THRISSUR: In a tumult of events, Guruvayur Devaswom on Tuesday had to prove the purity of the gold locket sold by it after a devotee raised concerns over its resale value. After a gold appraiser certified that the locket was 916 gold, the devotee tendered an apology.
Ottapalam native Mohandas, a Pulluvanpattu artist, came out against the devaswom a couple of days ago alleging that when he tried to borrow money by pledging the gold locket of Guruvayoorappan purchased from the temple, the lenders didn’t give money stating that they doubted its purity.
When he tried to pawn it at the Ottapalam Cooperative Urban Bank in Ambalapara, they refused to give money saying it was not actual gold. Mohandas said he bought the gold locket weighing 2gm for Rs 14,200 from Guruvayur temple on May 13. Mohandas also claimed that he took the gold locket to Alankar Jewellery shop in Ottapalam and they also told him that it was not pure gold.
Following this, the Guruvayur Devaswom on Tuesday tested the gold. The gold appraiser of the devaswom approved it as gold and a media briefing was held. However, as demanded by Mohandas, the locket was taken to a jewellery shop of his choice and tested. It was again tested with a certified gold appraiser. In both cases, the gold locket was found to be of 22 karat purity. Following this, Mohandas tendered an apology in front of the media and public. But, the Devaswom decided to lodge a complaint with the police for raising false allegations.
Devaswom chairman V K Vijayan said, “There is nothing to be worried about its purity. However, the spread of such fake information and false allegations cannot be entertained.”
Devaswom’s tie-up with Government Mint
Guruvayur Devaswom has a tie-up with India Government Mint in Mumbai which functions under Security Printing and Minting Corporation. The gold received by the devaswom is melted and converted into Guruvayoorappan lockets