KOCHI: The controversy over the gold cladding on the dwarapalaka sculptures at Sabarimala temple has snowballed, with the entire episode exposing the absence of an inventory of articles donated by devotees to temples across the state.
It was a report submitted by Sabarimala special commissioner to the Kerala High Court on September 9 this year that triggered the row. It said that the cladded panels on the sculptures were removed and sent to Chennai for restoration without the permission of the court. Sources said the cladding was removed secretly at around 1.30am on the final day of Onam poojas after everyone, including the special commissioner, had left Sannidhanam.
Expressing concern over the incident, the devaswom bench of the HC directed the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) to immediately return the cladding. The board replied that the gold had already been melted for electroplating. The panels were later brought to Sabarimala and will be re-laid on October 17, when the temple opens for monthly poojas.
The special commissioner’s investigation also revealed that the cladding had previously been sent to Smart Creations in Chennai for gold plating on July 20, 2019. A meeting of the TDB board chaired by the-then president A Padmakumar decided to hand over what it termed ‘copper cladding’ to Unnikrishnan Potti, who volunteered to sponsor the process on July 6, 2019.
It may be noted that the entry of devotees was restricted at Sabarimala in 2019 after the women’s entry row, when the hill shrine was totally under the control of police and TDB.
The entire sanctum sanctorum, including the dwarapalaka idols and doors, was gold cladded using 30.3kg of 24 carat gold donated by former chairman of the UB Group Vijay Mallya in 1998-99. A key question is how the gold on the cladding, which was covered for 40 years, faded in 20 years.
The TDB meeting on July 6, 2019 sent a letter seeking Potti’s willingness to gold plate the dwarapalaka idols. He responded immediately and the panels were handed over, without tender on July 20, 2019. As per temple records, the 12 panels weighed 42.8kg when they were handed over to Potti, but there was a reduction of 4.541kg when they were returned. On their part, Smart Creations got hold of the panels on August 29 — a full 39 days after they were despatched. And, the items were returned to Sabarimala on September 11, 2019.
Last month, the HC ordered a comprehensive investigation by a retired judge into the alleged disappearance of the panels from the hill shrine. The probe will be part of a judicial scrutiny into the handling of temple assets.
The bench, comprising Justices K V Jayakumar and Raja Vijayaraghavan, flagged serious lapses in maintaining official records. A detailed inspection will be conducted regarding the handling of valuables in the devaswom strong room where gold plaques and the thiruvabharanam are stored. The court also ordered a complete inventory and valuation of the assets in the strong room.
The entire saga raises several questions: what was the need to plate the idols in 2019? Did the gold cladding fade and turn into copper in 20 years? If so, why didn’t the TDB contact the original sponsor and JNR Jewellery, who executed the work, who had guaranteed the work for 40 years. Also, where did the panels go missing for 39 days?
‘A mafia involved’
Allegations have surfaced that the cladding were taken to the houses of VIPs in Visakhapatnam, Bengaluru and Chennai. “There is a mafia involved. They create an impression among the affluent that keeping the cladding of Sabarimala at home and conducting poojas will bring good fortune. There are many businessmen in Andhra, Telangana and Karnataka who have made Lord Ayyappa a partner of their business. So a share of the annual profit goes to Lord Ayyappa. The mafia employs various tricks to siphon this money. The role of the TDB and its officials should be probed,” said Sabarimala Karma Samithi general convenor S J R Kumar.
Potti had arrived at Sannidhanam as the helper of a keezhsanthi, the assistant priests appointed by the chief priest for conducting poojas. In no time, he grew close with devaswom employees and became an influential figure at Sabarimala. It is said he facilitated special darshan for affluent people arriving from other states and hobnobbed with them. His proficiency in Tamil, Telugu and Kannada helped to build the connections. He was later removed from Sabarimala for trying to influence officials.
Potti who went back to his native Kilimanoor started a business and later shifted to Bengaluru. He returned to Sabarimala as a sponsor offering to plate the doors and dwarapalaka sculptures. When the row over the panels roiled state politics against the backdrop of the Global Ayyappa Sangamam, organised by the LDF government, Potti added fuel to the fire by alleging that two pedestals donated by him to Sabarimala temple were missing. The devaswom vigilance, which launched an investigation based on a court direction, found the plinths at the residence of Potti’s sister on September 27.
There are also allegations that the Vaji Vahanam, the horse idol placed atop the old flag mast of the temple has gone missing. The flag mast was replaced in 2017 and the Vaji Vahanam was handed over to the tantri. As per custom, the tantri has to return it to the TDB. “The businessmen who sponsor work at Sabarimala think keeping sculptures from the temple at home will bring fortune. The authorities might have gifted it to a sponsor,” a devotee said.
Refusing to comment on the issue, former TDB president Padmakumar said he will wait for a comprehensive investigation into the incident. “When Potti said the pedestals had gone missing, the media hailed him as a hero. Now you are celebrating Mallya. I don’t want to comment as the issue is under court review,” he said. Regarding the decision to hand over the dwarapalaka idols to Potti in 2019, he said there was nothing wrong in it. “The TDB cannot come between a devotee and God. Potti came forward to sponsor the plating and we accepted it,” he said.
“There is no chance of the cladding on the dwarapalakas and the doors fading and losing their gold content within a short span of time. Regular devotees are not allowed to enter the enclosure, which is restricted to VIPs and priests. If the gold cladding fades due to use then the same logic should hold for the steps of the sanctum sanctorum. But, this has not been the case. The cladding are of high value considering the divinity attached to them. So there is nothing wrong in suspecting a conspiracy,” said Mahesh Panicker, a member of the Thattavila family that made the panchaloha idol of Lord Ayyappa at Sabarimala in the 1950s.
