking about the developments in an ancient temple called Sree Padmnabhaswamy Temple located at Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala. We have with us Marthanada Varma Thampuran - representative of the Travencore Royal Family - the custodians of this particular temple...Speaking exclusively to CNN-IBN.

Thank you very much for speaking to us.

Our country has a long history about invasions and then later how we were plundered by these invaders. Do you believe that the rulers in South India like the Travancore Kings were a step ahead in protecting its people and its wealth?

Marthanada Varma Thampuran: In the South we have been more fortunate. Stronger invasions were in the North. We had mainly trade. We used to trade and supply materials even to Cleopatra. We also had wars. But we were a step ahead. Near the temple there is a bazaar now. A university was situated there then. In the BC era we had education and arms training there. All the other kings - Pandyas, Cholas wanted to know how to defeat us. They said it was because of the university. They came and broke it. Then they wondered how we have this extra capacity. They were told because of the temple. They came to break it but surrendered before the Lord.

My ancestor in 1750 after conquering Venad, it became Travancore, dedicated.the state to Lord Padmnabha. It was called Thiruppadi Dhanam - offering at the sacred step of the Lord. And he ruled the state as his servant. Now as a tourist gimmick we call the state God's own country, everything is his creation only.

Dakshina Muraleedharan:Your counsel told the Supreme Court last week that the royal family does not have any claim on the wealth. Everything is the Lord's property. Help us understand this statement.

Marthanada Varma Thampuran: I am wearing a dhoti... this comes from cotton.. cotton comes from the earth.. where did the earth come from... from God. Everything belongs to him. We are only people who have the privilege of using what he has been gracious enough to give. That we are forgetting…Many inhibitions that other people have we did not have. It was just service.

Dakshina Muraleedharan: There is a lot of public debate on the development in the temple. Are you saddened or surprised by this variety of opinions pouring in?

Marthanada Varma Thampuran: No Comment because that is for everybody to assess... I am as human as everybody else is. And If that which you hold in veneration is now become a subject of chit chat I can't understand it.

Dakshina Muraleedharan: So you are saying that the matter is subjudice. You will wait for the Supreme Court verdict on this and then express your opinion?

Marthanada Varma Thampuran: Yes then I will say. Whatever the decision is then I am free to say. Now whatever I say would be coloured in some way by everybody. That I don't want.

Dakshina Muraleedharan: The world is awestruck by the revelations in the temple. But the royal family does not seem to be surprised at all. Why is that?

Marthanada Varma Thampuran: It has been our fortune that we were able to serve. So there is no surprise. Only that we are surprised that other people are surprised.

Dakshina Muraleedharan: Any message that you want to give to the devotees of Sree Padmnabha around the world?

Marthanada Varma Thampuran: If you are a devotee increase your devotion. Don't waste time on unnecessary debate.

Dakshina Muraleedharan: The royal family including yourself are known for your generosity. There is an opinion that atleast a percentage of the wealth should be taken outside the temple and spent on social cause. How would you react to that?

Marthanada Varma Thampuran: That comes to thin ice. I won't comment. Its still in the court. I won't say anything now.

Dakshina Muraleedharan: Does this revelation throw light on the history of South India or the history of the Travancore royal family?

Marthanada Varma Thampuran: Let the Supreme Court decide on that in their own way. The easier way, the comfortable way or the hard way.

Dakshina Muraleedharan: People are also surprised at the fact that this was preserved so well by our erstwhile kings. But its not the same world anymore. Are you like many others concerned about security?

Marthanada Varma Thampuran: Ofcourse security is a necessity. Even at home you need security. When you make people understand... People who are not thinking about anything else other than their body... Know of these things... There is a grave responsibility... And that I believe are being seen to by the right people... In the right way.

Source (http://ibnlive.in.com/news/padmanabhaswamy-temple-wealth-belongs-to-god/166754-3.html)

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The stupendous valuables discovered deep inside the dark-ridden vaults of Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temple have infused an air of vigil and activity in the temple. Ever since the tale of treasures crossed borders, the temple has been witnessing a steady inflow of people, which, to some of the local men, is unusual at this point of time.

The revelation of treasures has fortified the temple stronger than ever before. At every corner of the temple can be seen armed policemen and commandos warily filtering every single soul frequenting the temple.

However, the change of air has in no way altered the mood of those who reside on the purlieu of the temple. Without any concerns and complaints, they continue to leave everything to the will of Lord Padmanabha. They are vague about the possibility of an eviction. They are unruffled by the sudden presence of khaki-men everywhere. ‘’These are all affairs related to temple and government. Why should we be over-bothered about all such things?’’ asks Sasidharan, who carves wooden idols of gods in a small building close to the temple.

Saraswathy, who has always been a devout of Padmanabha since her childhood, says that she has not even thought about the possibility of having to go away from the proximity of God.

‘’This is where I was born and grew up. All these treasures that you are talking about have always been there in the temple. Just because it is revealed, our lives are not going to change. We don’t even talk about eviction. Should we have to do that?’’ wonders Saraswathy, who sells banana chips in front of the temple. She is also glad that the unexpected influx of tourists has boosted her business, which, otherwise, is on a lull during monsoon.

The local people and some of the oldest devouts residing in and around the temple premises are not at all grumpy about the securitymen. ‘’How could the presence of securitymen affect the ambience of the temple? They are here because of their duty. We have absolutely no complaints about the security measures.

We know they are here to guard the temple and we are only happy to let them do their job,’’ says Jalaja, a housewife.

Source (http://expressbuzz.com/cities/thiruvananthapuram/residents-near-temple-unruffled/293155.html)

Kerala Government denies the need of central forces for Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple's security.

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THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Congress )-led UDF Government today said the huge wealth found from the cellars of Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple here was the asset of the shrine and could not be termed a 'treasure trove'.

The statement, by Devaswom Minister V S Sivakumar in the Assembly, came in the wake of some quarters arguing that the assets would come under the definition of 'trove' and the state should take over it under the Kerala Treasure Trove Act.

"You repeatedly describe it as 'nidhi' (treasure trove). It is the wealth of the temple," Sivakumar replied to a question by former home minister and CPI(M) leader Kodiyeri Balakrishnan .

He said foolproof security had been provided to the temple with personnel drawn from police, Rapid Action Force and State Commando Force. The government would bear all costs for the safety of the invaluable wealth in the cellars, he said in reply to a question from Palode Ravi (Congress).

A total of 53 security personnel have been positioned inside the temple and another 74 outside the shrine. The entire security was under control of ADGP Venugoplan K Nair, the Minister said.

Referring to reports on the value of assets found in the temple, Sivakumar said the temple was now the richest one in India. He also said that flow of devotees had increased significantly following the discovery of the valuables.

The invaluable articles found during an inventory included rare jewels, stone-studded crowns, heaps of gold and silver coins, idols and gold, silver and brass platters and lamps, whose value is estimated at nearly Rs one lakh crore.

Source (http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics/nation/treasure-found-in-cellars-of-sree-padmanabhaswamy-is-temple-asset-and-not-treasure-trove-kerela-minister/articleshow/9196726.cms)

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Metro Manorma

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Kerala Kaumudi

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A view of the ‘gopuram' at the eastern side of the
Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple in Thiruvananthapuram.

Concerns over the security provided to Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple in the State capital were raised in the Assembly on Tuesday in the wake of several chain-snatching incidents in the precincts of the temple where huge treasures were recently found stored in subterranean chambers.

The security concerns were brought to the notice of the House by the former Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishan who intervened during a short-notice question raised by Palode Ravi.

Media reports

Mr. Balakrishnan said the media had reported that four chain-snatching incidents had occurred within 12 hours near the temple premises on Monday.

The government said it had provided adequate security to the temple but the security was appallingly bad, he said. Mr. Balakrishnan asked whether the security zone as announced by the government had come into effect.

Minister for Devaswom and Transport V.S. Sivakumar said elaborate security arrangements had been provided at the temple. A team of officials led by Additional Director-General of Police Venugopal K. Nair had been entrusted with the task. A committee headed by Mr. Nair and comprising the ADGP (Intelligence), IGP (Intelligence) and IGP (South Zone) had been asked to submit a detailed report to the government on providing fool-proof security cover to the temple.

State's responsibility

Mr. Sivakumar said the examination of the temple vaults by a Supreme Court-appointed committee had not been completed. The Chief Minister had made it clear that the temple's security would be the responsibility of the State. The State was willing to meet all the financial commitments for that.

He said the State police had deployed 53 policemen inside the temple in three shifts and another 74 outside, also in three shifts. A 24-hour control room had been set up at adjacent to the Fort police station. A 10-member telecommunication wing had also been set up.

Earlier, Mr. Ravi urged the State government to request the Union government to declare the temple a national pilgrimage centre. He also urged the State to ask the Centre to provide the services of military personnel for the temple security.

Source (http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Thiruvananthapuram/article2221963.ece)

An old pic of Padmanabhaswamy temple..

hotograph taken about 1900 by the Government photographer, Zacharias D'Cruz of a view of the Public Offices in Trivandrum, in the erstwhile Travancore . It is one of 76 prints in an album entitled 'Album of South Indian Views' of the Curzon Collection


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Dunno whether this pic was posted earlier

Can you guys please provide a brief translation if the news bit is in Malayalam ,

Thanks

The head of a former royal family renounced any personal claim to billions of dollars' worth of ancient treasure discovered in a temple in Thiruvananthapuram, the kingdom his ancestors once ruled. Padma Rao Sundarji speaks to Uthradam Thirunal Marthanda Varma, the former King of Tranvancore.

PRS:What is your family's connection with the Padmanabhaswamy temple?
Varma: We are the Cheras, one of the four erstwhile royal families of South India and have a long and dynastic family tree. By 1750 Travancore had become rich and big. So my ancestor, the then king, made a unique spiritual and historical contribution. He decided to surrender all his riches to the temple - Padmanabhaswamy is also our family deity. He said our family would look after that wealth, the temple and the kingdom forever. But he did want the ego that comes with possessing it. He was influenced by Emperor Ashoka's catharsis in the killing fields of Kalinga. So he declared our family to be Padmanabha's 'dasas', devotees. A servant can resign his job, but a dasa can do so only when he dies.

PRS: You are one of the wealthiest families in India and yet, you live in a spartan way, unlike many other ex-royals. Why?
Varma: I have to go back a bit in time, to explain why. Everybody thinks that we Indians first rose against British colonial rule in 1857. Wrong. In 1741, Travancore was the only Asian power to defeat the Dutch when they arrived here. After the battle, all the Dutch soldiers kneeled before my ancestors. One Dutchman, Benedictus Eustachius, even joined our army. We called him the Great Kapitan. Later, I learned that he was [US president] Franklin Roosevelt's ancestor when the latter's grandson came to look at our historical records.

Then in 1839, almost two decades before the mutiny, we rose against the British. Our punishment was severe. They disbanded our police and army of 50,000, transferred our capital to Kollam, dumped two British regiments on us, and ordered us to pay for their upkeep. Thomas Munroe named himself Diwan of Travancore. When our spirit still did not flag, they brought in missionaries. But we did not get gobbled up by Western thought. We travel abroad occasionally, but it has not affected or changed our simple way of life. Why am I telling you this? So that you get an idea of how much our life has revolved around our faith, despite so many outside influences and kept us going.

PRS: How do you feel about what is happening around the temple right now - its cellars being opened up, your donations being discussed around the world, the criticism, the furore?
Varma: Sorry, I cannot comment on what is happening there - the matter is sub-judice. But this much I will say. I have no problem with the inventory and additional security being provided by the state to the temple. But please don't remove those objects from the temple. They belong to nobody, certainly not to our family. They belong to god and our law permits that. All these debates swirling around the riches is unfortunate. That's all I can say - I have to listen to my doctor, lawyer and auditor. Our family has been donating objects to the temple for centuries. As chief patron of the temple, I go there every day. If I miss a day, I am fined Rs 166.35 - an old Travancore tradition.

PRS: But you cannot deny that such wealth could be put to better use for the poor.
Varma: We Indians are more educated now. But this reaction to donations inside a temple is anything but progressive. We are slowly losing our Indian identity. Money has become everything. But I am not surprised. I would rather be philosophical than disillusioned because I can't change the world.

PRS: Then there is the rationalist argument that this is blind faith.
Varma: Please think of England's Henry VIII in the late 1500s. He had two passions. Wives and money. So he pillaged churches. Finally, he ran into a problem because he wanted a divorce from Catherine of Aragon. The church refused, because she was a zealous Spanish Catholic. His cardinal advised him to invent his own church. So he did that - just to get a divorce. Is that rational?
It is rather difficult to explain our faith to the new world where people have none anymore. When selfishness grows, everything you do seems right, and everything others do seems wrong. It's all about what do I get, not about what do I do. I like the memory of my trip to a game reserve South Africa. After seeing many wild animals, I asked the guide which was the most rapacious and fearsome. He showed me a mirror.

PRS: What is your source of income? What does your family live off ?
Varma: We have travel and hotel businesses. I am chairman of a former British company that exports various items from Kerala - but no, not pepper to Buckingham Palace, as reported. We also run seven trusts. We spend R5-8 lakh a year on education, health and housing for the poor. We pay good salaries. And the family itself contributes money every month. No government has acknowledged our work but that is all right. We do it because we want to do it.

PRS: Gold statues studded with rubies and diamonds, saphhires, gold coins of the Napoleonic era and the East India Company. Is all that true?
Varma: I have never been inside those cellars. Our philosophy has always been not to look at such objects and get tempted. But of course I know what is inside them.

PRS: Are the younger members of your family angrier than you about the heated public debate?
Varma: I am the most hot-blooded in this family but on this matter, we all feel the same. I was a soldier - a colonel for 15 years in the Madras Regiment. I would like to ask those criticizing us for donating these objects: why are they bothered about what someone else has done? What are they doing in the name of faith themselves ? Why the hot gossip over a donation to God?

PRS: At 90, you don't even use a walking stick. What is your daily routine ?
Varma: We have all been brought up very strictly and frugally. My day starts at 4 am with yoga. I only drink milk, I am a vegetarian and a teetotaler. I read the Vedas everyday. I go the temple for a ten-minute private audience with the deity every morning. After that, I indulge in one of my hobbies - "media surgery." I read the newspapers and clip articles over breakfast. I have a collection of the past 30 years. I will give those to the Trust because my children may not be interested. People come to meet me, they invite me to inaugurate functions. I speak extempore. I go from vertical to horizontal for about 20 minutes in the afternoon. I am in bed by 945. I have always slept well. Since there is nothing on my conscience, sleep comes swiftly.

PRS: Are you now thinking of insuring those treasures, now that the whole world is talking about them, or are they already insured ?
Varma: (laughs) I am least worried that they will be stolen. If that happens, then it was the Lord's will.

PRS: Among your ancestors were famous Carnatic musician Swati Thirunal and painter Raja Ravi Varma. What are your passions?
Varma: Those two ancestors gave music and art divinity and humanity respectively. That continues. I love art. I once saw a piece of exquisite china in Venice. It was a girl on a swing with the sand looking worn just where her feet touched the ground each time. It cost 100 pounds, I could only afford 40, as foreign exchange was limited those days. So I went away. The dealer called me back and gave it to me. He said he could tell that I was not one of those who ordered 200 pieces of one kind, that I valued minute details.

PRS: Kerala has been a Communist bastion for more than 50 years. Don't you find it peculiar that people here still flurry around you, they respect you, they still call you Your Highness.
Varma: Yes, that is quite amazing because I am a simple man, I don't expect it at all. At religious gatherings in Haridwar where one of my two gurus lives, I always sit in the last row and am always dressed like this - mundu and bush-shirt. People who don't know me come looking for the Raja of the South. When I raise my hand, they don't believe me.

PRS: How wealthy is your family, compared to the other - and internationally more famous - royals of Rajasthan and elsewhere?
Varma: That is a mere technicality and has never been relevant to me. But I'll tell you a story which will give you an idea. There used to be a British gun salute for the princely states of India: 21, the highest for the richest ruler, 11 for the poorest. When Tranvancore refused to contribute soldiers to the British Army in World War I, our slipped from 21 to 19.

PRS: Who is your heir?
Varma: We have a matriarchal system of inheritance. I have a daughter and a son but it is my sister's son who will be king after me. I remember a European lady visiting us. I explained this complicated law of succession to her. When she went back, she told her friends that she had not understood a word, but only knew that whatever it was, it was good for women. Kerala is slowly turning patriarchal again. That is not good. Overall in our country, we treat women as second-class citizens. When you look at a man, you are looking at a human being, when you look at a woman, you are looking at a family.

