Thiruvananthapuram: The enormous wealth lying in the vaults of Kerala’s Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple is being overshadowed by a series of controversies over the manner in which the temple assets have been handled through the past many decades.
In the latest development, the former chairman of an expert committee set up by the Supreme Court to assess the temple’s treasures, C.V. Ananda Bose has alleged that there was reason to believe the former royal family of Travancore has not handled temple assets in a transparent manner.
Ananda Bose’s statement comes just a day after K.P. Indira, a principal additional sessions judge took charge as the head of the administration of the temple as directed by the apex court. Her appointment in turn came in the wake of the recommendations of the amicus curiae appointed by the court, Gopal Subramaniam, who sought a total overhaul of the temple’s administration.
Indira offered prayers at the temple and took charge on Saturday. The developments over the past few weeks, following the directives from the Supreme Court, have caused much consternation in the former royal family of Travancore, as well as a large number of people in southern Kerala who have traditionally held the royals in awe and respect.
Ananda Bose said on Sunday that it was the former head of the erstwhile royal family, Uthradam Thirunal Marthanda Varma who held the keys to the temple vaults. Bose also suspects that the details of an inventory of the temple treasures drawn up a century ago were wilfully concealed.
Ananda Bose said some of the temple assets may have been smuggled outside the temple and taken abroad, and that a “serious” investigation would reveal the truth. He said it wasn’t certain whether the vaults that had supposedly never been opened so far have also been opened.
More trouble may be brewing for the former royals and those who have been handling the temple’s administration because the apex court has also asked former Comptroller and Auditor General, Vinod Rai, to undertake a comprehensive audit of the temple accounts and properties for the past 25 years.
