Padmanabhaswamy Temple

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Padmanabhaswamy Temple

Name

Proper name Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple

Geography

Coordinates

82858N 765637ECoordinates:

82858

N 765637E

Country India
State Kerala
Location Thiruvananthapuram
Culture
Primary deity Vishnu
Architecture
Architectural Dravidian architecture(Kovil)
styles
History and governance
Website Official website

Padmanabhaswamy temple is located in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India . The temple is built

in Dravidian style of architecture associated with the temples located in the neighboring state
of Tamil Nadu, featuring high walls and a 16th-century Gopuram.[1][2]While the Moolasthanam of the
temple is the Ananthapuram Temple in Kasargod, architecturally to some extent, the temple is a
replica of the Adikesava Perumal temple located in Kanyakumari District.[3] It is the richest Hindu

temple in the world.[4] In fact, in terms of gold and precious stones, it is by far the wealthiest institution
and place of worship of any kind in the recorded history of the world. [5][6][7][8]
The principal deity Vishnu is enshrined in the "Anantha Sayanam" posture, the eternal yogic
sleep on the serpent Adisheshan.[9]Sree Padmanabhaswamy is the tutelary deity of the royal family
of Travancore. The titular Maharaja of Travancore Moolam Thirunal Rama Varma is the trustee of the
temple as Sree Padmanabhadasa, the slave of Lord Padmanabha. In line with theTemple Entry
Proclamation, only those who profess the Hindu faith are permitted entry to the temple and devotees
have to strictly follow the dress code.[10]
Contents
[hide]

1 History
o

1.1 Travancore Royal Family

2 Temple structure

2.1 Main shrine

2.2 Other shrines

2.3 Gopuram

2.4 Vault B

3 Temple rituals
o

3.1 Festivals and Rites

3.2 Priests

4 Temple management

5 Extant temple records

6 Temple assets

7 Picture gallery

8 See also

9 References

10 External links

History[edit]
See also: History of Kerala and Divya Desam

Several extant Hindu Texts like the Brahma Purana, Matsya Purana, Varaha Purana, Skanda
Purana, Padma Purana, Vayu Purana, Bhagavata Purana and the Mahabharatamention this shrine.
[11]
The Temple has been referred to in the (only recorded) Sangam Period of Tamil literature between
500 B.C and 300 A.D several times. Many conventional historians and scholars are of the opinion
that one of the names that the Temple had - "The Golden Temple" - literally was in cognizance of the
fact that the Temple was already unimaginably wealthy by that point. [12][13][14] Many extant pieces of
Sangam literature and poetry, and even later the works of Nammalwar, refer to the Temple and even
the city as monuments that have walls made of pure gold. They often eulogize the Temple and the
entire city as being made of gold. [15][16]
In the early medieval Tamil literature canon of the Tamil Alvar saints (6th9th centuries AD), the
temple is one of the 108 principal Divya Desams ("Holy Abodes") inVaishnavism, and is glorified in
the Divya Prabandha, . The Divya Prabandha glorifies this shrine as being among the 13 Divya
Desam in Malai Nadu (corresponding to present-day Kerala and some adjoining areas). The 8th
century Alvar Nammalvar sang the glories of Padmanabha.[17][18] The Ananthapuram Temple in
Kasargod is believed to be the 'Moolasthanam' of the Temple.[19][20]
The sage Vilvamangalathu Swamiyar, who resided near Ananthapuram Temple in Kasargod District,
prayed to Lord Vishnu for his darshan or "auspicious sight". The Lord is believed to have come in the
guise of a little boy who was mischievous. The boy defiled the Idol which was kept for Puja. The
sage became enraged at this and chased away the boy, who disappeared. After a long search, when
he was walking on the banks of Arabian Sea, he heard a pulaya lady threatening her child that she
would throw him in Ananthankadu. The moment the Swami heard the word Ananthankadu he was
delighted. He proceeded to Ananthankadu based on the directions of the lady of whom he enquired.
The Sage reached Ananthankadu searching for the boy. There he saw the boy merging into an
Iluppa tree (Indian Butter Tree). The tree fell down and became Anantha Sayana Moorti (Vishnu
reclining on the celestial snake Anantha). But the edifice that the Lord assumed was of an
extraordinarily large size, with His head at Thiruvallom, navel at Thiruvanananthapuram, and lotusfeet at Thrippadapuram (Thrippappur), making him some eight miles in length. The Sage requested
the Lord to shrink to a smaller proportion that would be thrice the length of his staff. Immediately the
Lord shrank to the form of the Idol that is seen at present in the Temple. But even then many Iluppa
trees obstructed a complete vision of the Lord. The Sage saw the Lord in three parts thirumukham,
thiruvudal and thrippadam. Swami prayed to Padmanabha to be forgiven. The Swami offered Rice
Kanji and Uppumanga (salted mango pieces) in a coconut shell to the Perumal which he obtained
from the pulaya woman. The spot where the Sage had darsan of the Lord belonged to Koopakkara
Potti and Karuva Potti. With the assistance of the reigning King and some Brahmin households a
Temple was constructed. Koopakkara Potti was made the Tantri of the Temple. [21] The Ananthankadu
Nagaraja Temple still exists to the north west of the Padmanabhaswamy Temple. The Samadhi (final
resting place) of the Swamiyar exists to the west of the Padmanabha Temple. A Krishna Temple was
built over the Samadhi. This Temple, known as Vilvamangalam Sri Krishna Swami Temple, belongs
to Thrissur Naduvil Madhom.[3]