PRS: What is the feeling you get, when you spend those ten minutes at the Padmanabha shrine ? The daily communion between ruler and master, as you put it ?
Varma: Gooseflesh. Everything is surrendered. It is a great, elating feeling. My hair stands on end with joy. Each and every time.

(Padma Rao Sundarji is South Asia bureau chief of Der Spiegel (http://www.spiegel.de))

Source : Hindustan Times (http://www.hindustantimes.com/The-riches-belong-to-nobody-certainly-not-to-our-family/H1-Article1-719270.aspx#disqus_thread)

May I request the Mods to clean up the thread title?

Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temple | Religious Complex may be appropriate. Thanks.

The number of devotees is increasing day by day in Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temple

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Kaumudi City

^^

http://www.sreepadmanabhaswamytemple.com/



Note:-Its not an official one

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The Temple are should be made "High Security Area" : Police Report
The counting of devotees coming to Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple will be taken today


Source : Kerala Kaumudi

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Source : Malayala Manorama

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The "Treasure" should be kept in the temple itself and Govt. will inform this to the Supreme Court on Friday


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The "Teasure" belongs to the temple : Govt.


Source : Mathrubhumi

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The number of devotees visiting the Ananda Padmanabha Swamy Temple in Undavalli village of Guntur in AP is increasing after the news of unearthing of the"Treasure" at Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Thiruvananthapuram.

Source : Mathrubhumi

Padmanabha cave temple in Guntur under threat

UNDAVALLI (Guntur): With unearthing of the gold and diamond ornaments at Ananta Padmanabhaswamy temple in Thiruvananthapuram, a cave temple of Ananta Padmanabhaswamy in Undavalli has gained prominence. However, miscreants hoping to find hidden wealth, are proving to be a threat to its existence.

People visiting in large numbers to the Undavalli caves are therefore urging authorities to provide proper security at the temple.

K Eswara Reddy, a local said proper research should be done on the caves as there was a threat to the temple, on the belief of hidden treasure in the caves.

The cave temple, said to be built during the reign of of Chalukyas in the 6th or 7th century, has a single stone 25-feet long and five feet wide Ananta Padmanabhaswamy idol on the second floor of the four-storeyed temple. Former sarpanch of Undavalli Jonna Sivasankara Rao said, “The caves were taken over by the archaeology department in 1958,” the sarpanch said.

Prof P Ramalakshmi, head of archaeology department, Acharya Nagarjuna University said there was no chance of hidden treasures in the cave shrine, as it had no patronage.

“As the Thiruvananthapuram temple had continuous patronage of kings for centuries, the hidden treasures were unearthed,” she added. She said the caves belong to the reign of Vishnukundin.

“The precious idols should not be defaced in name of a treasure hunt and necessary protection arranged for the temple,” Ramalakshmi observed.
Source (http://expressbuzz.com/states/andhrapradesh/padmanabha-cave-temple-in-guntur-under-threat/292465.html)

CALDMyFz-Qs

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The revelations that have followed the inventory preparation of the articles inside the chambers in Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temple are like a Pandora’s box opened. It has posed a severe security threat to the temple and the premises, for which immediate action must be taken by the State Government, the Thiruvananthapuram Citizens’ Protection Forum has said.

At the meeting, the members said that the pious atmosphere of the temple has been diluted by the recent happenings. The treasure that was stored and preserved in the chambers for centuries must remain there itself.

The meeting said that the covenant prepared by the Centre and Travancore’s last king Sree Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma has no legal sanctity anymore. The state has not declared the temple as its heritage asset yet. Hence, transferring the assets of the temple to any museum, whether state-run or a National museum, is condemnable.

The running of the temple must be devoid of any politics. The Forum pointed out that in the case of other religious institutions, there is no meddling of outsiders or politicians. So the trend of including politicians in the running of temples must be stopped. The existence of Sree Padmanabha Swamy temple Employees Union (CITU) is a glaring example of this.

The presence of high rises near the temple also poses a threat to the temple’s security, the Forum said. It also said that incompetent police personnel must be kept away from the temple security.

The way chain-snatchings were reported in the temple the other day is testimony to this.

Source (http://expressbuzz.com/cities/thiruvananthapuram/%E2%80%98treasures-must-remain-in-temple-itself%E2%80%99/293812.html)

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The Temple are should be made "High Security Area" : Police Report
The counting of devotees coming to Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple will be taken today


Source : Kerala Kaumudi


The "Teasure" belongs to the temple : Govt.


Source : Mathrubhumi

Government / temple trust should seek technical help from Tirupathi Dewaswom,Siddhi Vinayak Temple and Mahalaxmi Temple,Mumbai while planning for hightech security to the temple.

http://www.deccanchronicle.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/article_horizontal/article-images/padmanabha%20temple%20kerala.jpg.crop_display.jpg

July 13: Multi-layer security comprising sophisticated gadgets and armed policemen and incurring a cost of about Rs30 crore has been proposed for the priceless wealth in the vaults of the Sree Padmanabha Swamy temple.

Additional DGP (administration) Venugopal K. Nair submitted a detailed security plan on Wednesday to additional chief secretary (home) K. Jayakumar. The implementation of the plan, however, was subject to Supreme Court directions and further discussions with Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, sources said. The plan has been prepared taking into account the opinion of the temple authorities. The emphasis is on minimising inconvenience to devotees.

Police sources said aerial surveillance with the support of satellite images was also explored. Cops have already recommended to the government to notify the area around the temple as special security zone by invoking provisions of Kerala Police Act. ADGP has also suggested relocating certain residences and shops close to the temple.

Source (http://www.deccanchronicle.com/channels/cities/kochi/3-tier-security-rich-temple-planned-665)

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Source : Metro Manorama

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court has decided to appoint a team of experts by next Friday to suggest valuation, safe keeping and security of the wealth found in Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple in Thiruvananthpuram.

The apex court said that decision on opening of other vaults can be taken later.

It said the Rs 1 crore given by the state for security is not enough.

Rare jewels, stone-studded crowns, heaps of gold and silver coins, idols and gold, silver and brass platters and lamps, whose value is estimated at nearly Rs one lakh crore, has been found in the temple.

The treasure makes it one of the richest temples in the country.

Source (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/SC-will-appoint-committee-to-value-Kerala-temple-treasure/articleshow/9221330.cms)

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court today reserved its interim orders on the question of permitting inventory, videography and providing fool proof security to the estimated over Rs 1.50 lac crore wealth unearthed from chambers of the famed Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Thiruvananthapuram.

A bench of justices R V Raveendran and A K Patnaik felt that the massive wealth was perhaps at a "risk" in view of the widespread publicity given about it in the media.

The apex court took on record the affidavit filed by the state government and various other parties giving their suggestions for proper maintenance and upkeep of the temple.

Significantly, the Kerala government asserted that the entire wealth found at the shrine belonged exclusively to the Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple and no body can lay claim on it.

The state government said that it has put in place a security apparatus with an Additional Director General of Police-rank officer monitoring the situation through a 24-hour control room set up for the purpose. It was spending Rs 1 crore on security measures every month.

Source (http://expressbuzz.com/states/kerala/sc-reserves-orders-on-kerala-temple-treasure/294108.html)

One doubt, whether everybody, non hindus also allowed entry inside the Temple? I doubt!

Some temples do have strict rules which deny entry to non hindus,(No restriction for Sikhs, Budhists, Jains etc ) like Guruvayoor temple.


http://img41.imageshack.us/img41/6725/sree3mm.jpg

Source : Metro Manorama

One doubt, whether everybody, non hindus also allowed entry inside the Temple? I doubt!

Some temples do have strict rules which deny entry to non hindus,(No restriction for Sikhs, Budhists, Jains etc ) like Guruvayoor temple.


Sudheshji, Entry into Sreepadmanabhaswami temple is only for hindus !

Non Hindus are not allowed inside temple.They can only watch from outside.
So I think police also from hindu religion.
Also there is a dress code for those who enter inside the temple:)

These poor guys looks like on the queue! They will not know until they reach the temple after long time. In view of the international hype I think there should be clear instructions for visitors.

One doubt, whether everybody, non hindus also allowed entry inside the Temple? I doubt!

Some temples do have strict rules which deny entry to non hindus,(No restriction for Sikhs, Budhists, Jains etc ) like Guruvayoor temple.

Temples under Zamorin including Guruvayoor don't allow non Hindus inside. That's the case of Malabar and there exist a strict dress code to enter these temples.

Sudheshji, Entry into Sreepadmanabhaswami temple is only for hindus !.

OK, I knew it, wanted to confirm it:) Was wondering when saw those foriegners in the queue.

Also there is a dress code for those who enter inside the temple:)



Ya, I have gone only a couple of times since you have to go in a Mundu. And AFAIK, the practice was that you cannot have trousers and then put on a mundu over it.

Anyway I like it, it should be like that only. I felt like going to a bygone era inside the temple. The rituals/practices should be strict.

OK, I knew it, wanted to confirm it:) Was wondering when saw those foriegners in the queue.



Ya, I have gone only a couple of times since you have to go in a Mundu. And AFAIK, the practice was that you cannot have trousers and then put on a mundu over it.

Anyway I like it, it should be like that only. I felt like going to a bygone era inside the temple. The rituals/practices should be strict.

Does other temples in Trivandrum allows us to enter without mundu? Its really strict over here.

Does other temples in Trivandrum allows us to enter without mundu? Its really strict over here.

Don't know exactly Sanju bhai..... I think most of the temples here allows us to enter without mundu. Sarkara Devi temple in Chrayinkil which is an important temple in the district allows people without mundu. But wearing shirts or T shirts is not allowed. Same with Varkala Janardhana swamy temple. Also, not only Hindus, anyone can enter these temples.

:cheers:

url (http://mangalam.com/index.php?page=detail&nid=447581&lang=malayalam)

ശ്രീപത്മനാഭ സ്വാമി ക്ഷേത്രത്തിന്* സംസ്*ഥാന സര്*ക്കാര്* ഏര്*പ്പെടുത്തിയ സുരക്ഷാ ക്രമീകരണങ്ങളില്* സുപ്രീംകോടതിക്ക്* അതൃപ്*തി. ക്ഷേത്ര സുരക്ഷയ്*ക്കായി വകയിരുത്തിയ ഒരു കോടി രൂപ അപര്യാപ്*തമാണ്*. ഉരുക്ക്* ചുമര്* ഉള്*പ്പെടെയുള്ള സുരക്ഷാ സംവിധാനങ്ങളെ കുറിച്ച്* ആലോചിക്കണം. വിദഗ്*ധരുടെ സേവനം സുരക്ഷയ്*ക്കായി പ്രയോജനപ്പെടുത്തണം. ക്ഷേത്രത്തിലെ സ്വത്ത്*ശേഖരത്തെ കുറിച്ചു വിദഗ്*ധരുടെ മൂല്യനിര്*ണയം ആവശ്യമാണെന്നും കോടതി വ്യക്*തമാക്കി.

Additional Security arrangements needed @ d temple.. also more funds 4 d purpose - said the Supreme Court

I'm sorry.. above one was a repetition.

But, after this many number of days, proper checking could be seen only today at the temple.. again.. huge rush of devotees today..!

http://www.ananthasayanam.org/

I have a question.

Does anyone know why there are TWO separate representation in SC, one from HH Uthradom Thirunal and another from HH Mulam Thirunal in the court? Is there a difference of opinion in the palace (which is unbelievable). What is the reason? Any idea/speculation?

Does other temples in Trivandrum allows us to enter without mundu? Its really strict over here.
Pazhavangadi temple also has the mundu only,no shirt rule.
This rules should be left alone and also strictly enforced without giving any ears to the so called modernists who want to change the rules.

No.. Pazhavangadi temple dont follow the 'mundu only rule', but 'no shirt rule' is there. As custom, we go 'in mundu' to the temples.

I also strongly feel that the customs & traditions of the temple should be strictly followed. Lots of 'Rules' to be followed at Sree Padmanabha Swami Temple, and you can see every one interestingly following such Rules inside the temple. Not to forget.. he is our King.

I have a question.

Does anyone know why there are TWO separate representation in SC, one from HH Uthradom Thirunal and another from HH Mulam Thirunal in the court? Is there a difference of opinion in the palace (which is unbelievable). What is the reason? Any idea/speculation?

Initialy sundar rajan filed petetion against Marthanda varma which is in charge of temple . Mulam thirunal joined the case after requesting with supreme court . He is representing travancore royal family as Uthradam thirunal representing Temple. Thing is he is the next avakashi so he want to be a part of it ..i think ..as now he cant join with temple authority formaly rt..

Thanx for the explanation, kiran. So, Uthradom Thirunal represents the Temple in the capacity of Trustee, and Mulam Thirunal represents the Family, probably to avoid allegation of conflict of interest. Makes sense.

When I visited the temple a few decades ago, we had to wear mundu (not just wrap it over trousers), remove the shirt, and tie the 'anga vastram' (a towel, ie thorth) around the waist. It was not permitted to put the thorth on the shoulder, like one normally does. Is it the same these days?

Temples here in Ernakulam permits trousers, but no shirt. I have a strict freshly laundered (ie unused after washing) mundu and no shirt rule in any temple.

Flow of Non-Keralites Continues to Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temple,Thiruvananthapuram

http://img718.imageshack.us/img718/6431/sree3kk.jpg

Source : Kerala Kaumudi

http://img692.imageshack.us/img692/4742/sree1kk.jpg

Source : Kerala Kaumudi

http://img96.imageshack.us/img96/7982/sree1mm.jpg

Source : Malayala Manorama

http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/561/sree1mv.jpg

Source : Metro Vaartha

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3EzcopatQ6s

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Thursday reserved its orders to consider the issues of videographing the huge inventory and providing foolproof security to the estimated Rs 1.50 lakh crore wealth taken out from the five vaults of the Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple, Thiruvananthapuram.

A Bench comprising Justice R V Raveendran and Justice A K Patnaik said that the huge wealth which was found inside the temple could be at a risk because of the huge publicity given about it through newspapers and TV channels.

The Bench perused the affidavit filed by the State Government and the other parties which gave their views on the issue, especially for the proper upkeep and maintenance of the temple.

The state government stated in its affidavit that the wealth found inside the temple belonged exclusively to the presiding deity Lord Padmanabhaswamy and nobody has any claim over it.

The Government averred that it has put in place a security mechanism with an Additional DirectorGeneral of Police to monitor the situation roundtheclock with a control room exclusively for monitoring the movements around and inside the temple. An amount of Rs 1 crore will be spent in this regard every month, the state government said. The erstwhile prince requested the Bench not to pass orders for public display of the treasure discovered from the five secret chambers of the shrine.

The chambers ought not to have been opened as this has resulted in unwarranted publicity and endangered the security of the temple. With the result, plans need to be drawn up for the foolproof security of the temple, the prince felt.

Moving the wealth of the Lord to a place outside the temple for its exhibition as directed by the High Court needs to be reconsidered, the state government felt.

However, the state clearly stated in its affidavit that neither the state nor any individual has any right whatsoever over the wealth and opposed the High Court's directive for the display of the wealth at a public place. The gold ornaments, precious stones, coins and other objects of high value found in the cellars of the temple belong to the temple. Nobody can lay claim over them, it added.

Source (http://expressbuzz.com/states/kerala/sc-dissatisfied-over-temple-security/294390.html)

http://img10.imageshack.us/img10/4919/sree1mb.jpg

Source : Mathrubhumi

http://img221.imageshack.us/img221/2593/sree3mmicu.jpg

Source : Malayala Manorama

NEWDELHI: The scion of erstwhile Travancore royal family, Rama Varma, in an affidavit filed before the apex court felt that the opening of the chambers of the Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple could have invited the wrath of the presiding deity Sri Padmanabhaswamy.

He pleaded with a Bench comprising Justice R V Raveendran and Justice A K Patnaik, which was hearing the matter, not to pass any directives in this regard as the temple had inscribed on its walls an insignia of a serpent. This indicated that the presiding deity would be angered if anybody tinkered with the chambers or with the treasure. Instead of this, an appeasement ceremony should be held before opening the vault to mollify the God, the prince stated.

He further averred that the 'B' chamber should not be opened at all as the serpent is on the wall of this chamber and this indicates that it would not augur well for the people who open the chamber. Traditional 'Deva Prashnam' should be conducted to please the deity, he felt. This is necessary because it is the belief of the people that opening of the chambers could invite the wrath of the Lord. Opening of the chambers without conducting the 'Deva Prashnam' would be contrary to the ageold custom and practice of the temple, senior advocate K K Venugopal appearing for the prince pointed out.

