Daijiworld Media Network – Thiruvananthapuram (SP)
Thiruvananthapuram, Jul 4: The secret cellars of Lord Anantha Padmanabha Temple are loaded with wealth, and so far, ornaments worth over Rs 1 lac crore have been found.
With such wealth and more to come, it seems the temple may well be the richest in the entire country.
Lighting and oxygen supply have been arranged in these cellars, found about 20 feet deep under the temple, for facilitating scrutiny by the team. These cellars had been provided with ordinary security till recently. After it became public that the worth of items found in the cellars is unimaginable, added security has been provided in and around the temple. Local police commissioner, Manoj Abraham, said that 80 personnel of the special armed force have been additionally deployed for temple security.
The Supreme Court had ordered for opening of these cellars, while hearing a petition filed by T P Sundararajan, an advocate by profession. Sundararajan had suspected foul play by the temple governing council, and had sought opening of the secret rooms and listing out the royal wealth stored in them. A seven-member committee including retired judges, has been overseeing this work now.
Retired judge of Kerala High Court, M N Krishnan, who heads the committee appointed by the Supreme Court, had expressed confidence of completing the task within a few days, before beginning the work. However, during the last six days, the committee has been able to list out items found in only five of the six rooms. The cellar, marked as ‘B’ is yet to be opened, and it is felt that this cellar may contain valuables worth thousands of crores.
Huge golden idols, precious jewels, diamonds, emeralds, huge golden ornaments and other items have so been unearthed from the cellars. A four-foot high idol of Lord Mahavishnu, recovered on Saturday, is stated to be captivating.
Utradam Tirunal Martandaverma, who belongs to the lineage of Travancore dynasty, and heads the temple trust, when approached by journalists about his reaction to the findings, refused to react. He said it would be improper to pass comments till the work of enlisting the contents of all the cellars is completed.
The temple, the main entrance to which was built in 1566 AD, has a 100 feet high tower having seven stories. The architecture of the temple is also hailed to be one of the finest. At present, Lord Venkateshwara Temple in Tirupati and Saibaba Temple in Shiridi have been occupying the top two spots among the richest temples of the country. Lord Ananta Padmanabhaswamy Temple, which was not being counted among the very rich temples till last week, now has the potential to become No.1 in the country.