Thiruvananthapuram: The erstwhile royal family of Travancore in Kerala is thrilled that valuables worth thousands of millions have been discovered in a temple it manages.
A Supreme Court-appointed committee is opening six chambers in the Sri Padmanabhaswamy temple and making an inventory of the stock.
The unofficial estimate of the gems and jewellery found in the chambers, two of which have not been opened for nearly 150 years, is Rs1 trillion (Dh82 billion).
The head of the royal family of Travancore, Uthradom Thirunal Marthanda Varma, was tight-lipped on the discovery and said: "One has to abide by the ruling of the apex court."
Varma is the managing trustee of the trust that runs the temple.
The task of making the inventory began last Monday and five chambers have been opened.
One of the members of the royal family said: "How many royal families in the country can be proud of keeping things like this? You should understand that two chambers out of the six have not been opened for more than 150 years."