Source (http://expressbuzz.com/states/kerala/opening-vaults-could-invite-deity%E2%80%99s-wrath/294389.html)

http://img199.imageshack.us/img199/5550/sree2kk.jpg

Source : Kerala Kaumudi

http://img62.imageshack.us/img62/1338/sree2mv.jpg

Source : Metro Vaartha

http://img691.imageshack.us/img691/1633/sree4mm.jpghttp://img269.imageshack.us/img269/1746/sree5mm.jpg
Source : Metro Manorama

Finance Minister K.M. Mani told the Assembly on Thursday that the State government was willing to make additional allocations for the security of the riches at the Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple in Thiruvananthapuram.

Replying to the general discussion on the revised Budget for the current year, the Minister said an allocation of Rs.1 crore had already been made in the Budget for security arrangements at the temple. Earmarking the amount, Mr. Mani had said in his Budget speech that it was the duty and responsibility of the State to provide comprehensive security for the temple treasure.

Source (http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Thiruvananthapuram/article2227242.ece)

http://img810.imageshack.us/img810/4960/sree2mm.jpg

Source : Malayala Manorama

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qEbnQS77-TY

http://img823.imageshack.us/img823/4742/sree1kk.jpg

Source : Kerala Kaumudi

http://img853.imageshack.us/img853/2193/sreemm.jpg

Source : Malayala Manorama

More CCTVs will be installed at Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temple.
State Govt.is ready spend enough amount for the security arrangements in Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temple,says Kerala Chief Minister


http://img64.imageshack.us/img64/561/sree1mv.jpg

Source : Metro Vaartha

http://img809.imageshack.us/img809/5550/sree2kk.jpg

Source : Kerala Kaumudi

http://img809.imageshack.us/img809/7982/sree1mm.jpg

Source : Metro Manorama

May I request the Mods to clean up the thread title?

Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temple | Religious Complex may be appropriate. Thanks.

I support this, the current title is awfully long and busy!

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Almost three years back, when the digitisation of ‘mathilakom’ documents (related to Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temple) was taken up by the Archives Department, no one sounded upbeat about it. Other than the Archives men and a couple of historians, it became nobody’s concern. But with the Lord turning out to be the owner of a treasure trove, the interest in ‘mathilakom’ documents has suddenly shot up. However, this time, the Archives Department is a bit low on enthusiasm considering the fact that its demand for transliterators is still pending before the State Government .

The ‘mathilakom’ documents are mostly ‘churunas’, scrolls of palm-leaf documents in bundles of loose leaves. They are written in an ancient language which is a mixture of the scripts such as ‘Vattezhuthu’, ‘Kolezhuthu’, ‘Malayanma’ and Malayalam. Deciphering them is like puzzle decoding, which only the brightest of minds trained in transliteration can achieve.

Historians like M G Sasibhooshan and K N Panickar point out that without transliteration, the possibility of the details pertaining to the vaults in the temple and their contents, contained in one of the ‘mathilakom’ documents, would never see light. More than 11,000 such ‘churunas’ are preserved in the Central Archives near Fort, and some 3,000 ‘churunas’ among them are ‘mathilakom’ documents.

The Archives Department had chosen seven students, who had passed from the University College, Kariavattom, in Linguistics, given them in-house training in transliteration and engaged them in the task of creating an index of the documents. Initially, the transliteration, translation and digitisation were moving hand-in-hand; later, with the first job turning out to be more cumbersome, the Department went ahead with the digitisation of the ‘churunas’. And transliteration fell into a slow pace. With the contract period of the students getting over some months back, the whole exercise has now come to a standstill.

"Earlier, there were expert transliterators who were devoted to the job full time. Until lately, they were called in for minor services to the Department. But then, we began picking up candidates from the PSC list. It has created a dearth of expert hands,’’ said Gopalakrishnan, Superintendent of Central Archives.

It is known that the Government is pondering over a solution. "The Government has shown a positive approach to the digitisation project and we hope to have transliterators very soon in our service so that we can resume the transliteration and complete the digitisation. Our long-term aim is to publish the documents online too,’’ said J Rejikumar, Director of Archives Department.

The renovation of the Central Archives, which was the erstwhile Travancore Central Prison, is also on the cards, though it has been on hold for several months now. Last year, the Department had planned its renovation using Tourism funds, but nothing materialised. Now that the office and its dark shelves seating the abundant history of a bygone era have gained global attention, it is up to the State Government to shed lethargy and help in the process of discovering the real history of Travancore.

Source (http://expressbuzz.com/cities/thiruvananthapuram/urgent-need-to-decode-%E2%80%98mathilakom%E2%80%99-secrets/294602.html)

http://img202.imageshack.us/img202/2669/sree1.jpg

Source : Mathrubhumi

http://img34.imageshack.us/img34/2164/sree.jpg

Source : Mathrubhumi

http://img833.imageshack.us/img833/2164/sree.jpg

Source : Mathrubhumi

http://img688.imageshack.us/img688/2164/sree.jpg

Source : Mathrubhumi

http://img10.imageshack.us/img10/5605/17thtravancorecoi695738.jpg (http://img10.imageshack.us/i/17thtravancorecoi695738.jpg/)

(Travancore Coins from Beena Sarasan's Collection)

The antiquity of the priceless jewels and valuables found in the vaults of the Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple in Thiruvananthapuram in recent weeks can be assessed with the aid of the Mathilakam Records, and the stone inscriptions found on the eastern wall of the first prakara of the Kanyakumari temple. These records reveal that the precious articles are indeed offerings made to the temple over the centuries.

The earliest mention of an offering made to the Padmanabhaswamy temple is found in a 12th century inscription in the Kanyakumari temple (Travancore Archaeological Series, Volume 1, Page 49). It states that Parantaka Pandya “vanquished the Chera in battle” and levied a tribute from him. The king of the Kupakas (the Venad ruler) offered his daughter in marriage to Parantaka Pandya, who in turn set up 10 golden lamps to the God of the temple at Ananthasayanam (Thiruvananthapuram) and granted the village of Tayanallur towards their upkeep. This was not an isolated event. It was customary to make endowments and assign villages for their maintenance.

Thus, it is not surprising that over the centuries offerings made to the temple accumulated and reached fabulous proportions. Although most of the landed property was alienated, the fact that the gifted articles of immense value were guarded zealously over the centuries is a tribute to the honesty of the Venad/Travancore royal families and their traditional priests. It is also a testimony to their unflinching devotion to their deity.

Mathilakom Document No. CXXIV, Granthavari No.1, Ola No. 222, relating to 16th of Makaram, 861 Malayalam Era, or ME (AD 1686), describes a fire that consumed the Padmanabhaswamy temple. The temple was gutted and “gold, silver, copper, bronze, brass, iron, timber and stone burnt as one till the afternoon of the 17th.” However, the idol was saved, with minor damage. The text of this document is given as an Appendix to Volume 11 of the Travancore State Manual by T.K. Velu Pillai. The editor added the following important note: “The document continues with the details of the jewels of the deity which were kept locked in the ‘kallara' [vault]. This portion is left out.” It would appear that the contents of the vault were safe. This document in its entirety will throw light on the contents of the vault as of AD 1686. The editor wisely left out the details, apparently as a measure of security. This closely guarded secret is now practically in the open, posing a threat to the security of the contents.

Anizhom Thirunal Marthanda Varma, who ascended the throne in AD 1729, renovated the temple, which bore the scars of the fire of AD 1686. The details are provided by Princess Aswati Thirunal Gouri Lakshmi Bayi in her book, Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temple (Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, 1995). Thus the present structure of the temple is the result of Marthanda Varma's efforts. By AD 1749, Marthanda Varma's territory had extended from Kanyakumari to the limits of Cochin.

On the 5th of Makaram ME 925 (AD 1750), Marthanda Varma made over his whole kingdom to Perumal Sree Padmanabhaswamy and assumed its management as a vassal of the deity. He and his successors assumed the role and title of Sree Padmanabhadasa. History bears testimony to the fact that they lived up to this self-imposed role.

The coins struck immediately thereafter bore the device of the deity. One such copper coin was reportedly found in the Netherlands recently by a mine-detector pilot along with other material from the 18th and 19th centuries. Considering that Eustachius D'Lannoy, the Dutch commandant in the Battle of Colachel (AD 1741) who was captured by Marthanda Varma later, rose to become the commander-in-chief of the Travancore Army, it is not surprising that a coin depicting Sree Padmanabha found its way to the Netherlands.

During successive reigns, gold coins minted in Travancore were appropriately named Anantha Varahan and Anantha rayan panam. This was a departure from the then current Rasi and the Kaliyan panam, which owed their origin to neighbouring kingdoms. The silver double chuckram minted in AD 1810 bears the legend ‘Padmanabhan' in old Malayalam script. These coins are mentioned in the Mathilakom Records as coins found in the vanchika of the temple. Nagamaiya, in the Travancore State Manual, gives the Anantha Varahan the value Rs. 3-15-5 (or three rupees, 15 annas, five pice), but does not describe it. Therefore, until recently there was no means to identify the Anantha Varahan that was minted in Padmanabhapuram and Alleppey. However, Barbara Mears stumbled upon a line drawing of this coin with an article (The Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, Volume LII, Calcutta, 1883, Pages 35-55) by Major Bidie, who was the Superintendent of the Madras Museum: he had obtained two of the coins from the maharaja's treasury. This helped identify the Anantha Varahan (Studies in South Indian Coins, Volume XXI, Barbara Mears, Pages 81-86; Beena Sarasan, Pages 87-90).

The Mathilakom Records in the Kerala State Central Archives, Churuna No.1308, Ola No. 410, dated ME 968-8-16, provides the interesting information that on the occasion of minting the Anantha Varahan for the first time in Alleppey, Dewan Chempakaraman Kesava Perumal sent some panam as offering (kaanikka) to Sree Padmanabha Perumal, the deity at the Padmanabhaswamy temple. The same document gives the names of others who made such offerings. This includes the ruler – Sri Padmanabhadasa Balarama Varma Kulasekharaperumal.

More details of donations in the form of coins are available in the Mathilakom Records. For example, Volume 60, Page 102, shows that on ME 952-9-9, the following coins were found in the vanchika: Kaliyan, Old Kaliyan, Kozhikode Panam, Rasi, Madurakali, Kanthirayan Panam, Gopali Chakram, and so on. Volume 8, Page 175 gives the list of coins counted on ME 952-11-9. Again, on ME 976-6-27, Velu Thampy Dalava, along with Thrippapur Mootha Tiruvadi, offered 11 Paranki varahan (Churuna 128, Ola 218). Thus, the treasures now found in the vaults are those offered to Sree Padmanabhaswamy and that accumulated over the centuries. The earliest recorded gift was that of Parantaka Pandya in AD 12th century.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article2233694.ece

^^

Efforts are under way for inclusion of the Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple in the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage List.

The move comes in the wake of discovery of staggering hoards of gold coins, jewels and gem-encrusted statues in the vaults of the 16th century temple, making it one of country's wealthiest places of worship. With ancient works of art in stone and bronze, murals and wood carvings, the temple is a fine specimen of the Dravidian style of architecture.

The government will take the initiative to get the World Heritage tag for the temple once the request comes from the trust that manages the day-to-day affairs of the temple. Official sources told The Hindu that the government was hopeful that the request in this regard would be included in the suggestions that would be submitted by the trust that has Uthradom Tirunal Marthanda Varma, head of the royal family of erstwhile Travancore, at its helm.

UNESCO seeks to encourage the identification, protection, and preservation of cultural and natural heritage around the world considered to be of outstanding value to humanity. This is embodied in an international treaty – Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage – adopted by UNESCO in 1972. To be included on the World Heritage List, sites must be of outstanding universal value and meet at least one of 10 selection criteria.

“It is a most deserving and fit case to get the UNESCO's World Heritage tag. The temple has a blend of Kerala and Dravidian architecture and at the same time is simple when compared to temples such as the one in Madurai,” historian M.G. Sasibhushan said.

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-kerala/article2235139.ece

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: BJP national secretary and in-charge of party affairs in Kerala Muralidhar Rao has said that evil forces should not be allowed to take away the fabulous wealth of Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple as in the case of Somnath temple in Gujarat happened centuries ago.

Inaugurating the BJP State Committee meeting here on Saturday, Rao said that the temple got national and international attention after the finding of wealth from the temple vaults, prompting foreigners to think that India was still classified as a developing country owing to poor policy framework and maladministration.

‘’The wealth in the temple was not generated through any kind of exploitation. All the valuables were the offering made to the deity by the devotees,” he said.

The BJP takes a stand that all the wealth found in the vaults belongs to Sree Padmanabhaswamy, the presiding deity of the temple, considering it as a juridical person.

‘‘Hence, there should not be any debate on the utilisation of wealth considering it as a private property and kept at the temple itself,” he clarified.

Praising the Travancore Royal family for their integrity and devotion to their family deity, Rao said that the rulers always knew of their riches, yet never touched them and ensured that the valuables remained safe and added to the collection over centuries. ‘’Following the merger of the states, the Travancore King was accorded the title of Raja Pramukh. But, he preferred to be known as Padmanabha Dasa,” he pointed out.
Source (http://expressbuzz.com/cities/thiruvananthapuram/evil-forces-won%E2%80%99t-be-allowed-to-touch-wealth/295020.html)

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: T P Sundarrajan, whose legal battle led to the opening of the long-shut vaults of the Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple here where priceless treasures have been found, died in the wee hours today.

A bachelor, Sundarrajan was 70. He had been suffering from fever for the last two days, relatives said.

A former Indian Police Service (IPS) officer, Sundarrajan had also served in the Intelligence Bureau and security staff of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. He later quit IPS and settled down here.

It was Sundrrajan who initiated the legal battle for transparency in preservation and protection of the assets of the temple, managed by a trust under the erstwhile Travancore royal house.

The case took a decisive turn with the Kerala High Court in February ordering the state take over the temple.

Later, the Supreme Court, while considering an appeal by the trustees, ordered interim stay of the High Court decision but asked the temple cellars to be opened and the priceless wealth stored there, whose value was believed to be over Rs one lakh crore, to be inventoried.

Following this, a seven-member panel of observers including two former Judges of the Kerala High Court was formed to go about the job of opening the secret chambers.

Sundarrajan, whose father was a legal advisor to Travancore royal family, had been staying in a house close to the temple complex for the last few decades.

The Supreme Court had on Friday reserved its interim orders on the question of permitting inventory of one more vault of the temple which is yet to be opened.

Source (http://expressbuzz.com/states/kerala/petitioner-in-kerala-temple-vault-case-dies/295061.html)

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ASIANET NAMMAL THAMMIL ON Sreepadmanabhaswami Temple Treasure

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Restriction for Vehicles at Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temple,Thiruvananthapuram

http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/8721/sreet.jpg

Source : Madhyamam

The News came last week in Suvarna News

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http://img199.imageshack.us/img199/4487/18thopedtss696433f.jpg (http://img199.imageshack.us/i/18thopedtss696433f.jpg/)


The Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple in Thiruvananthapuram, which is in the news with the discovery of treasures in its vaults, is an imaginative amalgam of the Dravidian and Kerala architectural styles. If the structure of the sanctum sanctorum, the Dhwaja Sthambham and the Chuttambalam characterise the Kerala style, the influence of the neighbouring Tamil country is visible elsewhere — the wall of the sanctum of the Sree Krishna shrine has Tamil Vattezhuthu inscriptions dating to 1375 CE; the gopuram over the eastern entrance has hundreds of stucco figures, reflecting the Vijayanagara style of architecture; the stunning sculptures in the Kulasekhara mandapam and on the pillars of the rectangular prakara are by sculptors of the Madurai Nayaka period and in the vimana over the sanctum. It is a daring, dramatic fusion. This befits a temple where the presiding deity, Vishnu, reclines on a snake, in a rare depiction.

While no definitive age can be ascribed to the temple, popular belief is that Divakara Muni, a Tulu Brahmin hermit, built it centuries ago.

The Tamil Vaishnavite saint Nammalvar, of the Ninth century CE, sang 11 verses in praise of the “Annalaar [Lord] of Ananthapuram, who is reclining on a snake.” This establishes that the temple came into prominence before the Ninth century CE. While Nammalvar's references to “Annalar” are unambiguous, a reference in Silappadhikaram, the Tamil epic of the Second century CE, has brought forth different interpretations. Some scholars argue that “Adaga maadathu ari thuyil amarthon” denotes the reclining Vishnu at “adaga maadam,” which is the present-day Thiruvananthapuram. Mr. S. Padmanabhan, founder of the Kanyakumari Historical and Cultural Research Centre in Nagercoil, concurs. Other scholars say “adaga maadam” merely means golden temple.