Travancore Royal Family[edit]

In the first half of the 18th century, in line with matrilineal customs, Anizham Thirunal Marthanda
Varma, succeeded his uncle Rama Varma as king at the age of 23. He successfully suppressed the
700-year-old stranglehold of the Ettuveetil Pillamar ("Lords of the Eight Houses") and his cousins
following the discovery of conspiracies which the lords were involved in against the royal house of
Travancore. The last major renovation of the Padmanabhaswamy temple commenced immediately
after Anizham Thirunal's accession to the musnud and the idol was reconsecrated in 906 ME (1731
CE). On 17 January 1750, Anizham Thirunal surrendered the kingdom of Travancore to
Padmanabha Swamy, the deity at the temple, and pledged that he and his descendants would be
vassals or agents of the deity who would serve the kingdom as Padmanabha Dasa.[9] Since then, the
name of every Travancore king was preceded by the title Sree Padmanabha Dasa; the female
members of the royal family were called Sree Padmanabha Sevinis. The donation of the kingdom to

Padmanabhaswamy was known as Thrippadi-danam. The final wishes of Anizham Thirunal on his
passing at the age of 53 clearly delineated the historical relationship between the Maharaja and the
temple: "That no deviation whatsoever should be made in regard to the dedication of the kingdom to
Padmanabhaswamy and that all future territorial acquisitions should be made over to the
Devaswom."

Temple structure[edit]

The approach road to the Padmanabhaswamy temple

Main shrine[edit]
In the sanctum sanctorum, Padmanabha reclines on the serpent Anantha or Adi Sesha.[22] The
serpent has five hoods facing inwards, signifying contemplation. The Lord's right hand is placed over
a Shiva lingam. Sridevi-Lakshmi, the Goddess of Prosperity and Bhudevi the Goddess of Earth, two
consorts of Vishnu are by his side. Brahma emerges on a lotus, which emanates from the navel of
the Lord. The deity is made from 12,000 saligramams.[23] These saligrams are from the banks of
the Gandaki River in Nepal, and to commemorate this certain rituals used to be performed at
the Pashupatinath Temple.[24] The deity of Padmanabha is covered with, "Katusarkara yogam", a
special ayurvedic mix, which forms a plaster that keeps the deity clean. The daily worship is with
flowers and for the abhishekam, special deities are used.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Padmanabhaswamy temple

The platforms in front of the vimanam and where the deity rests, are both carved out of a single
massive stone and hence called "Ottakkal-mandapam." On the orders of Marthanda Varma (1706
58), the Ottakkal-mandapam was cut out of a rock at Thirumala, about 4 miles (6.4 km) north of the
temple. It measured 20 square feet (1.9 m2) by 2.5 feet (0.76 m) thick and was placed in front of the
deity in the month of Edavom 906 M.E. (1731 AD). At the same time, Marthanda Varma also brought

12,000 shaligrams, aniconic representations of Vishnu, from the Gandaki River, north of Benares
(now known asVaranasi) to the temple. These were used in the reconsecration of the Padmanabha .
[25]

