Golden Bird India, Fossils Found in Sri Padmanabhan Temple Vikash Singh ,

Trivandrum, July 7: A mesmerising treasury of gold and silver coins, jewels and precious stones in the Sree Padmanabhan temple of Kerla in India has surprised the world as sealed vaults were opened.

The state government has recently increased the security net after the discovery of treasure; it has once again shown the world about the wealthiest religious institutions in the country.

Four vaults have recently opened at the Sree Padmanabhan temple in Trivandrum, which is unofficially estimated to be worth about $22 billion. A few more vaults will be opened on July 8.

The thousands of statues of gods and goddesses made of solid gold and studded with diamonds, emeralds, rubies, and other precious stones, crowns and necklaces were all given as gifts to the gods over the centuries.

  

The quantity of gold and silver coins was so much that the officials involved in counting weighed the coins by the sackful rather than counting them.

Sree Padmanabhan temple, built by the maharajas who ruled the then-kingdom of Travancore, remained under the control of the erstwhile royal family of the region after India's independence in 1947.

India's Apex Court ordered the careful inspection of the vaults after a lawyer petitioned a local court asking the Kerala Government to take over the Sree Padmanabhan temple, citing inadequate security. The current Maharaja of Travancore appealed to the Apex Court against the petition.

The inventory opened last week, and the final vaults are expected to be unlocked soon. The public knows the treasures in the temple, but the quantum mesmerises everybody.

Before the trove was opened, there was almost no security at the temple, except for a few local guards patrolling the complex with batons, mainly for the crowd control objective.

Kerala's police have sent extra police officers to the temple and are planning a high-tech security system to protect the treasure soon.

"We plan to enhance security in a manner which will not interfere with the activities of the temple or devotees," Kerala's police chief, Jacob Punnoose, said to the media.

Manoj Abraham, police commissioner in Trivandrum, said two battalions of special armed police would provide security outside the temple complex.

"Later, we will discuss with temple authorities and members of the former royal family what kind of permanent security system should be put in place," Abraham said.

Every year, devout Hindus donate cash, gold, and silver to temples, whose value is millions. Some of the temples in India are so wealthy that they have formed trusts that run schools, colleges, and hospitals that offer free treatment to poor people.

The new discovery of the Sree Padmanabhan temple has sparked a debate over the future of the treasure trove.

Vellappally Nateshan, a Hindu leader, requested the wealth to remain with the temple authorities.

Some social activists in Kerala have demanded the treasure be handed to a national trust to help the country's poor people.

However, Kerala's Chief Minister Oommen Chandy assured the people that the wealth would remain with the temple."It is the property of the temple. The government will protect the wealth at the temple."

Chandy said the government would bear the cost of stepping up security at the temple and ensuring that worshippers were not inconvenienced.