The temple complex, situated on seven acres, is enclosed by fort walls. In the sanctum is “sayanamurthy,” stretched out on the serpent-couch Anantha. From Vishnu's navel rises a lotus that has Brahma seated on it. Vishnu's dangling right hand touches a Siva linga. The reclining image and the serpent consist of a wooden core covered with lime plaster and katu-sarkara, which is a mix of herbs. As many as 12,008 salagramams, sacred stones found on the bed of the Gantaki river in Nepal, are embedded in the idol. Abhishekam (libations poured on the image of the deity) is not performed on it so as to keep the katu-sarkara intact.
Similarity with Tiruvattar temple

Dr. R. Nagaswamy, a former Director of the Tamil Nadu Archaeology Department, and Mr. Padmanabhan, point to the striking similarity between this temple and the Adikesava Perumal temple at Tiruvattar in Kanyakumari district, in terms of plan and internal arrangement. Both are dedicated to Vishnu in the seshasayee pose. Tiruvattar is the older of the two. According to Mr. Padmanabhan, the Tiruvattar temple is also called Adhi Ananthaswamy temple.

The Tiruvattar temple does not have anything like the Padmanabhaswamy temple's Kulasekhara mandapam with sculptures belonging to the late Nayaka period, said Dr. Nagaswamy.

Mr. M.G. Sasibhooshan, cultural historian and archaeologist, said the Tiruvattar temple has beautiful granite sculptures and Deepa Lakshmis in the Sivelipura and in the Balipeedam mandapam. It has two small gopurams at the eastern and western entrance points, built in typical Kerala style. While the length of the reclining Vishnu in Tiruvattar is 18 feet, the length of the Ananthasayee at Thiruvananthapuram is 16 feet, he said.

Mr. H. Sarkar, in An Architectural Survey of the Temples of Kerala (Archaeological Survey of India, 1978), says that Padmanabhaswamy was the tutelary deity of the Ay kings (whose ancestry goes back to the Tamil Sangam age) and that the temples in Thiruvananthapuram and Tiruvattar are monuments of the Ay dynasty. Both the Venad and Travancore kings, who ruled the southern part of what is now Kerala, patronised these temples. In fact, Tiruvattar fell under the suzerainty of the Travancore kingdom, which, at one stage, ruled a stretch from Kollam in present-day Kerala to Kanyakumari and the Tamiraparani river belt in what is now Tamil Nadu.

There is a row of three doors to the sanctum of the Padmanabhaswamy temple that allow one to see the deity's face and the five-headed serpent, the lotus flower with Brahma seated on it and the feet, all separately.

In front of the sanctum is the “Ottakkal (single stone) mandapam,” a massive platform fashioned out of a block of granite, which has pillars with carvings. “The ceiling is pure artistry in itself and is made of well-seasoned wood, abounding in carvings,” says Aswathi Thirunal Gouri Lakshmi Bayi, a member of the Travancore royal family, in her book Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temple (Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, 1995).

The credit for erecting the platform goes to the King Anizhom Thirunal Marthanda Varma, the maker of modern Travancore, during whose reign (1729-1758 CE) the temple got its present shape. Writes Gouri Lakshmi Bayi: “The work on this platform was started and completed under the direct supervision of Sree Anizhom Thirunal Marthanda Varma in 1731 AD. It took the tireless efforts of a huge task force comprising men, horses and elephants for 42 days to bring the stone from Thirumala, a hill in the city, to the temple.” This huge block of granite was somehow transported across the Karamana river.The temple has shrines dedicated to Ganesha, Narasimha, Krishna, Kshetrapalan and Sastha. The walls of the main sanctum and those of Krishna and Kshetrapalan have a wealth of murals, mostly of Krishna Leela scenes.

The sculptures in the Kulasekhara mandapam and hundreds of sculptures of Deepa Lakshmis and carvings on the pillars of the covered prakara are by sculptors of the late Nayaka period (18th century) of Madurai. The 100-foot-tall gopuram is dated to the 16th century CE of the Vijayanagara period. The life-size sculptures in the Kulasekhara mandapam are of Nataraja performing ananda tandava and urthva thandava, the highly ornamented Rathi and Manmatha, gypsies, the lion-headed Vyalas, Anusuya with a ladle, musical pillars and so on. All these have an uncanny resemblance to the sculptures at the Meenakshi temple in Madurai, the Nellaippar temple in Tirunelveli and the Vishnu temple at Krishnapuram near Tirunelveli.

Gouri Lakshmi Bayi calls the Kulasekhara mandapam “an extravaganza in stone” and a “living wonder of the granite sculptures, a lavish expression of pure poetry in stone.” Karthika Thirunal Rama Varma succeeded Anizhom Thirunal in 1758 CE. Karthika Thirunal built the mandapam to commemorate his receiving the title of Kulasekhara Perumal. Sculptors from the Tamil-speaking areas (such as present-day Tirunelveli and Tuticorin districts) of old Travancore, and Mootha Panikkar Thottathu Ashari of what is now Kerala, contributed to the work.

The prakara, Sivelipura in Malayalam, has hundreds of Deepa Lakshmi sculptures on the granite pillars, and superb carvings of Hanuman, warriors, danseuses, couples in erotic poses, male practitioners of martial arts, and so on. The granite slabs that form the ceiling have snakes, fish and turtles carved on them. Anizhom Thirunal was the architect of the Sivelipura. The artisans were from Tamil country.
Which style?

Mr. Sarkar, in his book, does not shy away from raising the question whether the Tiruvattar temple and the Padmanabhaswamy temple were built in Dravida or Dravida-Kerala style of architecture. “The question that remains to be answered is whether they were built in Dravida or Dravida-Kerala style,” he says. “Frankly speaking, it is difficult to settle the issue,” he adds. “But if the present form is any indication, then both were built in the indigenous Kerala style...”

Gouri Lakshmi Bayi's assessment is this: “The typical Kerala features are underlined by the structure of the Sreekovil (sanctum sanctorum), the Chuttambalam, the Belikkal area, the Dhwaja Sthambham and the Chuttu Vilakku or encircling lamps and the Thirumuttam (sacred open courtyards) while the Dravidian style is projected by the huge gopuram (tower) abounding with figures and projections. The Tamil character is only natural as south Travancore had close cultural affinity with nearby Tamil Nadu regions. Moreover, many parts of southern Tamil Nadu incuding Tirunelveli were very often under the rule of the Travancore kings. Marthanda Varma himself had grown up in south Travancore and was well exposed to the Tamil influence. As such, the blending of the Tamil culture in the temple construction was unavoidable and inevitable…Since this temple too came directly under the temple tradition set down by the Namboodiri Brahmins of Kerala, it was able to retain its basic originality even though the Dravidian ideas and influences inspired its structural patterns…”

The Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple is indeed an eclectic edifice.

http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/article2236138.ece

^^Thanks for the photo. It's very rare to see the inside because of the restrictions.

dvocate T.P. Sundar Rajan Iyengar, whose petition led to the discovery of the immense wealth in the Sree Padmanabha Swamy temple, died with the feeling of having accomplished a mission.

One of his family members is now likely to proceed with the case relating to the temple assets.

Mr Chandrankutty, a close associate and fifth petitioner in the case, said that when they expressed concern over his deteriorating health, Mr Sunder Rajan said; “Why are you worried? Haven’t we achieved our aim? Now God Almighty will look after everything.”

With the death of main petitioner, his counsel in the Supreme Court, Mr Vipin Nair, is contemplating various options to proceed with the present case related to greater transparency in the management of temple assets.

Mr Vipin told Deccan Chronicle that they would be trying to substitute a close family member to pursue the case in the apex court.

“There are many respondents in the cases connected with the Sree Padmanabha Swamy temple issue and we are not ruling out anything at this stage,’’ he said while refusing to elaborate further.

He, however, said a decision on the issue would be taken on the future course of action within a day or two.

Those close to him said that Mr Sundar Rajan was a courageous person and was undaunted by the threats he received for pursuing the temple case.

Despite being urged by relatives and well wishers, he also did not agree to be hospitalised. He told them that since the objective had been achieved there was nothing to worry about.

Source (http://www.deccanchronicle.com/channels/cities/kochi/litigant%E2%80%99s-family-may-pursue-temple-case-408)

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:nuts: :lol: :bash:

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:nuts: :lol: :bash:

Avakasham paranju varunu... Trivandrum pandu tamilnadu inae bhagam aya polae allae evanmaru parayunae

Avakasham paranju varunu... Trivandrum pandu tamilnadu inae bhagam aya polae allae evanmaru parayunae

Adichumaatiyathu avaralle Aralvamozhi varayulla sthalam.
Plight of the people there is that they are neither treated Tamilians nor Keralite....pity.
If they want they can join back to Kerala.

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:nuts: :lol: :bash:

These guys are really clueless, just leave it as such.

NBoRakNa1YA

gPRGDHEVn84

http://img215.imageshack.us/img215/2791/unled1gz.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/215/unled1gz.jpg/)

Metro Manorama

http://img543.imageshack.us/img543/1678/unledhlw.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/543/unledhlw.jpg/)

http://img560.imageshack.us/img560/9934/1unled.png (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/560/1unled.png/)

Collection of books more valuable than treasure:ONV Kurup

Metro Manorama

‘B’ vault: devotees fear the worst


THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The unexpected death of Advocate T P Sunder Rajan seems to have intensified the demand for holding a ‘Deva Prasnam’ before opening the ‘B vault’ in the Padmanabha Swamy Temple. The demand raised by the Travancore royal family before the Supreme Court found new supporters on Sunday and Monday.


‘’All the property of the temple belongs to Lord Padmanabha. Before touching those assets, we must obtain the permission of the Lord. For that the only way is to conduct a ‘deva prasnam’,’’ said Gopalakrishnan Potty, former ‘Periya Nambi’ of the temple. He said gold was one of the favourite offerings of the Lord and that might be how so much gold and jewels accumulated in the temple. Devotees who know about the preference of the Lord, had placed gold and jewels as their offering on his feet.

Vasthu acharya K Muraleedharan Nair, who is the president of Vasthu Sasthra Vigjana Peedam, said it would be better if those who venture out to open the vaults do a rethink. ‘’It is ideal that we keep the B vault locked. The treasures stored in that vault, which is below the Head of the deity, are protected by taming micro natural forces. Tantric experts who kept it safe their might have done this. If one dares to open that vault, it will trigger a series of troubles,’’ warned Nair.

‘’It will be foolish to open the lock of B vault using a gas cutter,’’ he added.

Those who listed the bad omens that became visible after the whole episode began said the mother of one of the observers died and the leg of another observer got injured after the operation began. ‘’Everybody in the temple knows this old story of the ill fate of the three persons who ventured to open one of the vaults a few years ago. All of them died within months,’’ said Nair.

According to him, the concept of ‘Perumal (the Emperor)’ is what takes Padmanabha Swamy, Tirupathi Venkitachalapathi and Sree Ranganathan to a different league. Emperors are used to be fond of gold and jewels and so do Gods who take the Perumal form. ‘’There is an invaluable treasure of jewels kept inside the Sree Ranga temple in Tamil Nadu. It is an offering by the Chola and Chera kings,’’ said Nair. Same is the case with Tirumala Tirupathi Devasthanam.

There are interesting anecdotes about Lord Padmanabha’s penchant for gold.

‘’One day I placed a new gold ring given by a devotee at the feet of the deity for ‘pooja’. While I was doing ‘pooja’, it disappeared. I frantically searched for it, but couldn’t find it anywhere. I broke down as my integrity would have been questioned by the devotee. I prayed hard and wept on His feet. After some time, the ring came back to the spot where I had originally placed it,’’ said a priest who had earlier served at the temple.

Old people around the Fort recall myths such as opening the B vault would prove disastrous as it would trigger a flood.

Though rationalists claim that these myths were planted as deterrents to protect the wealth of the temple, believers stick on to them.


http://expressbuzz.com/cities/thiruvananthapuram/‘b’-vault-devotees-fear-the-worst/295512.html

Now that the Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Thiruvananthapuram has had a windfall, one idea of using the wealth would be to build India's first truly outstanding university.

It is not a routine event that a Hindu temple — or anywhere else — would discover $22 billion (approximately Rs.98,000 crore) buried in the basement. Now that the Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Thiruvananthapuram, the capital of the Indian State of Kerala, has this windfall, everyone is suggesting ways of using the funds. Here is one idea that would make a real contribution to India and to the State of Kerala and is much in keeping with the mission of developing culture, science, and civilisation: build India's first truly world-class university.

Surprisingly, India, despite its rapidly growing economy and its long tradition of intellectual excellence, does not possess a world-class university — no existing university scores highly in the rankings and none of the institutions are considered top level globally. Only the Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT)and the Indian Institutes of Management (IIM) are well known, but they are not universities. Establishing a world-class university would not take all of the available funds, and of course all items of religious or historical value would need to be preserved — in a museum related to the university. Perhaps $200 million (approximately Rs.900 crore) can be used to build a top-level campus in Thiruvananthapuram, seat of the former Travancore kingdom — and another $8 billion (approximately Rs.35,000 crore) set aside for an endowment that would conservatively yield (at a seven per cent payout) about $560,000,000 (Rs.2,500 crore) annually for operating the university. That would leave more than half the current estimate of the temple's worth to keep or spend for other purposes.
Catering for many purposes

Sree Padmanabhaswamy University would serve several important purposes at once. A world-class institution would provide a model for higher education in India and the developing world. The university would contribute to Kerala's economy and indeed jump-start key fields, such as information technology and biotech.

Kerala is the ideal place for a world-class university. It calls itself “God's own Country” for good reasons. A pleasant and green environment is combined with decent infrastructure, and the society lacks many of the tensions found elsewhere in India. The State has good links with the rest of the world through the Gulf. Kerala has universal literacy, and 18 per cent of young people access higher education — double the Indian average.

What would Kerala's world-class university look like?

Just as important as financing a top university are the ideas behind it. Sree Padmanabhaswamy University will be, in virtually all respects, un-Indian. It will be neither public nor private but rather independent and controlled by a public trust linked to the temple and to civil society in Kerala. Its controlling trustees would be chosen from among these groups and would include the most senior member of the Travancore royal family, with some additional distinguished international educators. Similar to the great private universities in the United States, Sree Padmanabhaswamy University would have an independent board of trustees. Its funding will be assured by its endowment, although tuition would be charged to students who could afford it, and income might be earned through research contracts. Additional philanthropy will be encouraged. The university would be free of the politics and bureaucracy that are so stifling to India's public universities. And it will be free of the for-profit motives or the capriciousness of business moguls who control some of the new private universities.

The university would be international in vision and scope. Professors and students would come from around the country and the world. The university's endowment would finance both salaries and scholarships that, while they might not match the richest universities in America or Europe, would be attractive.

The curriculum and focus would be consciously international. At the same time, the university would stress issues of importance to Kerala, South India, and the subcontinent. Sree Padmanabhaswamy University would not, like many recent efforts globally to establish world-class institutions, focus only on the sciences. It would be a comprehensive university, choosing carefully those fields in which it could excel. Some subjects of clear importance to the economy of the State and region — including information technology, some fields of agriculture, and perhaps some areas of biotech. Because of the university's link to the temple, it would aim to be the top university in the world in the study of Hinduism and Indian religions; and because it is in Kerala, which has large populations of Hindus, Muslims, and Christians, it could cultivate an interreligious dialogue. The university would also focus on the history, art, and society of Kerala and South India. Foci will be chosen carefully, and faculty strength built deliberately to create strategic strength and distinction.

Governance and management for the world-class university

Governance is central to any university. Sree Padmanabhaswamy University's academic staff should be central to making key academic decisions. At the same time, world-class universities must be effectively managed, and top university leaders should have significant control over strategic decisions. The university's vice chancellor, deans, and other key leaders will be chosen for their talent and leadership capacity — and not because of personal connections.
Meritocratic

The university must be a fully meritocratic institution. Both faculty and students would be chosen for their academic quality. Academic staff, once hired, will be carefully evaluated for their teaching and research over a period of years, prior to being given permanent appointments. Students will be chosen on merit and without the strict constraints of the reservation system — although able students from disadvantaged groups could be given some special consideration — and provided with scholarship and bursary assistance and academic support.

