16th March 2014
Well, we’re told the jury is yet to come in on that one. But what we’re sure is that it’s a really, really, really rich temple.
So in case you thought you were visiting a poor nation, steeped in poverty, with lots of homeless people (possibly also true); the other side of the story is that we also possess not one, but two of the richest temples in the world.
Between, the Sri Padmanabhaswamy temple and the Tirupati temple, we could potentially have enough to feed the entire nation for a few years.
The temple is located in Thiruvananthapuram, and it shot into fame when in 2010, the news broke about all the wealth it was holding, deep within it’s vaults. An NDTV 2011 report says: “Last July, the world’s attention turned to the temple when the committee unearthed what one of its members said was gold, diamonds and precious antiques worth up to $40 billion.”
A kid running excitedly towards the temple.
40 billion dollars! Now that is no small sum. And a little ironical coming to think of it. At least, if God does actually exist, he’s having a big laugh about all the wealth he’s collected over centuries. And it’s not like he hasn’t got enough already.
Anyway, if you (like me) were sleeping (or distracted by other things) while this news broke, in 2010, it was ordered that the contents of the vaults of the Padmanbhaswamy temple be made public. And that’s when all the jewels, gold and silver came (literally) tumbling out.
According to another NDTV report: “The four vaults already opened in recent days at the temple in Thiruvananthapuram, the capital of the southern state of Kerala, held a vast bounty that unofficial estimates peg at Rs. 90,000 crore. Other treasures unearthed so far include statues of gods and goddesses made of solid gold and studded with diamonds, rubies, emeralds and other precious stones, crowns and necklaces, all given as gifts to the temple over the centuries.’
A couple getting ready to enter the temple premises
They’re now in lengthy discussions (where I would love to be a fly in the wall!) about what to do with all the wealth and going by our record for debates, this one is going to be a very long one.
The wealth they’ve unearthed is apparently enough (of course, after many months of assessment) to wipe off India’s debt. But of course, they’re not going to do that. Someone suggested a closely guarded museum. That makes so much more sense right? Get people to admire all these riches from a distance. Hmm… Some have suggested the treasures being sold and the money being used for development of Kerala.
Coming back to these riches, the $40 billion dollars is only an estimation. I am rather curious to know what’s going to happen with all the riches. I know I’m not getting a cent, though some spare change would always help.
Security was ramped up when the news about the treasures was revealed. There are hidden cameras and black cat commandos all around. Apparently, some of the bare torso-exhibiting priests might also be security staff. Not surprisingly. You wouldn’t want someone to break in and suddenly run away with a lot of India’s (or God’s as the case might be) wealth.
Men need to be dressed in a mundu and women in a saree to enter the temple. It is also only accessible to Hindus.
Outside the temple, there are vendors who do brisk business renting sarees (for women) and wrap-around (mundus) for men. Garbed in this gear, and of course sporting your Hindu identity you are allowed to enter. We admire it from the distance, and there’s a road around it which you are allowed to walk through. But no photographs are allowed. I spot a shop there where two men are carving intricate wood sculptures of different gods. He starts to show me a few of them, but I have to tell him that I’m not really out to buy anything.
What I came away with is of course the million (or billion) dollar question: what will happen to all this wealth? But I doubt I’ll get an answer. Probably, not in this lifetime.