In order to perform darshan and puja, one has to ascend to the mandapam. The Deity is visible
through three doors the visage of the reclining Lord and Siva Linga underneath the hand is seen
through the first door; Sridevi and Divakara Muni in Katusarkara, Brahma seated on a lotus
emanating from the Lord's navel, hence the name, "Padmanabha", gold abhisheka moorthies of Lord
Padmanabha, Sridevi and Bhudevi, and silver utsava moorthi of Padmanabha through the second
door; the Lord's feet, and Bhudevi and Kaundinya Muni in Katusarkara through the third door. Only
the King of Travancore may perform sashtanga namaskaram, or prostrate on the "Ottakkal
Mandapam". It is traditionally held that anybody who prostrates on the mandapam has surrendered
all that he possesses to the Deity. Since the ruler has already done that, he is permitted to prostrate
on this mandapam.[26]

Gopuram of the Padmanabhaswamy Temple

Other shrines[edit]
Inside the Temple, there are two other important shrines, Thekkedom and Thiruvambadi, for the
Deities, Ugra Narasimha and Krishna Swami respectively. Thiruvambadi shrine enjoys an
independent status and predates the shrine of Padmanabha. Thiruvambadi shrine has its own
namaskara mandapam, bali stones and flagmast. The Lord of Thiruvambadi is Parthasarathi, the
Divine Charioteer of Arjuna. The granite idol of the Lord of Thiruvambadi was brought from Gujarat
by seventy two families of Vrishni Vamsa Kshatriyas. As these Vrishnies belong to the lineage of
Lord Krishna, they are known as Krishnan vakakkar. The two-armed granite idol, with one hand
holding the whip and the other resting on the left thigh holding the conch close to it, is in standing
posture. On Ekadasi days the Lord is dressed and decorated as Mohini. There are also shrines
for Rama accompanied by Sita, Lakshmana and Hanuman, Vishwaksena (the Nirmalyadhari of
Vishnu and Remover of Obstacles), Vyasa, Ganapati, Sasta and Kshetrapala (who guards the
temple). Grand idols of Garuda and Hanuman stand with folded hands in the Valiya balikkal area.
[3]
The thevara idols of Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma andUthradom Thirunal Marthanda
Varma are housed in the south east part of the Temple.

Gopuram[edit]
The foundation of the present gopuram was laid in 1566. [27] The temple has a 100-foot,[28] seven-tier
gopuram made in the Pandyan style.[29] The temple stands by the side of atank, named Padma
Theertham (meaning the lotus spring). The temple has a corridor with 365 and one-quarter
sculptured granite-stone pillars with elaborate carvings which stands out to be an ultimate
testimonial for the Vishwakarma sthapathis in sculpting this architectural masterpiece. This corridor

extends from the eastern side into the sanctum sanctorum. An eighty-foot flag-staff stands in front of
the main entry from the prakaram(closed precincts of a temple). The ground floor under the gopuram
(main entrance in the eastern side) is known as the 'Nataka Sala' where the famous temple art
Kathakali was staged in the night during the ten-day uthsavam (festival) conducted twice a year,
during the Malayalam months of Meenam and Thulam.

Vault B[edit]
Among the six vaults in the temple, Kallara B is very closely associated with Lord Sree Padmanabha
and is not part of the Temple Treasury. There are some unconfirmed rumors, that on the orders of
Maharaja Sri Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma, the outermost ante-chamber of Kallara B was
opened in 1931. In 2011, it was opened by the Observers appointed by the Supreme Court of India.
[30]
But the observers did not open the inner chamber which possibly houses a Srichakram, an idol of
Padmanabha and countless valuables meant to enhance the potency of the Presiding Deity.
Moreover Devas, Rishis and Kanjirottu Yakshi reside in the inner chamber worshipping the Supreme
Lord.[31] The enchanting and ferocious forms of Kanjirottu Yakshi are painted on the south-west part
of the main Sanctum. Lord Ugra Narasimha of Thekkedom is believed to be the Protector of Vault B
There is a serpent's image on Vault B indicating danger to anyone who opens it. A four-day
Ashtamangala Devaprasnam conducted in August 2011 declared the inner chamber of Kallara B as
forbidden territory. Emily Gilchrist Hatch, who was in Trivandrum in 1933, recalls in her book a similar
but unsuccessful attempt that was made in 1908.[32]However, Gopal Subramanium in his report
submitted to the Supreme Court in April 2014 recommended opening of this Kallara after conducting
another Devaprasnam.