India has a unique opportunity to establish a world-class university with some of the unparalleled resources of Kerala's Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple — using the best international practices and focusing on the needs of Kerala and South India in an international context. The chance to build a world-class university free of the constraints of a bureaucratised system is unique. Higher education is very much in Kerala's traditions, and the State is a logical place for a well-funded university, far from the distractions and politics of New Delhi.

(Philip G. Altbach is Monan professor of higher education and director of the Center for International Higher Education at Boston College, U.S. He has been an Erudite Scholar of the Government of Kerala.)

http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/article2259992.ece

Very good thought; most of us are thinking sameway; an international university in TVM..But we may face dozens hartal. strike etc for this

http://img560.imageshack.us/img560/9971/img1813f.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/560/img1813f.jpg/)

http://img850.imageshack.us/img850/5855/img1805n.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/850/img1805n.jpg/)


Source http://blog.hirschi.se/

Now that the Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Thiruvananthapuram has had a windfall, one idea of using the wealth would be to build India's first truly outstanding university.

It is not a routine event that a Hindu temple — or anywhere else — would discover $22 billion (approximately Rs.98,000 crore) buried in the basement. Now that the Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Thiruvananthapuram, the capital of the Indian State of Kerala, has this windfall, everyone is suggesting ways of using the funds. Here is one idea that would make a real contribution to India and to the State of Kerala and is much in keeping with the mission of developing culture, science, and civilisation: build India's first truly world-class university.

Surprisingly, India, despite its rapidly growing economy and its long tradition of intellectual excellence, does not possess a world-class university — no existing university scores highly in the rankings and none of the institutions are considered top level globally. Only the Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT)and the Indian Institutes of Management (IIM) are well known, but they are not universities. Establishing a world-class university would not take all of the available funds, and of course all items of religious or historical value would need to be preserved — in a museum related to the university. Perhaps $200 million (approximately Rs.900 crore) can be used to build a top-level campus in Thiruvananthapuram, seat of the former Travancore kingdom — and another $8 billion (approximately Rs.35,000 crore) set aside for an endowment that would conservatively yield (at a seven per cent payout) about $560,000,000 (Rs.2,500 crore) annually for operating the university. That would leave more than half the current estimate of the temple's worth to keep or spend for other purposes.
Catering for many purposes

Sree Padmanabhaswamy University would serve several important purposes at once. A world-class institution would provide a model for higher education in India and the developing world. The university would contribute to Kerala's economy and indeed jump-start key fields, such as information technology and biotech.

Kerala is the ideal place for a world-class university. It calls itself “God's own Country” for good reasons. A pleasant and green environment is combined with decent infrastructure, and the society lacks many of the tensions found elsewhere in India. The State has good links with the rest of the world through the Gulf. Kerala has universal literacy, and 18 per cent of young people access higher education — double the Indian average.

What would Kerala's world-class university look like?

Just as important as financing a top university are the ideas behind it. Sree Padmanabhaswamy University will be, in virtually all respects, un-Indian. It will be neither public nor private but rather independent and controlled by a public trust linked to the temple and to civil society in Kerala. Its controlling trustees would be chosen from among these groups and would include the most senior member of the Travancore royal family, with some additional distinguished international educators. Similar to the great private universities in the United States, Sree Padmanabhaswamy University would have an independent board of trustees. Its funding will be assured by its endowment, although tuition would be charged to students who could afford it, and income might be earned through research contracts. Additional philanthropy will be encouraged. The university would be free of the politics and bureaucracy that are so stifling to India's public universities. And it will be free of the for-profit motives or the capriciousness of business moguls who control some of the new private universities.

The university would be international in vision and scope. Professors and students would come from around the country and the world. The university's endowment would finance both salaries and scholarships that, while they might not match the richest universities in America or Europe, would be attractive.

The curriculum and focus would be consciously international. At the same time, the university would stress issues of importance to Kerala, South India, and the subcontinent. Sree Padmanabhaswamy University would not, like many recent efforts globally to establish world-class institutions, focus only on the sciences. It would be a comprehensive university, choosing carefully those fields in which it could excel. Some subjects of clear importance to the economy of the State and region — including information technology, some fields of agriculture, and perhaps some areas of biotech. Because of the university's link to the temple, it would aim to be the top university in the world in the study of Hinduism and Indian religions; and because it is in Kerala, which has large populations of Hindus, Muslims, and Christians, it could cultivate an interreligious dialogue. The university would also focus on the history, art, and society of Kerala and South India. Foci will be chosen carefully, and faculty strength built deliberately to create strategic strength and distinction.

Governance and management for the world-class university

Governance is central to any university. Sree Padmanabhaswamy University's academic staff should be central to making key academic decisions. At the same time, world-class universities must be effectively managed, and top university leaders should have significant control over strategic decisions. The university's vice chancellor, deans, and other key leaders will be chosen for their talent and leadership capacity — and not because of personal connections.
Meritocratic

The university must be a fully meritocratic institution. Both faculty and students would be chosen for their academic quality. Academic staff, once hired, will be carefully evaluated for their teaching and research over a period of years, prior to being given permanent appointments. Students will be chosen on merit and without the strict constraints of the reservation system — although able students from disadvantaged groups could be given some special consideration — and provided with scholarship and bursary assistance and academic support.

India has a unique opportunity to establish a world-class university with some of the unparalleled resources of Kerala's Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple — using the best international practices and focusing on the needs of Kerala and South India in an international context. The chance to build a world-class university free of the constraints of a bureaucratised system is unique. Higher education is very much in Kerala's traditions, and the State is a logical place for a well-funded university, far from the distractions and politics of New Delhi.

(Philip G. Altbach is Monan professor of higher education and director of the Center for International Higher Education at Boston College, U.S. He has been an Erudite Scholar of the Government of Kerala.)

http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/article2259992.ece

Philip G. Altbach is a Christian,he doesn't understand the beliefs of Hindus.
These are whole hearted donations or kanikka given to the God/Lord by the wealthy.They don't even count when they donate to THE GOD.
The wealth of Churches and Mosques and foriegn funding they recieve for such activities are very much higher than this.Why can't it be used for creation of University ?
The temple donations is not the inheritance of anyone .This could be perhaps one of the last existing symbols of our glorious past - Mavelinaad.Once this is sold out,we needn't claim any thing like heritage.It will vanish as happened in Aadikeshava Temple or Sri Rangam temple.Studying indian history will be termed as Saffronism in india but,i am happy to know that Germans are doing very good reasearch on subject called Indology,because they still value the aryan link of the past.Creating such a University is the first safe method to pilfer the wealth.

EE KAASHU VACHU UNIVERSITY UNDAKKIYITTU VENAM ATHONNU MATTORU STHALATHEKKU HIJACK CHEYYAN,.......LIKE IIT,SANSKRIT UNIVERSITY,MEDICAL UNIVERSITY,SCTMS,AGRICULTURAL UNIVERSITY.

Sad to say that archeology department,which had put a claim on the temple donation did very little effort to decipher the Mathilakam Records,which is supposed to be their basic work.History of Travancore is a forklore in traditional families of Thuckalay,Marthandam,Kuzhthurai,Thiruvattar,Kolachel....it can be less heard in Trivandrum.During devaprashnam of my family diety in Kuzhithurai a few years back,i came to hear the folklore of Ettuveetil Pillai family and Marthanda Varma.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Thiruvananthapuram chapter of the Kshatriya Kshema Sabha has opined that the huge amounts of wealth unearthed from the vaults of Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temple should be held at the temple itself. In a list of suggestions submitted to Marthanda Varma, Head of the Travancore Royal Family, on dealing with the temple wealth, the Kshatriya Kshema Sabha said that the Temple Trust, in its present form, should continue to own and maintain the wealth.

The Sabha has also suggested that the Central government should, through an appropriate decree, declare Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temple Complex as a high-security zone, on
par with, or above, the Golden temple at Amritsar.

A strong security plan must be devised and executed by experts and the Government should declare an aerial no-fly zone above the temple, the list says.

The Sabha also points out that since the entire temple represents a blend of Dravidian and Kerala Architecture, the city should be declared as a World Heritage Site. With enhanced security systems in place, the Kuthiramalika Museum should be expanded to include selected artefacts that have been recorded recently.

The list of suggestions also talks about how the Tourism Department should capitalise on the world-wide exposure received to improve connectivity of Thiruvananthapuram and on how the revenue generated from the Museum and tourism can be used to pay back expenditure.

http://expressbuzz.com/cities/thiruvananthapuram/temple-wealth-kshatriya-sabha%E2%80%99s-suggestions/295837.html

Thiruvananthapuram: While discovery of huge treasures from vaults of the famed Padmanabhaswamy temple in Kerala's capital has revived interest in history and culture of Travancore, a silent film made in 1933 focussing on a turbulent phase in the princely state's history has been taken out of the box where it has been lying unseen for decades.

The film, which tells the story of Anizham Tirunal Marthanda Varama (1706-1758), creator of modern Travancore, also has prefixed to it rare footage of the 'arattu festival' shot in 1930s; perhaps the only motion picture documentation of the temple and its customs as existed in the early 20th century.

Titled Marthandavarma, it is an adaptation of the famous novel by Malayalam's literary icon C V Raman Pillai, published in 1891.
The literary classic, which followed the style of 'historical romances' of English novelist Walter Scott, narrates the story of Marthanda Varma, who renovated the temple in the present form and dedicated his kingdom to the presiding deity and declared himself and his descendants to be 'Padmanabhadasas' (servants of Lord Padmanabha).
His assumption of power was preceded by a gory phase of power struggle and civil war in Travancore as he had to suppress open rebellion by a clique of powerful Nair chieftains, the 'Ettuveettil Pillamar', who wanted a puppet to be enthroned in place of a farsighted statesman of great courage like Mathanda Varma.
According to Dr M K P Nair, general secretary of Filca film society, the movie version was made by R Sundararaj in 1933 and directed by south Indian film veteran P V Rao.
The 110-minute film, however, was jinxed right from the day of release as its fate was to remain canned after running into a legal suit over title rights claimed by the publisher of the novel.
Decades later in 1974, the lone surviving print was traced by former Curator of National Film Archives P K Nair and preserved in the Pune archives.
Recently, a DVD version was made and screened, after eight decades, at the Filca international film festival held here a couple of months back, Nair said.
"It was an absorbing, full-length feature film that can be enjoyed scene by scene without getting bored. English subtitles were added recently to enable viewers unfamiliar with the history of Travancore follow the storyline easily," he said.
The film has one of the earliest documentaries in Indian motion picture history with a 10 minute sequence showing the 'arattu procession' of the temple with the last Maharaja of Travancore, Chithira Tirunal Balarama Varma, leading soldiers, policemen and officials with a raised sword.
The documentation provides vivid scenes of streets around the temple, the vast pond in front and the whole fortified area where the temple and allied buildings are located.
Nair said the film was screened only a single day at the then Capitol theatre in Thiruvananthapuram as the very next day screening was stopped through a court order and the print confiscated after a title suit filed by the novel's publisher.
When retraced, some part of the print was damaged beyond repair and the remaining part in brittle shape.It was taken to the National Film Archives and restored and preserved with the help of modern technology. "Perhaps this is one of the very few Indian films of the silent era whose prints have survived the ravages of time," Dr Nair said.
Balagopalan, freelance film historian and antique buff, said it is an interesting film not simply due to its antiquity, but due to powerful portrayal of characters and vivid narration of situations.
It was also the first time a Malayalam literary classic had its movie version and the director had taken great care to do justice to the original as narrated by Raman Pillai.
It offers glimpses of state craft, power struggles and intrigues of the day as well as martial art forms and costumes of men and women in the 18th century. It also throws valuable insight into the lifestyle of not only royals and nobles of the day, but also the common man, Balagopalan said.


http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/silent-film-shows-procession-at-famous-kerala-temple-120662&cp

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: What has hauled the royal family of erstwhile Travancore into the vortex of awe-induced speculations, post the unearthing of treasure troves from Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple, is the apparent collapse of the theory of greed.

‘All people act in their own interest’ - Adam Smith had famously stated in Wealth of Nations. And the world is left baffled trying to figure out why the theory had failed to work, or to put it more plainly, what had prevented the descendants of the kingdom from procuring all or parts of the untold wealth.

The subterranean vaults were unknown to the outside world, there was hardly any precise inventory of the contents, and the kingdom had passed through tough times after the colonial powers had set in with their strangulating clutch.

On the 20th death anniversary of the last ruling Maharaja of Travancore, Sri Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma, which falls on July 19, the controversy surrounding the reliquary demands a scrutiny from the dimension of restraint and abstinence Chithira Thirunal, descendant of the mighty Chera rulers, had not inherited a powerful kingdom.

In 1931, when he was crowned as the King of Travancore, the princely state was reeling under the inroads of British imperialism. By 1932, the state, like the rest of the world, had begun to feel the pinch of economic depression.The story assumes the colours of austerity when it comes to be known that the secret vaults were last opened in 1931 when the King, who must have just crossed his teenage, assumed charge of an ailing kingdom.Though stories abound on the possible reasons for the opening of the vaults, historians are unified in their opinion that the proceedings had no connections with the economic affairs of the state.

Says M G Sasibhooshan, “Among the secret chambers, the one that was probably opened in 1931 was Chamber A. The purpose was most probably to do a stock-taking of the contents as part of Chithira Thirunal’s accession to the throne. There is no evidence for the riches being used to meet the expenses of the exchequer.”

The only two times that the wealth was culled out were during times of war and famine. Tipu Sultan had attacked Travancore in 1789 during the reign of Karthika Thirunal Rama Varma (1758-1798), popularly known as Dharma Raja.To meet the expenses of waging a war against the marauding forces of Mysore, the King is said to have borrowed from the riches, dedicated to the Lord by his ancestors. “And it was promptly repaid after peace was restored in the Kingdom,” adds Sasibhooshan.

Later, when a severe famine hit the state during the reign of Rama Varma Visakham Thirunal (1880–1885), the vaults were opened again and for the last time till Chithira Thirunal did so in 1931. But this time, though the riches were diverted towards arranging food supply for the masses, it was widely rumoured that a curse had descended upon the kingdom, says historian Malayinkeezhu Gopalakrishnan.

“Superstitious beliefs in the curse surrounding relics may have led to the spreading of such stories. But, it was believed that the passing of the power into the hands of colonial rulers was an aftermath of the opening of the vaults.”

Chithira Thirunal had witnessed the opening of the vaults in 1931, if the account of Emily Gilchrist Hatch, who penned, Travancore: A guide book for the visitor, in 1933, is to be believed. The wealth remaining in the Lord’s abode for all these years ought to be read alongside the King’s steadfastness in leading the procession to the Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple even after the Kingdom was ceded to the Indian territory.

“Chithira Thirunal’s prayers before the deity was held in high esteem by everyone who had the opportunity to witness it,” says Sasibhooshan. “It is said that the way he stood before the sanctum sanctorum was enough for onlookers to believe in the presence of God there. It was so full of boundless devotion.

While carrying out the ‘Aarattu’ after he had stepped down as King, members of the watching crowd had hurled several humiliating comments at him - “Isn’t it time you stopped these charades, Balaraman,” - the King was asked.”
He showed a total insularity to all such observations. It took a while for the some-time subjects to realize that the devotion of Chithira Thirunal was that of a true Padmanabha Dasa. And that perhaps explains why the present titular head of the royal family, Marthanda Varma, threw the journos off guard when he firmly but casually remarked - “They (the riches) belong to nobody, certainly not to our family. They belong to God and our law permits that.”

http://expressbuzz.com/cities/thiruvananthapuram/they-belong-to-god/295511.html

In Memory of our beloved King HH Sree Chithira Thirunal Bala Rama Varma


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http://img835.imageshack.us/img835/6333/chithirathirunalbalaram.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/835/chithirathirunalbalaram.jpg/)

http://naithelloor.blog.com/2011/01/09/maharaja-of-travancore-and-travancore-currency/
http://sripadmanabhaswamytemple.blogspot.com/2011_07_07_archive.html (Image Source)

[I][B][QUOTE=Tri Man;81777530]Philip G. Altbach is a Christian,he doesn't understand the beliefs of Hindus.
These are whole hearted donations or kanikka given to the God/Lord by the wealthy.They don't even count when they donate to THE GOD.
The wealth of Churches and Mosques and foriegn funding they recieve for such activities are very much higher than this.Why can't it be used f


What is the problem if part of Sree Padmanabha's money is used to build a world-class unuversity? It is His wealth, converted into a different form, but can also benefit the society as a bonus!!

