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

[nanobioguy]

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 .

[abhilashtvpm]

Originally Posted by nanobioguy

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

[RajeshVR]

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

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.

[ajithv]

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

[abhilashtvpm]

Malayala Manorama

[abhilashtvpm]

Kerala Kaumudi

[ajithv]

Source : Metro Vaartha

[ajithv]

Source : Malayala Manorama

[ajithv]

Source : Mathrubhumi

[ajithv]

Source : Kerala Kaumudi

[ajithv]

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

[RajeshVR]

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/thiruv...ay/293006.html

[iamanishs]

@ Ajith

super title for this thread....felt goosebumps

[jaguarss]

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

[ajithv]

[ajithv]

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

NTV Telugu



TV5 Telugu

[ajithv]

TV9 Kannada

[abhilashtvpm]

Metro Manorama

[ajithv]

Source : Kerala Kaumudi

[ajithv]

Source : Mathrubhumi