Padmanabhaswamy Temple treasure


The Padmanabhaswamy temple treasure is a collection of valuable objects including gold thrones, crowns, coins, statues and ornaments, diamonds and other precious stones. It was discovered in some of the subterranean vaults of the Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Thiruvananthapuram, in the Indian state of Kerala, when five of its six vaults were opened on 27 June 2011. The vaults were opened on the orders of the Supreme Court of India, which was hearing a private petition seeking transparency in the running of the temple. The discovery of the treasure attracted widespread national and international media attention as it is considered to be the largest collection of items of gold and precious stones in the recorded history of the world. On the possibility of future appropriation of the wealth, for the need of a new management and proper inventorying of the articles in the vaults, a public interest petition was registered with the Supreme court of India. In 2020, the Travancore Royal Family won the rights to manage the temple, as well all its financial aspects. The Supreme Court of India overruled the Kerala High Court's legal jurisprudence based on regional facts and recognition of the nullified princely agreement based on "Ruler of Travancore."

Vaults

The temple management authorities were aware of the existence of at least six vaults. They were situated underground, all around, and to the west of the sanctum sanctorum of the temple. For documentation purposes, these vaults have been designated as vaults A, B, C, D, E and F. Subsequently, two additional subterranean vaults have been discovered, and they have been designated as Vault G and Vault H.
  • Vault B has not been opened since at least the 1880s. The Supreme-Court-appointed committee-members, based on the 2014 amicus curiae and audit reports, cited instances of irregularities and mismanagement in the affairs of the temple. They opened the metal-grille door to Vault B and discovered a sturdy wooden door just behind it. They opened this door as well, and encountered a third door made of iron, which was jammed shut. The observers tried to force their way in but failed. So they decided to hire a professional locksmith to open or remove the door gently. Then in mid-July, before the locksmith came, the royal family got an injunction from the Supreme Court against opening vault B. Apparently, this was promulgated after a 4-day private decision-making process, based on astrology in 2011. Finally in July 2020, the Supreme Court refused to give permission to open the vault, as it was an issue involving religious sentiments.
  • As of end of 2020, Vaults G and H remain closed, and have been so for centuries.
  • Four of the vaults, namely those designated as C, D, E, and F, are in the custody of the temple priests. Over recent years, they have been opened at least eight times every year, and some of the contents stored in them are routinely taken out for use on special ceremonial occasions such as temple festivals, and are deposited back after use.
  • Following the orders of the Supreme Court of India, a court-appointed committee opened the vaults on 30 June 2011 and entered vault A. They unlocked an iron grille and a heavy wooden door, then removed a granite slab from the floor. Beneath, a few steps led to a dark room which stored the treasure. The various items found scattered everywhere seemed to be not arranged systematically. There were also baskets, earthen pots and copper pots with all of them containing valuable objects.

Inventory

The Supreme Court of India had ordered an amicus curiae appointed by it to prepare an inventory of the treasure. Full details of the inventory have not been revealed. However newspaper reports gave an indication of some of the possible contents of the vaults. About 40 groups of objects were retrieved from Vault E and Vault F. Another 1469 groups of objects found in Vault C and 617 in Vault D. Over 102000 groups of objects were recovered from Vault A alone.
According to news reports some of the items found include:
  • A high and wide solid pure-golden idol of Mahavishnu studded with diamonds and other fully precious stones
  • A solid pure-golden throne, studded with hundreds of diamonds and precious stones, meant for the idol of the deity
  • Ceremonial attire for adorning the deity in the form of 16-part gold anki weighing almost
  • An long pure-gold chain among thousands of pure-gold chains
  • A pure-gold sheaf weighing
  • A golden veil
  • 1200 'Sarappalli' pure-gold coin-chains encrusted with precious stones weighing between 3.5 kg and 10.5 kg
  • Several sacks filled with golden artefacts, necklaces, diadems, diamonds, rubies, sapphires, emeralds, gemstones, and objects made of other precious metals
  • Gold coconut shells studded with rubies and emeralds
  • Several 18th-century Napoleonic-era coins
  • Hundreds of thousands of gold coins of the Roman Empire
  • An hoard of gold coins dating to the medieval period
According to varying reports, at least three if not many more, solid gold crowns all studded with diamonds and other precious stones and pots of gold were found. While the above list is on the basis of news reports describing the July 2011 opening of Vaults A, C, D, E and F, a 1930s report from The Hindu mentions a granary-sized structure almost filled with mostly gold and some silver coins.