I guess the SC will suggest to reconstitute the temple trust with inclusion of members of civil society. This trust, with the Maharaja as chairman, will surely take such a decision.

Very good thought; most of us are thinking sameway; an international university in TVM..But we may face dozens hartal. strike etc for this

Huh? What the heck is that supposed to mean?

Moreover, this find is not "treasure" or "bullion" in the conventional sense. At most, it is protected historical property which cannot be sold off, just like the Crown Jewels of England or the Constitution of the US cannot be. There is no question of making money out of it. At best, part of it can be put on display in a world-class museum, and this would create a lot of tourism revenue which can be used for philanthropic purposes.

Huh? What the heck is that supposed to mean?

Moreover, this find is not "treasure" or "bullion" in the conventional. At most, it is protected historical property which cannot be sold off, just like the Crown Jewels of England or the Constitution of the US cannot be. There is no question of making money out of it. At best, part of it can be put on display in a world-class museum, and this would create a lot of tourism revenue which can be used for philanthropic purposes.

+100

+100 too... :cheers:

Exactly. Let us not debate or decide on this ‘subject’. The Royal Family’s stand—as on date, as we know—is that it all belongs ONLY to GOD.
As Tri Man said, this could be perhaps one of the last existing symbols of Travancore’s glorious past.

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Bharatheeya Vichara Kendram Seminar on Padmanabha Swamy Temple on 21st July


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Metro Manorma

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Hindu

SC appoints panel to supervise work at Padmanabhaswamy Temple


NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court today appointed a five-member expert committee to supervise the unearthing and preservation of assets of the Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Kerala.

The committee will be headed by Director General of National Museum C V Ananda Bose and will also consist of representatives of the Archaeological Survey of India ( ASI )) and and Reserve Bank of India ( RBI )).

Virtually taking over the work of monitoring unearthing of assets, a bench headed by justices R V Raveendran and A K Patnaik said that the expert committee would submit its report only to this court.

The court also appointed a three-member committee to oversee the work of unearthing of temple assets.

Criticising media reports on the worth of temple assets, the court asked the press to show care and restrain from such speculation.

The three-member overseeing committee will consist of retired judge of Kerala High Court, Justice M N Krishnan , the erstwhile Prince of Travancore Marthanda Varma and a government representative of the rank of secretary.

The court also directed that no unauthorized person will be allowed to be present at the site of unearthing of assets and directed that the entire process be videographed and photographed.

The bench directed the state government to provide adequate security in the temple premises to protect the assets which according to media reports are estimated to be over Rs 1.50 lakh crore.

The apex court passed the order on an application filed by Marthanda Varma and his other family members, challenging a Kerala High Court ruling of January 31 this year, ordering takeover of the assets and management of the shrine by the state.

The bench had earlier expressed apprehension that the massive wealth was perhaps at a "risk" in view of the widespread publicity given about it in the media.


http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics/nation/sc-appoints-panel-to-supervise-work-at-padmanabhaswamy-temple/articleshow/9308509.cms

Interview with Uthradom Thirunal Marthanda Varma.

http://img189.imageshack.us/img189/1078/21thopedinterview727234.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/189/21thopedinterview727234.jpg/)


Uthradom Thirunal Marthanda Varma, 89, is the seniormost member of Travancore's erstwhile royal family, yet simple and unassuming in his manner. He met A. Srivathsan, Deputy Editor of The Hindu on July 17 at the Pattom Palace in the heart of Thiruvananthapuram and answered questions regarding the Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple — which is in the news in the context of valuable finds in its underground vaults in recent weeks — and his family's association with it. For reasons to do with the ongoing legal proceedings, he expressed his inability to answer any questions relating to the opening of the temple vaults. Excerpts from the interview:

The Travancore royal family took a different approach to ruling its territories and managing the properties of the State. The king served as Padmanabha Dasa — [who] ruled on behalf of god and swore allegiance only to god. In 1949, Maharaja Chithira Thirunal Rama Varma came close to refusing the post of Rajpramukh because he could not “give oath to the Indian government.” What led the Travancore kings to take to the idea of dasa? In what way is this concept different from the modern idea of trusteeship?

There are two things to the idea of Padmanabha Dasa. One is the A to Z of the concept, which is new, and the other is the corollary, which is ancient. Let me explain the A to Z first. There was a king in England called Henry VIII. He had two passions: one, he wanted to change his wife, get a second one; and two, he wanted to impose a new faith. He asked his Cardinal to find a way to achieve this. When his Cardinal suggested that he start a new faith, the Church of England, the king asked how and why people would listen to him. The Cardinal had a simple answer. He advised him to add one more to his catalogue of names: Defender of the Faith. And then, if anyone goes against it, ‘your defence will be to go offensive,' he advised. That is Defender of the Faith, but we [the Travancore kings] are attendants of faith. That is a dasa.

The corollary of this concept is in the story of Bharata in the Ramayana. When Bharata refused to rule Ayodhya by himself, he took Rama's sandals, placed it on the throne, wore the robe of an ascetic and ruled on his brother's behalf. The god is the master.

When you are trustee, chairman, benefactor or president, your personality is still there. In this [dasa] nothing is there, you are nobody. You carry on your duty.

Anizhom Thirunal Marthanda Varma was the first maharaja to usher in this concept of Padmanabha Dasa in the 18th century. What historical reasons led him to this principle?

His actions were not political but dharmic. How did Fleming discover penicillin? The idea was always there, but hidden. He only discovered it. The dasa concept was always there. It came to him [Anizhom Thirunal] as the conductor.

Was ruling the kingdom as a dasa one of the main reasons for the safety and stability of Travancore and the temple? Did it in any way change the attitude of other rulers towards Travancore?

History is there to prove it. It [ruling as a dasa] was driving that. Unfortunately the concept of dasa was not copied by other rulers. You may find it in Puri where the king sweeps the street with the silver broomstick before the car festival, or in Mewar where the king goes to the Eklangi temple as a Maharana, but enters the shrine as a servant. But nothing is as total as this.

Kalkulam, which was renamed as Padmanabhapuram by Anizhom Thirunal, was the capital before the capital was moved to Trivandrum. The Tiruvattar temple near Padmanabhapuram is ichnographically and architecturally similar to the Padmanabhaswamy temple. Is there any relation between the two temples?

Both are Padmanabhas and are equally venerated. However, there are some differences between the two temples. In Trivandrum, the reclining Vishnu is in yoga nidra and at Tiruvattar, the eyes are fully awake. His feet is on the right side here and there at Tiruvattar it is to the left. Here there is a Shiva icon below the arm of Vishnu but it is not this way there. Though the main deity in Tiruvattar is known as Adikesava [Adi meaning ancient], Trivandrum is also ancient. There is a bond between the two temples, but there are no temple traditions as of now that recall the shifting from Padmanabhapuram.

Raja Ravi Varma, another member of the Travancore royal family and renowned painter, spent an important part of his lifetime in Trivandrum. While he painted many gods and even printed them as oleographs, he never painted Padmanabha or the temple. How can we understand this conspicuous absence?

Certain things have to come from inside. It [painting] cannot be visualising norms. He probably felt Padmanabhaswamy was beyond his brush. Ravi Varma did a great service by not painting Padmanabha.

Maharaja Chithira Thirunal Rama Varma, your elder brother, was the last ruler of Travancore. He is compared to Anizhom Thirunal in terms of devotion to the temple. You must have been a boy when his investiture ceremony took place. Can you recall your visits to the temple with him?

All of us were ardent devotees. My brother was elder to me by 10 years. I could not have gone with him to the temple.

His visits were his personal audience with the god as the king. But I have been going to the temple since I was eight years old and have attended various festivals along with family members.

Since 1991, after the demise of your elder brother, you've been going to the temple in his place. The respect and affection the people have for you and your family must be unchanged and quite visible.

Even before, they had affection. Even now, when everything is ex-, ex-… I'm still wanted in public functions. I do about 200 [functions] a year, [although] I'm nobody. No different from other people. They like, and I go.

The Travancore State and the Padmanabhaswamy temple witnessed momentous changes during Maharaja Chithira Thirunal's time. In 1936, the Padmanabhaswamy temple was the first in India to proclaim temple entry for all, which made Gandhiji describe Chithira Thirunal as a ‘Modern Ashoka.' In 1949 the princely states were abolished and the temple administration changed. In 1971, the privy purse was abolished and grants given to erstwhile rulers were stopped. But Chithira Thirunal still managed to support the temple from his private funds. Can you tell us how he faced these changes?

That is [change] part of life, otherwise we'll not be here. Even as a boy he understood it. In 1924, Mahatma Gandhi came [to Trivandrum] and at that time he was too young to rule. My aunt, his mother's elder sister, was the Regent. Gandhiji came and met her. ‘Is this the Maharani?' he enquired. He looked at her simple dress and asked: Where are the golden saris? Where are the jewels? He then asked her: ‘Is it not very unfair that around the temple in Vaikom, a dog, a cat, a cow, can walk, but a man cannot?' She said, yes. ‘Then why don't you do something about it?' he quizzed. ‘I am a Regent and only carrying on the administration till he grows up. Why don't you ask him [Chithira Thirunal]?' she urged. Gandhiji then asked him: ‘When you become the person in charge, will you allow everyone to enter temples?' As a young boy he said, ‘yes.' He took over in 1931 and granted temple entry in 1936. The remarkable thing was that there was no resistance [from the people who were associated with temple administration].

Did Chithira Thirunal want the administration of the temple to keep up with the times?

It [traditions] began somewhere and goes on as it changes. What has not changed is the [human] body.

Aswathi Thirunal Gouri Lakshmi Bayi has mentioned in her book on the Padmanabhaswamy temple that for the first time, in the 1960s, a deva prasnam (astrological consultation) was conducted when Chithira Thirunal had to decide whether the temple could be electrified? Do you remember the moment?

Astrologers and tantris were consulted. Whenever you change a tradition, there is a problem. The government then said that we cannot burn coconut oil since it is for man. What can we do, they were in power. So we had to go for electrification. But it was done in the outside prakara or sivelippura, but not inside. The cheruchuttu, the inner enclosure, was not electrified. People also took to it since it made their job easier.

Can you tell us something more about the legends of the snake and protection of treasures? Have you heard about them from your family?

There are two kinds of snakes. One is naga, and it stays. The other is sarpa, which goes. It is misunderstood as a creature. They are messengers. I'll tell you an incident. We have a beautiful naga temple near Kuthira Malika [a palace near the Padmanabhaswamy temple]. I go there every ashlesham [ayilyam] day. On one of those days, people forgot to light the lamp in the main shrine. That night, a serpent came here [to his palace]. I knew something was wrong. Serpents are satya (true) creatures. It's more prevalent in Kerala.

http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/interview/article2277295.ece?homepage=true

SC names panel to assess Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple treasure

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court Thursday set up an experts committee to conduct an inventory of the treasure found from Kallara (vault) A of the Sri Padmanabhaswamy temple in Kerala.

An apex court bench of Justice R.V. Raveendran and Justice A.K. Patnaik said the committee of five experts will videograph and photograph the articles found in Kallara A.

Diamonds, rubies, gold jewellery and other valuables worth an estimated Rs.1 lakh crore have been found in chambers of the temple by a Supreme Court-appointed team. Five of the six chambers of the temple have been opened so far.

The experts committee will categorise all the articles broadly under three heads - ornaments of historical, artistic and antique value, those which are of regular use, and those which are of monetary value only.

It will suggest steps for long-term preservation and security of the treasure and also the feasibility of setting up a high-security museum within the temple complex, the court said.

The committee will also examine the necessity of opening Kallara B, which remains closed, at all.

The committee will be headed by Director General of National Museum C.V. Ananda Bose.

The court has appointed another three-member committee, to be headed by Justice M.N. Krishnan, to oversee the operations of the experts committee.

The experts committee will report to the apex court only.

The court also restrained the media from speculating on the value of the temple's treasure.

Source (http://expressbuzz.com/states/kerala/sc-names-panel-to-assess-kerala-temple-treasure/296431.html)
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court has appointed a five-member panel to suggest preservation and security of the treasure unearthed at Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple of Kerala.

The committee will be headed by director general of National Museum and will consist of representatives from the Archaeological Surey of India and the Reserve Bank of India.

The apex court has asked media not to speculate on the worth of assets of the temple before its valuation is done.

The court did not say anything on the opening of the unopened B vault.

The court had earlier reserved its order on the question of permitting inventory, videography and providing fool proof security to the temple treasure.
Source (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/SC-appoints-panel-to-suggest-preservation-of-Kerala-temple-treasure/articleshow/9307942.cms)

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With speculations rising over the worth of the assets discovered from the secret vaults of Sree Padmanabha Temple, opinions are also sprouting about what to do with the huge cache of wealth discovered.

Hindu Aikya Vedi has openly come out against the proposal of certain sections to use the wealth for public welfare. The comment made by Jameela Prakasam MLA that the wealth found in the temple belongs to the public is unacceptable, said Aikya Vedi district working president P Jyothindra Kumar in a statement here on Saturday.

Jameela Prakasam, while speaking in the Assembly, had said that the indiscriminate taxation practised by the erstwhile rulers of Travancore had contributed to this amassment of wealth. She even said that the valuable items, which belong to the State, should be transferred and stored in banks.

The Vedi demanded an immediate apology from Jameela Prakasam and alleged that there might be the involvement of vested interests behind these sort of statements. The wealth stored in the secret vaults of the temple belongs to the Lord Padmanabha, which was part of the offerings from the devotees and the royal family, it said.

The matters relating to the use of the wealth should be decided by the devotees, spiritual leaders and Hindu society, they added.

Dr Purushothama Bharathi, a PhD holder in Economics and State president of the Kerala Lottery Agents’ Association, has urged that the wealth, especially gold worth thousands of crores, should be used to generate an extra income that can be used for the development of the Temple and the Hindu community. The true value of the assets should be calculated and the gold should be kept as collateral in the Reserve Bank for issuing currency. The interest acquired from lending loans can be used for the welfare of the temple, devotees and the general public, he said.

Several other religious bodies and social organisations have made it clear that the wealth recovered from the Temple belongs to Lord Padmanabha and it should be preserved in the temple itself. “The wealth belongs to the Temple and the Temple belongs to the royal family.

The decision of the Government to preserve the wealth in the Temple is laudable,” said Chamackal Rajappan, secretary of the Kerala Social Service Sanghom.

Source (http://expressbuzz.com/cities/thiruvananthapuram/apologise-hindu-aikya-vedi-tells-mla/295166.html)

SC names panel to assess Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple treasure



Happy to note that a familiar face is on the panel. Dr M.V. Nair, who is the country's foremost conservation expert, happens to be my father-in-law. :)

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Source : Kerala Kaumudi

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Source : Metro Vaartha

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Source : Malayala Manorama

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Source : Mathrubhumi


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The Supreme Court on Thursday appointed two committees —one with five members and the other with three — which will decide on the security, inventory, preservation and opening of kallara (secret vault) B in the Padmanabhaswamy temple in Thiruvananthapuram.

A Bench of Justices R.V. Raveendran and A.K. Patnaik was passing an interim order on the appeals filed by the head of the erstwhile royal family of Travancore, Uthradom Thirunal Marthanda Varma, and Rama Varma against a Kerala High Court judgment.

The High Court has ordered takeover of the assets and management of the shrine by the State.

The five-member panel would be headed by C.V. Ananda Bose, Director-General of the National Museum. The other members are M.V. Nair, one nominee from the Archaeological Survey of India, one member from the Reserve Bank of India and the Executive Officer of the temple.

The committee would examine whether there was need to open kallara B; to evaluate articles in kallaras A, C, D, E and F; organise an inventory of all valuables and take videography and photography.

It would examine what articles could be used for regular use in the temple; examine which articles could be kept for public view; draw a long-term plan for maintenance of the valuables and prepare a security scheme.

The three-member panel, headed by Justice M.N. Krishnan, retired High Court judge, would coordinate with the five-member committee in its working. The erstwhile Prince of Travancore, Marthanda Varma, and a government representative of the rank of Secretary would be the other members of this panel.

The Bench said both committees should cooperate with each other and no unauthorised person should be allowed to visit the vaults. It directed the Kerala government to provide adequate security on the temple premises to protect the assets.

Caution to media

The Bench cautioned the media not to speculate on the value of jewels and other articles in the kallaras as “no one knows the real value.” It asked the two committees to submit their reports only to the Supreme Court and posted further hearing to the first week of September.

