The Indian temples should start looking into their
basements.
Who knows, Yamashita's loot maybe there or treasures hidden
from Yamashita.
NEW DELHI (Commodity Online) : The value of
treasure consisting of thousands of kilos of gold, diamonds, gems
and Silver ornaments, found
concealed in different cellars at Sree Padmanabha swamy temple in
Thiruvananthapuram, capital of South Indian state of Kerala, is
estimated to cross over a mind-blowing Rs 1,00,000 crore ($22
billion).
ALSO READ: Temple Treasure: Do gods need
gold?
As per expert accounts, this could be the largest treasure of
Gold
found anywhere in India and possibly in the world. Two more cellars
are to be opened on Monday which could add more value to the
already whopping amount.
Analysts said the estimated amount is nearly three times the
annual budget size of Kerala. Experts are yet to find out the
antique value of the rare articles found from the secret
cellars.
However, some experts have questioned the quick estimates,
saying it would take several weeks to make an assessment.
The priceless articles includes a gold sheaf weighing 500 kilos,
an 18-foot gold chain weighing 10.5 kilos, a 36-kilo golden veil,
quintals of gold granules and nuggets, crowns, numerous jewels and
diamonds including those from Antwerp and rare coins from many
countries including France.
The vaults were opened after India’s apex court, the Supreme
Court ordered the state government to take over the temple's assets
from a trust controlled by the royal family of Travancore.
The temple has six underground chambers. The two chambers that
were opened were last looked at about 130 years ago.
With this stunning discovery, the Sri Padmanabha Swamy Temple
has become the richest Hindu temple in India, bypassing the Balaji
temple at Tirupati. The Tirupati temple is known to have gold worth
Rs 42,000 crore.
The Sri Padmanabhaswamy temple was built in the 16th century by
the kings of Travancore. The descendents of the royal family had
appealed to the Supreme Court against the petition for the
takeover.
The shrine, located right in the heart of the Kerala's capital,
is run by a trust floated by the Travancore royal house, to which
Lord Padmanabha is the family deity.
Princely states in India merged with the Indian republic after
the country gained Independence from British rule in 1947.
Initially, the princes were allowed to retain their titles and some
property, and were given funds in lieu of the revenue they earlier
earned.
But the funds and their titles were abolished in 1971. The
descendants of the Travancore royal family, however, continued to
control the Sri Padmanabhaswamy temple through the trust.
Meanwhile, the findings have raised serious questions about the
treasure’s ownership rights and its future security. It has become
a big headache for both Kerala and India governments because of
security reasons.
Security experts say that the Kerala Police do not have the
means and expertise to provide security to such huge wealth. “You
need laser-protected safes, digital surveillance and other such
modern systems and programmes for providing security to things like
this," a police official said.
With the revelation that the temple cellars are holding
unimaginably huge treasures, controversies have sparked off over
who the real owners of this wealth are. Believers argue that the
wealth belongs to the temple and should continue to be kept in the
temple itself under foolproof security.
However, some historians say that the treasure was actually
public property hidden away by the erstwhile kings. Atheists and
rationalists argue that the treasure could have been black wealth
amassed by the kings and hidden in the temple for reasons of the
peculiar security situation of those times.
However, Uthradam Thirunnal Marthanda Varma, the present heir of
the royalty, said he did not want to say anything about the
treasure, describing it as the wealth of Lord Padmanabha. “I must
not say anything about it. I am just seeing what is happening,” he
said.