THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Before the dust could settle on the Sabarimala gold theft case, a similar controversy has hit the Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple. The state police chief has reported to the state government that gold bars and coins weighing around 78 g went missing from the temple in “recent months”. Also missing were certain coveted artefacts having immense antique and religious value, such as a multi-tiered gold lamp and the Vaira Nama – a diamond-studded ornament kept in the sanctum sanctorum, the report said.
Highly placed sources told TNIE that these “misses” could just be a tip of the iceberg and that several such incidents have happened in the past, which were not even reported to the police.
One classic example, according to sources, of the mismanagement was the missing of “one of 22 silver bowls used during religious ceremonies” in 2022. Known as ‘poovattaka’, the bowls were taken out for Alpasi festival but only 21 found its way back to the vault.
The matter was raised before the executive committee on November 7 that year. Surprisingly, the matter was never communicated to police and instead the committee took a decision to replace the lost bowl with a replica made of silver, a source said. The next executive committee meeting held on December 2, 2022, was informed that the bowl was replaced.
“There was no police complaint and hence no investigation. The culprit/culprits managed to escape. Though a third-party complaint was filed before the police as well as the then Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, the police did not even file an FIR,” the source said.
Another ‘missing’ incident was reported on March 6, 2022, that of a silver chain that adorned the neck of Hanuman Swamy. The chain went missing by 8.30 pm and was duly reported to the guard commander.
As the matter heated up, a search was launched and the chain was recovered from a waste bin near the south entrance. That incident too, sources said, was not reported to the police despite it being a suspected theft attempt.
The police chief’s report, which was filed before the home secretary on May 15, said the intelligence wing had flagged unauthorised/unchecked entry of people via the Chembakathumoodu entrance. That included certain temple employees, security staff, and “associates of the royal family”, the report said.
The report recommended that all valuables should be documented and stored in a designated locker under strict police surveillance. The temple executive officer, meanwhile, rejected the allegations.
“The treasures of Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple are safeguarded with the highest standards of security and reverence. The temple premises are under continuous CCTV surveillance managed by the temple security (police), and the movement of valuable articles, if required, is carried out only under due intimation to the security wing and in their presence,” the executive officer said in a statement.