On behalf of Mr. Marthanda Varma it was made clear that the jewellery and other offerings made to Lord Padmanabhaswamy belonged to the deity. “No part of it belongs to the family of Mr. Marthanda Varma. So also, whatever valuables that would be found in kallara B belonged to the deity and none else.”

It was suggested that the valuables having artistic value could be classified as artefacts, separated and kept safely; articles with no artistic or heritage value were to be separated and possibly disposed of and converted into cash for funding a Veda Patasala and a Thanthirika Peedom to impart training and groom temple priests.

‘Deva Prashnam'

However, Mr. Rama Varma opposed the opening of the cellar B, saying it was not at all advisable because the ‘serpent' sign visible at the entrance “indicates that it is not auspicious to open it.” He said “a decision on this may be taken after conducting the traditional ‘Deva Prashnam' so as not to incur the displeasure of the Lord. Opening the cellar without conducting ‘Deva Prashnam' will be contrary to the age-old religious custom and practice.”

Source (http://www.thehindu.com/news/states/kerala/article2281177.ece)

Bharatheeya Vichara Kendram Seminar on Padmanabha Swamy Temple on 21st July

http://img813.imageshack.us/img813/5550/sree2kk.jpg

Source : Kerala Kaumudi

http://img841.imageshack.us/img841/2669/sree1.jpg
http://img834.imageshack.us/img834/435/sree2h.jpg

Source: Malayala Manorama

http://img803.imageshack.us/img803/1338/sree2mv.jpg

Source : Metro Vaartha

http://img18.imageshack.us/img18/4960/sree2mm.jpg

Source : Malayala Manorama

July 20: Curator and artist, Mr Bose Krishnamachari, has given a report to the State Government, urging that the Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple wealth be preserved in a ‘God’s Own Museum’ of international standards like the Smithsonian. In a paper presented to the additional chief secretary, Mr K Jayakumar, here on Tuesday, Mr Krishnamachari said the proposed museum should employ independent consultants to give advice on governance and structure.

The museum should have a board of trustees, director and chief curator, who will be responsible for highlighting the historical, geographic and contextual relevance of antiques, and the logic and flow of exhibitions. The head of marketing would be in charge of crafting and implementing brand strategy, market intelligence, marketing, communications, publications, community partnership, social media, audience development and service initiatives.

The museum should be housed in a new building. The world’s most accomplished museum architects should be invited to design it. The report cites a few museums, including the Smithsonian, USA, Vatican Museums and the British Museum, London. The revenue would be from tickets sold to visitors. But a tiered system should ensure that the museum is enjoyed by all cross sections of society. Entry fee could be comparable to those in other international museums @ `650 to Rs 1,000. Benefits should be given to Indian visitors, particularly seniors, students, artists, teachers and physically challenged.

Source (http://www.deccanchronicle.com/channels/cities/kochi/god%E2%80%99s-own-museum-sought-982)

http://img10.imageshack.us/img10/7923/pakkk.jpg


The report says "Mr.Abid Syed,an employee from Pak High Commissionaire in New Delhi & his wife Mrs.Nagmena visited Sree Padmnabhaswamy Temple yesterday early morning".

Source : Kerala Kaumudi

Deleted...

Happy to note that a familiar face is on the panel. Dr M.V. Nair, who is the country's foremost conservation expert, happens to be my father-in-law. :)

:cheers: Thats fantastic, bro...

And heres a pic of the temple, taken by my father.

http://img825.imageshack.us/img825/8720/padmanabhan.jpg

^^

Market value of Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temple's wealth will not be disclosed to the public:)


http://img807.imageshack.us/img807/3281/unledxv.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/807/unledxv.jpg/)

Manorma

http://img707.imageshack.us/img707/4148/1unled.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/707/1unled.jpg/)


http://img199.imageshack.us/img199/7545/unledkh.png (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/199/unledkh.png/)

Mathrubhumi

http://img109.imageshack.us/img109/4742/sree1kk.jpg

Source : Kerala Kaumudi

Mods, pl change the title of this thread to something more sensible. First of all the value of the stuff recovered is not determined yet to state that it is the richest temple, or for that matter we are not sure it is the foremost religious centre in the world. But indeed we, as former prajas of Travancore, are very proud of Sree Padmanabha and his assets!!

Mods, pl change the title of this thread to something more sensible. First of all the value of the stuff recovered is not determined yet to state that it is the richest temple, or for that matter we are not sure it is the foremost religious centre in the world. But indeed we, as former prajas of Travancore, are very proud of Sree Padmanabha and his assets!!

I think no one will dispute the claim of Sri Padmanabha Swamy Temple as the richest religious centre in the world.

I think no one will dispute the claim of Sri Padmanabha Swamy Temple as the richest religious centre in the world.

^^
Robin, Sree padmanabhasswamy temple is a Hindu temple not a religious centre,I don't know any coordinated religious activities going on there apart from the Temple rituals and related hindu teachings . I stll think Places like Mecca and Vatican are richer eventhough they don't have treasure of gold:)

^^
Robin, Sree padmanabhasswamy temple is a Hindu temple not a religious centre,I don't know any coordinated religious activities going on there apart from the Temple rituals and related hindu teachings . I stll think Places like Mecca and Vatican are richer eventhough they don't have treasure of gold:)

This temple had one authority by the name Ettara Yogam.
This yogam was a sought of controling authority for religious matter both for temple and the state.
Some of their work includes implementation of some special aacharams like Lakshadeepam and Murajapam,Hiranyagarbham,Tripadidanam,The festivals in which large statues of Pandavas were exhibited,dress code...
Most of their inputs were followed through century ,which lead to the revolutionary Temple Entry Proclamation.

God’s own museum sought
July 20: Curator and artist, Mr Bose Krishnamachari, has given a report to the State Government, urging that the Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple wealth be preserved in a ‘God’s Own Museum’ of international standards like the Smithsonian. In a paper presented to the additional chief secretary, Mr K Jayakumar, here on Tuesday, Mr Krishnamachari said the proposed museum should employ independent consultants to give advice on governance and structure.

The museum should have a board of trustees, director and chief curator, who will be responsible for highlighting the historical, geographic and contextual relevance of antiques, and the logic and flow of exhibitions. The head of marketing would be in charge of crafting and implementing brand strategy, market intelligence, marketing, communications, publications, community partnership, social media, audience development and service initiatives.

The museum should be housed in a new building. The world’s most accomplished museum architects should be invited to design it. The report cites a few museums, including the Smithsonian, USA, Vatican Museums and the British Museum, London. The revenue would be from tickets sold to visitors. But a tiered system should ensure that the museum is enjoyed by all cross sections of society. Entry fee could be comparable to those in other international museums @ `650 to Rs 1,000. Benefits should be given to Indian visitors, particularly seniors, students, artists, teachers and physically challenged.


I fully agree with the report by Mr Bose Krishnamachari to create a Musuem like Smithsonian in USA.and managed by experts.at international standards.

The following are the benefits

1. The musuem will be a landmark not only for Tvm for the whole of India and it will preserve the best in old treasures with the maximum security.

2. It will clearly put our city in a prime place in our tourist map with all the benefits like huge tourists flow at national and international levels.

3. It wil uplift the local economy with the spontaneous growth in the hospitality sector and consequent increase in employment opportunities.

4.THe revenue from the gate collection can be used for setting up a good university of international standards with some grants from the center and the proceeds from the disposable items from the treasure.

5. The museum can be realized on a BOT basis.


Cheers!!!

the devotees count has increased not because of their love for god. Most are coming to gather more news about the treasure or coming as a tourist.

Prem
pickadvice.com

It is a big treasure and all the praise for the kings of travancore for keeping this treasure safe. They are the real hero's and god like people.
http://pickadvice.com

Is this news about Pak official visiting Padmanabaswamy temple true? Any reasons behind it?

Source (http://news.oneindia.in/2011/07/22/pakistan-officials-secretly-visit-padmanabha-temple-aid0102.html)

http://img121.imageshack.us/img121/4509/unled1ha.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/121/unled1ha.jpg/)

Mathrubhumi

http://img703.imageshack.us/img703/7117/padmatheertham.jpg

By Nayt1980 (http://www.panoramio.com/user/492170?with_photo_id=2460750) @Panoramio

Please give the brief in English in bullet points

http://img121.imageshack.us/img121/4509/unled1ha.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/121/unled1ha.jpg/)

Mathrubhumi

Please give the brief in English in bullet points

Translation of post #209
Sree Padbhanabha swamy temple has a history and heritage of more than ten centuries. Nobody ever could attack or even touch Travancore, the wealth in vaults show that. Dutch,Tipu and so many others failed in the soil of Sree Padbhanabha Swamy.

History says...During Tipu's invasion time he attacked kozhikode and Kochi and Kochi king and so many Hindu family got shelter in Travancore.During that time famous Guruvayoor temple's priest had taken the idol of Guruvayoorppan and came to Travancore.The idol was received with great respect by the Travancore kingdom. Later it was worshiped in Mavelikara temple.The idol was kept in Travancore well protected and later returned to Guruvaayoor when Tipu's threat was over.


Tipu's main motive was to attack Travancore and he had two unsuccessful attempts.His father Hyder Ali had also tried to attack Travancore one time.Tipu threatened that Travancore Kingdom should accept his upper-hand and those who is afraid of attacks would not give any shelters.But after making so many proclamations he couldn't even enter Travancore.

During that time refugees from kozhikode and cochin were given food,accommodation and other helps free by Karthka Thirunal.That's the reason why he was called as 'Dharmaraja'.

As a memory of the victory over Tipu Sulthan, Dharmaraha gave a dress made of silk to Sree Padbhanabha swamy and is still using during the 'arrattu festival'.

Top two floors of the Seven storied Sree Padbhanaba Swamy temple was contructed by Dharmaraja.Ettumanoor temple's famous 'ezhara ponnanana' was given by Dharmaraja. Its actually seven elephants made of gold in same size.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Amidst debates flaring up over the treasures unearthed at the Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temple, renowned museologist George Jacob has said that the movable fortunes inside the temple vaults should be put up for a mobile exhibition.

Talking to City Express on the sidelines of a talk organised by Shangri-la art gallery, the Indian-born Canadian museologist said that the mobile exhibition would boost cultural exchange programmes and strengthen diplomatic ties among various nations.

‘’The wealth of the temple should be subjected to collective analysis. A mobile exhibition should be organised in a systematic manner so that the rare fortunes could come to light for public display. The exhibits should be moved all around the globe so that it could enhance diplomatic relations among the countries,’’ he said.

George Jacob, who has been planning and designing museums for the last 25 years, also said that there should not be any compromise on the preservation of the recently-discovered temple assets.

‘’All these fortunes unearthed inside the temple are closely woven into the religious consciousness of the believers. Hence the treasures should be well-preserved.’’

He also said that the government should appoint an expert panel that can act as an advisory board to the authorities. “The unveiling of the temple treasures offers the opportunity for a Museum of the Millennium - an institution unparalleled in its conception, inception, significance and global presence. The process needs to be handled professionally with clear terms of reference adhering to best practices in museum planning, design, installation and project execution” he added.

The setting up of such a museum shall include assessment of premise, provenance, antiquity and condition reports that will provide the basis for functional planning and establishing the framework for recommendation towards the museum precinct and master plan, he said.

George Jacob, who has authored two books on museum management, is a former Executive Board Member of the Commonwealth Association of Museums.

He was instrumental in the planning of Khalsa Heritage Complex in Anandpur Sahib in Punjab.

Source (http://expressbuzz.com/cities/thiruvananthapuram/call-to-set-up-%E2%80%98museum-of-the-millennium%E2%80%99/297452.html)

http://img717.imageshack.us/img717/1141/sree2mb.jpg


Entry to "Ottakkal Mandapam" will be restricted in Sree Padmanaswamy Temple as part of security arrangements

Source : Mathrubhumi

Police in Traditional Kerala dress:)

http://img89.imageshack.us/img89/8396/23042899.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/89/23042899.jpg/)



http://img143.imageshack.us/img143/558/26934891.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/143/26934891.jpg/)

Manorama

The Kuthira Maalika in Trivandrum is located inside the fort complex, on the left side of the main approach axis of the Padmanabhaswamy temple. This complex of buildings along with the Padmanabhapuram palace is one of the best examples of traditional Kerala architecture, with its beautiful wooden architecture and climate sensitive spaces.The name Kuthiramalika is derived from the 122 horse figured brackets that adorn the exterior of the palace (Kuthira means horse in Malayalam). This complex was built by the Maharaja Swati Thirunal Rama Varma. The complex consists of groups of double storeyed buildings. The language is that of sloping Mangalore tiled roofs with eaves decorated with beautifully carved wooden brackets, white washed lime plastered walls, black oxide floorings, intricate woodwork on the ceiling, wooden jaalis etc. The scale is intimate, being further broken down by columns and other elements. There is a play of light and shadow in the interiors, with the light being carefully controlled to create a cool ambience inside. There is an outer layer of wooden jaalis on the outer wall in the upper storey, which almost runs around all the spaces. These jaalis ensure privacy of the people inside while at the same time allowing light & ventilation inside. A unique feature of these jaalis are that they allow visibility from inside to outside but not from outside to inside.There are verandahs running all around the buildings, with the sloping roofs extending well beyond the edge of the verandah. This ensures protection from the heavy rains and also helps in bringing in diffused light inside the space, reducing glare. There are small courtyards inside the buildings, which help in micro-climatic control.The major portion of the palace complex is out of bounds for the public. Only a single wing is opened for visiting. This space also houses the various traditional implements, gifts etc. There are window openings from which the top of the gopuram of the Padmanabhaswamy temple is visible. There are beautiful vistas of sloping tiled roofs

http://img683.imageshack.us/img683/3402/dsc03276j.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/683/dsc03276j.jpg/)

http://img20.imageshack.us/img20/1876/dsc03261l.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/20/dsc03261l.jpg/)

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http://img691.imageshack.us/img691/8454/dsc03266w.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/691/dsc03266w.jpg/)

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http://img268.imageshack.us/img268/826/dsc03272f.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/268/dsc03272f.jpg/)

ARCHITECTURE STUDENT'S CORNER (http://arkistudentscorner.blogspot.com/2011/07/kuthiramalika-in-trivandrum-kerala.html)



http://img814.imageshack.us/img814/5310/kuthiramalika.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/814/kuthiramalika.jpg/)

http://img687.imageshack.us/img687/6086/kuthiramalikapalace2008.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/687/kuthiramalikapalace2008.jpg/)

http://img835.imageshack.us/img835/6086/kuthiramalikapalace2008.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/835/kuthiramalikapalace2008.jpg/)

http://img688.imageshack.us/img688/6086/kuthiramalikapalace2008.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/688/kuthiramalikapalace2008.jpg/)

http://img23.imageshack.us/img23/2826/thiruvanananthapuramkut.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/23/thiruvanananthapuramkut.jpg/)

http://img849.imageshack.us/img849/9813/0507kuthiramalikadinaka.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/849/0507kuthiramalikadinaka.jpg/)

http://img839.imageshack.us/img839/3474/0507kuthiramalika2dinak.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/839/0507kuthiramalika2dinak.jpg/)


Source Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuthira_Malika)

http://img834.imageshack.us/img834/7982/sree1mm.jpg

Most modern Sensors to be used at Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple and its surroundings for security.

Source : Malayala Manorama

http://img807.imageshack.us/img807/8500/84818358.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/807/84818358.jpg/)

Devotees from North Indian states have been incresased in Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temple

Manorama

Mods, pl change the title of this thread to something more sensible. First of all the value of the stuff recovered is not determined yet to state that it is the richest temple, or for that matter we are not sure it is the foremost religious centre in the world. But indeed we, as former prajas of Travancore, are very proud of Sree Padmanabha and his assets!!

+1 Mods please change the title, ajay's proposal looks better!

An Indian Temple's Hidden $22 Billion Treasure Hoard May Wake Political Dragons




Renowned as sites of great spirituality and stunning architecture, India's myriad ancient temples draw tens of millions of devotees and tourists each year. But it's been a long time since any of its many hallowed shrines were in the news for possessing something altogether more mundane: a vast golden treasure, worth approximately $22 billion, according to government officials.
An inspection last week sanctioned by India's Supreme Court into the vaults of the Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple in the southern Indian city of Thiruvananthapuram revealed the complex held in its coffers a mind-boggling fortune in thousands of centuries-old gold coins, ropes of gold, precious diamonds, gems and beautiful jewel-encrusted artifacts. So far, five of six vaults have been inspected — some allegedly for the first time in over a century — and a full-fledged appraisal of the treasures held within has yet to take place. The $22 billion sum may be an exaggeration; equivalent to the announced "one lakh crore" rupees (the unit of a lakh in India signifies 100,000, a crore is 10 million), the figure smacks of hyperbole.