Temple rituals[edit]
Festivals and Rites[edit]

NarasimhaSwamy & PadmanabhaSwamy after coming from Shankumuka Beach during Aarat Festival

There are many festivals related to this temple. The major festivals are bi-annual.
The Alpashy festival which is in October/November and the Panguni festival which is in Tamil month
Panguni, March/April, lasts for 10 days each. On the ninth day the Maharajah of Travancore, in his
capacity as Thrippappoor Mooppan, escorts the deities to the vettakkalam for Pallivetta. Centuries
back, the Pallivetta procession was said to pass through Kaithamukku, Kuthiravattom
(Kunnumpuram), Pazhaya Sreekanteswaram and Putharikkandam. The festivals culminate with
the Aarat (holy bath) procession to the Shankumugham Beach. The word Aarat refers to the
purificatory immersion of the deities of the temple in sea. This event takes place in the evening. The
Maharajah of Travancore escorts the Aarat procession on foot. The festival idols "Utsava Vigrahas"
of Padmanabhaswamy, Narasimha Moorthi and Krishna Swami are given a ritual bath in the sea,
after the prescribed pujas. After this ceremony, the idols are taken back to the temple in a procession
that is lit by traditional torches, marking the conclusion of the festival. [3]

A major annual festival related to Padmanabha temple is the Navaratri festival. The idols
of Saraswati Amman, Mun Uditha Nangai (Parasakti who appeared before Saraswati, Lakshmi and
Parvati to help them identify their husbands who had been transformed into infants by the power of
chastity of Anasuya) and Kumara Swami (Murugan) are brought to the Kuthira malika palace in front
of Padmanabha temple as a procession. This festival lasts for 9 days. The famous Swathi music
festival is held every year during this festival.

Big Idol of Pandavas displayed during Panguni festival

The biggest festival in this temple is laksha deepam, which means hundred thousand (or one lakh)
lamps. This festival is unique and commences once in 6 years. Prior to this festival, chanting of
prayers and recitation of three vedas is done for 56 days. On the last day, hundred thousand oil
lamps are lit in and around the temple premises. The next laksha deepam is slated on January 2014

Priests[edit]
Temples where 'Swamiyar Pushpanjali' is conducted are claimants to extra sanctity. Sannyasins from
any one of the monasteries founded by the disciples of Adi Sankara in Thrissur do pushpanjali
(flower worship) daily to Padmanabha, Narasimha Moorthi and Krishna Swami. Of these
monasteries, Naduvil Madhom is the most important as Vilvamangalathu Swamiyar, the founder of
this Temple, belonged to this monastery. Initially, Koopakkara Potties were the Tantries of the
Temple. Later, Tantram was transferred to Tharananallur Nambuthiripads of Iranjalakkuda. The
Nambies, altogether four in number, are the Chief Priests of the Temple. Two Nambies - Periya
Nambi and Panchagavyathu Nambi - are allotted to Padmanabha and one Nambi each to
Narasimha Moorthi and Krishna Swami. The Nambies hail from either side of the Chandragiri River.
They are appointed by the Pushpanjali Swamiyar.[3]

Temple management[edit]
Initially, the Padmanabhaswamy Temple and its property were controlled by Thiruvaanandapuram
Sabha and later by Ettara Yogam ("Council of Eight and a Half") with the assistance of Ettuveetil
Pillamar ("Lords of the Eight Houses").[33] The Pushpanjali Swamiyars of Padmanabhaswamy Temple
preside over the meetings of Thiruvananthapuram community and Ettara Yogam. In the past, the
Swamiyars of the Naduvil Madhom were appointed as Pushpanjali Swamiyars by the Maharaja of
Travancore with the concurrence of Ettara Yogam. Anizham Thirunal Marthanda Varma curtailed the
authority of Ettara Yogam and liquidated the powerful Ettuveetil Pillamar. Ettara Yogam became an
advisory and assenting body thereafter. Besides Naduvil Madhom, Munchira Madhom got the right
to appoint Pushpanjali Swamiyars during his reign. In the recent past,Uthradom Thirunal Marthanda
Varma gave Pushpanjali rights to the Swamiyars of Thrikkaikattu Madhom and Thekke Madhom as
well. Though the Maharaja is the appointing authority of the Pushpanjali Swamiyar, the former must

do a Vechu Namaskaram when he sees the Swamiyar. With the passing away of Uthradom Thirunal
Marthanda Varma in December 2013, his nephew Moolam Thirunal Rama Varma became the titular
Maharaja of Travancore in January 2014. Like his predecessors, Moolam Thirunal also got
concurrence from the Ettara Yogam before assuming the title 'Maharaja'. In the presence of the
Maharaja designate, the Yogathil Pottimar and the Tantri, the Pushpanjali Swamiyar Maravanchery
Thekkedathu Neelakanta Bharatikal signed on the Neettu (Order) of the Ettara Yogam giving
recognition to Moolam Thirunal as Chirava Mooppu(Maharaja of Travancore) and Thrippappoor
Mooppu (Administrator of the Temple). This ceremony took place at Kulasekhara Mandapam in
Padmanabha Swamy Temple.Revathi Thirunal Balagopal Varma, grandson of Maharani Regent
Pooradom Thirunal Sethu Lakshmi Bayi, is the titular Elayaraja of Travancore.

Extant temple records[edit]

A pertinent event in the long recorded history of the temple was the construction of a "granta-pura"
(record-room) within the temple compound itself around 1425 C.E by the then Venad King Veera
Iravi Iravi Varma, to store the "Mathilakam" (within-the-walls) records, as the then existing temple
records were known then and later.[34] A major portion of those records (numbering around 30 lakhs
of documents) from the Mathikalam, had been donated later to the Archives Department in 1867, at
the time of the formation of the latter. Despite their cultural value, only a minuscule portion of these
grantas (bundles) of cadjan leaf records, written mostly in ancient scripts of proto-Tamil and archaicMalayalam, have been deciphered. The translations of this section of manuscripts by some scholars
serve as a rare but very inadequate primary source material on the temple and its rich traditions.
The rest of the 30 lakh documents three thousand bundles of records pertaining to the temple each bundle consisting of over a thousand cadjan records segregated under 70 "heads" - is still
lying idle with the Archives Department. According to Aswathi Thirunal Gouri Lakshmi Bayi, a
member of the Travancore Royal Family and author of a book on the temple, from a very early
period in recorded history the temple had employed two kinds of 'record writers'. One group was to
record the proceedings and transactions of the Ettarayogam, a council of temple administrators, that
included the then king. The other was to write and preserve the records of the day-to-day functioning
of the temple, maintain correct accounts of the temple-treasury, and of temple-revenue-collections
and temple-expenditure, and as well as write down all the other records, connected with the
functioning of the temple.

Temple assets[edit]
Wikinews has related
news:Hidden treasure
worth billions of dollars
discovered in Indian
temple

The temple and its assets belong to Lord Padmanabhaswamy, and were for a long time controlled
by a trust, headed by the Travancore Royal family. However, for the present, the Supreme Court of
India has divested the Travancore Royal Family from leading the management of the temple. [35][36][37]
[38]
T P Sundara Rajan's litigations changed the way the world looked at the Temple.
In June 2011, the Supreme Court directed the authorities from the archaeology department and the
fire services, to open the secret chambers of the temple for inspection of the items kept inside. [39] The
temple has six hitherto known vaults (Kallaras), labeled as A to F, for book keeping purpose by the
Court (Since, however, an Amicus Curie Report by Justice Gopal Subramaniam, in April 2014, has
reportedly found two more further subterranean vaults that have been named G and H). While vaults
A and B have been unopened over the past many years the vaults C to F have been opened from