Yet, in a country that's still hobbled by such great poverty as India, there's something utterly startling about the treasure's discovery, which appears far larger than the known endowments of even India's most lavishly funded temple sites. According to the Christian Science Monitor, the reported $22 billion figure is double India's 2011-2012 education budget. The vaults were opened for inspection after a local activist filed a case that reached the Supreme Court alleging the temple's authorities were not properly tending to the site's security. And now some in the traditionally leftist state of Kerala where the temple is located are calling for the hoard to be handed over to the government in order to be dispensed in the public interest.

But Oommen Chandy, the Chief Minister of Kerala, has already insisted that the temple's treasures should be left where they are and will not be appropriated by the state. (Full disclosure: the author's father happens to be the parliamentarian in New Delhi elected from Thiruvananthapuram.) Still, the decision about what happens to the ancient hoard will only be made after all of it is valued and accounted for — a process which may take months, and one that will be made by India's Supreme Court, an institution known of late for its judicial activism.

What was the provenance of all this wealth? The temple has been around for nearly a millennia, but gained its real luster by the 18th century, when it was patronized by the powerful monarchs of the local state of Travancore. Not long after decisively defeating a Dutch army in the 1741 Battle of Colachel, Marthanda Varma, king of Travancore, set about building the towering structure that defines Sree Padmanabhaswamy to this day and dubbed himself and all those in his lineage servants of Padmanabha, another name for the Hindu god Vishnu. Ever since, the prestige of the temple and Travancore's royal dynasty have been entwined, the latter deriving a fair amount of symbolic power from their connection to the former.

After Indian independence in 1947 and the dissolution of its many semi-independent princely states, it's suspected that much of the royal dynasty's considerable wealth was funneled into the temple and that, combined with decades of accumulated donations, has created this extraordinary treasure trove. The descendants of the house of Travancore still supervise the trust that administers Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple, but, unlike some of India's other disparate (and defunct) royal families, appear to have been rather careful about their bequest, keeping it in the dark and under lock and key for decades.

That fastidiousness will likely dampen whatever political flames are sure to spark after this treasure's unearthing. In India, home to virtually all the world's religions, contests over holy sites are always hot-button issues, and often sadly a matter of life and death. Some among the country's Hindu far-right still invoke in present political discourse the 11th century sacking of the great (and wealthy) temple at Somnath in western India by Muslim invaders, among other historical grievances. But it's unlikely the hoard at Sree Padmanabhaswamy will be carted off — though one can only hope that both state and temple authorities find a means to bring such reportedly exquisite treasures safely to light, for all to see.

Ishaan Tharoor is a writer-reporter for TIME and editor of Global Spin. Find him on Twitter at @ishaantharoor. You can also continue the discussion on TIME's Facebook page and on Twitter at @TIME.

Read more: (http://globalspin.blogs.time.com/2011/07/06/an-indian-temples-hidden-22-billion-treasure-hoard-may-wake-political-dragons/#ixzz1TIRAE0dq)


http://img.timeinc.net/time/rd/trunk/www/web/feds/i/time-logo.png

http://0.gravatar.com/avatar/e7318b24cb7d3add00db94141d1418a0?s=50&d=identicon&r=G Ishaan Tharoor(Son of Sashi Tharoor)

hKwdWOJdufU

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The expert panel appointed by the Supreme Court may visit Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple on August 1.

Source : Mathrubhumi

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Govt.will not take over the Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple : Oommen Chandy

Source : Kerala Kaumudi

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Technical Committee to review the security arrangements at Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple

Source : Kerala Kaumudi

http://img847.imageshack.us/img847/1504/sreemb.jpg

Source : Mathrubhumi

http://img577.imageshack.us/img577/2193/sreemm.jpg

Source : Malayala Manorama

http://img94.imageshack.us/img94/4960/sree2mm.jpg

Source : Metro Manorama

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Source : Metro Manorama

The four metal detectors placed at the Sri Padmanabhaswamy temple - estimated to house treasure valued at Rs.1 lakh crore - are faulty, police said on Friday.

Additional Director General of Police Venugopal K. Nair, who is currently overseeing the security of the temple, told IANS that the metal detectors work on and off.

Asianet TV channel had earlier reported that of the four metal detectors kept at the four entrances leading to the main temple, two do not work while the other two always have the red light on.

The temple is managed by an executive committee, with the erstwhile Travancore royal family overseeing the affairs of the committee.

However, Aditya Varma, scion of the royal family, said that only one metal detector is faulty.

"I checked up with the officials and I was told that three are functioning, while the fourth one at times does not work. With this TV report, we will immediately see that if there are any errors, it would be rectified," Varma told IANS.

Last month, a Supreme Court appointed team while conducting a stock taking had stumbled upon precious jewellery, rubies and diamonds at one of the six vaults in the temple.

Vault A contains the most precious items and has not been opened for the past 150 years while Vault B is yet to be opened.

The second round of stock taking would begin early next month and the process would be videographed.

Meanwhile, Nair said that "very soon we will have our own state of the art security gadgets installed in and around the temple. At a given time, over 200 police officers are posted in and around the temple premises. We also have our men where the vaults are kept".

Source (http://www.deccanchronicle.com/channels/nation/south/faulty-metal-detectors-guard-kerala-temple-treasure-821)

ISRO experts to help temple security plan

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala government has decided to refer to a high-level technical committee, which will include experts from ISRO, the scrutiny of the hitech security plan drawn up for Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple whose undeground vaults contained a huge treasure trove. The panel would also have experts from computer hitech lab C-Dac, Centre for Earth Sciences Studies (CESS) and those from Civil and Mechanical departments of College of Engineering, Thiruvananthapuram. The decision was taken at a high-level meeting of police and civil officials convened by Chief Minister Oommen Chandy here yesterday, a Chief Minister's office spokesperson said.

Since the proposed permanent security plan of the sprawling temple complex involved high technology, officials of the government were of the view that it would be desirable to ensure their thoroughness by examination by a body of experts, the spokesperson said. Meanwhile, the present security system, which includes hidden cameras and metal detectors as well as round-the-clok patrolling around the shrine here, would continue.

Police personnel deployed for the shrine's security would be imparted awareness on carrying out their task without in any way hindering the temple rituals and poojas and causing inconvenience to devotees, the spokesperson said. Security arrangements at the temple would be reviewed every week to ensure their thoroughness.

link (http://english.manoramaonline.com/cgi-bin/MMOnline.dll/portal/ep/contentView.do?contentId=9773255&tabId=1&programId=1080132912&channelId=-1073865030&BV_ID=@@@)

http://img809.imageshack.us/img809/515/sreekk.jpg

Source : Kerala Kaumudi

The state Govt is showing Complete Negligence Regarding the Security of the temple

Yesterday i had gone near the temple,Only Two Police Constable is there for Security

No commandos, No Special Task Force

I Suggest to Give the Charge of security to Indian Army or NSG or CRPF or any other agency Than this Careless Kerala Police

They have made The 500M of Temple Circle as " High Security Area " and From that around 7-8 Theft has been Recorded,Then where is the Security?

http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/1504/sreemb.jpg

Source : Mathrubhumi

http://img855.imageshack.us/img855/2193/sreemm.jpg

Source : Malayala Manorama

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Source : Malayala Manorama

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Source : Malayala Manorama

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A handicraft stall near the famous Padmanabhaswamy temple, which is in the news after a huge treasure trove was found from its cellars, was partially gutted in a fire tonight.

No casualties were reported in the fire, police said.

Fire tenders rushed to the spot and extinguished the blaze, preventing it from spreading to other shops.

Police said the fire broke out in a shed which had remained closed for the last few months, about 200 metres from the temple.

The invaluable articles found during an inventory included rare jewels, stone-studded crowns, heaps of gold and silver coins, idols and gold, silver and brass platters and lamps, whose value is estimated at nearly Rs one lakh crore.

Source (http://expressbuzz.com/states/kerala/shop-gutted-in-fire-near-kerala-temple/299747.html)

http://img801.imageshack.us/img801/1504/sreemb.jpg

Source : Mathrubhumi

The state Govt is showing Complete Negligence Regarding the Security of the temple

Yesterday i had gone near the temple,Only Two Police Constable is there for Security

No commandos, No Special Task Force

Mr Kamath, I would suggest that you be more circumspect with your comments. There are dozens of policemen and commandoes armed with automatic weapons outside the temple and armed policemen in traditional attire on patrol inside. It may not be Fort Knox (yet!) but the temple is not unguarded either.

As to what will be done with the artifacts inside the temple, that is the subject of a team of top experts and the Supreme Court, better leave it to their informed and unbiased judgment.

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Kerala Kaumudi

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Manorama
Teams inspect five temple vaults (http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-newdelhi/article2314945.ece)

The underground vaults of Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple here would be inspected to see how suited they are to preserve the vast amounts of gold, precious stones, ornaments and articles of antique value recently found inside them.

The inspection and assessment — by the representative of the Reserve Bank of India in the five-member committee set up by the Supreme Court to decide on the security, inventory and preservation of the articles inside the vaults — is expected to begin in a day or two.

The five-member committee headed by C.V. Ananda Bose, director general of the National Museum, New Delhi, and the three-member committee headed by the former judge of the Kerala High Court, M.N. Krishnan, held detailed meetings here on Monday.

After a meeting in the morning, the teams inspected all the five vaults which have been opened and inventoried. Following this, the committees met on Monday evening for a second, more detailed, meeting.

The meeting reportedly discussed the different core competencies of the committees' members, and distributed work relating to the conservation of the vaults' contents, the documentation, the storage and retrieval of the articles, the possibility of setting up of a museum inside the temple, and the question of whether or not to open vault B.

The meeting is understood to have concluded that the documentation of the articles inside the vaults would require additional logistical support. Therefore such work would not commence immediately. The question of recording on video the process of inventorying the vaults was not discussed at this meeting.

The representative of the Archaeological Survey of India has been tasked with segregating the vaults' contents into those that have antique value, those on which a monetary value can be placed, and those that are required for the daily/ special rituals at the temple.

The committees also received memoranda from different groups of devotees urging them not to do anything which would violate the traditions, practices and the sanctity of the temple.

The next meeting of the committees would be held either on August 10 or 11.

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Metro Manorama

Probe ordered into fire accident near Padmanabhaswamy temple (http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics/nation/probe-ordered-into-fire-accident-near-padmanabhaswamy-temple/articleshow/9442621.cms)

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A probe has commenced into last night's fire that gutted a shop close to the famed Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple, which is in the news after a huge treasure trove was found from its cellars.

"We have not arrived at any conclusion. But it appears to involve some mystery, going by the facts so far known," District Collector P M Francis told reporters on visiting the spot in the East Fort area in the city.

Forensic experts examined the area and collected samples for scientific analyses.

Though initially, the cause of the blaze was thought to be electrical short-circuit, power board authorities said the gutted shop did not have electrical connection. This has thrown up questions whether the fire was the handiwork of some miscreants, police said.

Significantly, the fire occurred in an area that had been brought under high security cover after the discovery of priceless treasure from the vaults of the temple recently.

Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said action would be taken on the matter after obtaining the Collector's report.

A handicraft stall, located about 200 metres from the temple, was gutted in the fire that broke out last night. No one was injured and the fire was put out by fire tenders immediately.

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Source : Metro Vaartha

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Illegal vendors will be evacuated from near the Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple.

Source : Metro Vaartha

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Police confirms that fire was not accidental
Metro Manorma

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The Thiruvananthapuram Citizens’ Protection Forum has filed a case with the Lokayukta alleging malpractice and nepotism in the administrative body of Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temple.

Hordes of people are thronging the temple after the hidden treasures were unearthed from the vaults here; and yet, no action has been taken by the administration to ensure the convenience of the visitors.

The increasing flow of visitors to the temple has made daily living problematic for the residents staying close to the temple premises. The administration is only interested in pocketing the share of revenue generated from the temple, alleged the petitioners.

Source : Express Buzz

^^Temple treasure: Expert panel meet on Aug 10 (http://expressbuzz.com/states/kerala/temple-treasure-expert-panel-meet-on-aug-10/301680.html)

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The five-member expert committee, appointed by the Supreme Court to assess the value of the treasure found in chambers of the Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple, will deliberate on setting up of a museum in the next meeting on August 10.
Sources told Express that the meeting would have a five-point agenda, which includes discussion on documentation, storage, retrieval, security and safety other than deciding on setting up of the museum, where the valuables with historic and antique value would be kept.
The committee, chaired by C V Anandabose, Vice-Chancellor of the National Museum Institute, comprises M V Nair, Archeological Department, V K Harikumar, executive officer of the temple, B V Raja, Archeological Survey of India and Vikas Sharma, Reserve Bank of India, as members.
The committee will grade the articles from the chambers A, C, D, E and F and will organise an inventory of allvaluables and take videography and photography.
The Supreme Court, in its directive last month, had asked the committee to categorise the treasure into three - those having historic and antique value, those having only physical value and those for daily use in the temple.
The expert panel will also seek the views of the threemember SC-appointed monitoring panel, headed by Justice M N Krishnan, retired High Court judge, Uthradom Thirunal Marthanda Varma, head of the Travancore royal family and K Jayakumar, Devaswom Secretary, as members.
The process of the evaluation was started on August 1 after the panel visited the chambers and the actual examination of the treasure will take place in the coming week after the discussion on August 10. Already the work on devising a long-term plan for the maintenance of the treasure and preparation of the security scheme to protect it is on.

‘Devaprasnam’ at Padmanabhaswamy temple

Thiruvananthapuram, Sunday, August 7, 2011: A ‘devaprasnam’ will be held at the famous Sree Padmanabhasway Temple for three days to make an assessment of the treasure troves discovered.
The ‘devaprasnam’ will be led by Tharananalloor Parameswaran Namboodiripad. A decision was taken during the meeting attended by Uthradam Thirunal Marthanda Varma, royal members and the temple tantri.

http://www.asianetindia.com/news/devaprasnam-padmanabhaswamy-temple_287783.html

‘Devaprasnam’ at Padmanabhaswamy temple

Thiruvananthapuram, Sunday, August 7, 2011: A ‘devaprasnam’ will be held at the famous Sree Padmanabhasway Temple for three days to make an assessment of the treasure troves discovered.
The ‘devaprasnam’ will be led by Tharananalloor Parameswaran Namboodiripad. A decision was taken during the meeting attended by Uthradam Thirunal Marthanda Varma, royal members and the temple tantri.

http://www.asianetindia.com/news/devaprasnam-padmanabhaswamy-temple_287783.html

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Mathrubhumi

India temple 'ritual' over treasure inspection

Hindu priests have begun a ritual to "find out the divine opinion" about inspection of priceless treasures unearthed from a temple in India.A panel of experts appointed by the Supreme Court is carrying out the inspection at the Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple in the southern state of Kerala.The temple vaults contained a huge collection of precious stones, gold and silver worth millions of dollars.Five of the vaults have been opened and the contents itemised.A sixth and more secure vault remains closed while officials determine how best to keep the items safe.

Last week, a section of devotees protested when the experts began the inspection, saying that "god will become angry".The Hindu priests say they will begin a three-day-long "astrological ritual" to "discern the will of god or a deity" about the inspection.Descendants of the Travancore royal family, who look after the temple, wanted the ritual to be conducted before the sixth vault was opened.They said there was a "sign of a serpent" on the wall of the vault which "indicates that it is not auspicious to open it".The court has asked the experts to examine this claim.It is not clear whether the "astrological ritual" will bring the inspection to a halt.Atheists have protested the move saying it was an "affront to the court and one that defies logic"."

The descendants of the royal family will submit the conclusions of the ritual to the court which is governed by India's secular laws. We have to know what the symbol on the temple vault means," historian MG Sashibhusan said.Local legend has long held that vast riches were interred in the walls and vaults of the temple by the Maharajas of Travancore over many years.Historians say it is almost impossible to assess the value of the objects, but officials have said it could be more than £12bn ($20bn).

Neither the state of Kerala nor the descendants of the Travancore royal family have made any claim on the treasure, which they say is the property of the temple and its deity.But the discovery has sparked a public debate, with many believing the items should be put in museums or sold and the profits used for public good.Security has since been stepped up at the temple, which is now one of the richest in the world.

BBC (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-14440300)

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