time to time. The two priests of the temple, the 'Periya Nambi' and the 'Thekkedathu Nambi', are the
custodians of the four vaults, C to F, which are opened periodically. The Supreme Court had directed
that "the existing practices, procedures, and rituals" of the temple be followed while opening vaults C
to F and using the articles inside, while Vaults A and B would be opened only for the purpose of
making an inventory of the articles and then closed. The review of the temple's underground vaults
was undertaken by a seven-member panel appointed by the Supreme Court of Indiato generate an
inventory, leading to the enumeration of a vast collection of articles that are traditionally kept under
lock and key. A detailed inventory of the temple assets, consisting of gold, jewels, and other
valuables is yet to be made.
Among the reported findings, are a three-and-a-half feet tall solid pure golden idol of Mahavishnu,
studded with hundreds of diamonds and rubies and other precious stones. [40]Also found were an 18foot-long pure gold chain, a gold sheaf weighing 500 kilos, a 36-kilo golden veil, 1200 'Sarappalli'
gold coin-chains that are encrusted with precious stones, and several sacks filled with golden
artifacts, necklaces, diadems, diamonds, rubies, sapphires, emeralds, gemstones, and objects made
of other precious metals and precious stones.[41][42][43][44] Ceremonial attire for adorning the deity in the
form of 16-part gold anki weighing almost 30 kilograms (66 lb), gold coconut shells studded with
rubies and emeralds, and several 18th century Napoleonic era coins were found many other objects.
[2]
In early-2012, an expert committee had been appointed to investigate these objects, which include
lakhs of golden coins of the Roman Empire, that were found in Kottayam, in Kannur District.
[45]
According to Vinod Rai, the former Comptroller-and-Auditor-General(CAG) of India, who had
audited some of the Temple records in August 2014, in the already opened vault A, there is an 800kilo hoard of gold coins, dating to around 200 B.C, each coin priced at over 2.70 crores.[46] Also
found, was a pure Golden Throne adorned with hundreds of diamonds and fully precious stones,
meant as a seat for the 18-foot-long Deity.[47] According to varying reports, at least three, if not many
more, solid gold crowns have been found, all studded with diamonds and other precious stones. [48][49]
[50]
Some other media reports also mention hundreds of pure gold pots, chairs and jars, among the
articles recovered from Vault A and its antechambers.
This revelation has solidified the status of the Padmanabhaswamy Temple as the wealthiest temple
in the world [51] It is conservatively estimated that the value of the monumental items is close
to 1.2 lakh crore or 1.2 trillion (US$18 billion). If the antique and cultural value were taken into
account these assets could be worth ten times the current market price. [52]
These estimates were on the basis of the revelations since July 2011, when five vaults were opened,
with the at least one remaining vault (B), which is the largest, still closed. One of the oldest existing
estimates regarding Vault B, which can be considered to be at least as reliable as any other made
since the discovery of the hidden treasure (or assets) of the Temple in 2011, was done by the
Travancore Royal Family itself in the 1880s (when an older existing estimate was updated).
According to the then drawn-up estimate, the riches contained in Vault B, which is the only vault (of
the reported six) that is unopened so far, since the discovery of the treasure, were worth 12,000
crores. Considering the subsequent inflation of the rupee, and the increase in the prices of gold and
other precious metals and stones since, the treasure in the unopened vault B alone, would be worth
at least 50 trillion (US$1 trillion) in present-day terms, before the cultural value being factored in.
[53]
As a reference, the entire wealth of the Mughal Empire at its very zenith under Aurangzeb (in
1690), was a comparatively meagre US$90 billion in modern-day terms. [54][55] In fact, at its richest, the
Mughal "treasury" (in Jahangir's and Shah Jahan's periods) consisted of seven tonnes of gold, along
with eighty pounds of uncut diamonds, a hundred pounds each of rubies and emeralds and six
hundred pounds of pearls.[56] Also, in contrast, the wealthiest Nizam of Hyderabad, Osman Ali Khan,
Asaf Jah VII, was worth a relatively minuscule 1600 crores (all his conceivable assets combined) in
the 1940s, while his entire treasure of jewels, would amount to just US$150 to 500 million variously
in today's terms.[57][58][59][60] The hitherto-uncovered treasure itself is worth millions of times that of the
so-called British crown jewels.[61][62] Even with only five of the eight vaults being opened (three vaults
and all their ante-chambers still remaining closed), the treasure found so far, is considered to be by

far the largest collection of items of gold and fully precious stones in the recorded history of the
world.[6][7][8][63]
The valuables are believed to have been accumulated in the temple over several thousands of
years, having been donated to the Deity (and subsequently stored there), by various Dynasties, like
the Cheras, the Pandyas, the Travancore Royal Family, the Kolathiris, the Pallavas, the Cholas,
many other Kings in the recorded history of both South India and beyond, and from the rulers and
traders of Mesopotamia, Jerusalem, Greece, Rome, and later, the various colonial powers from
Europe, and other countries as well.[12][13][14][34][45][64][65][66] Some conventional scholars have suggested that
a part of the stored riches reached the kings in the form of tax, gifts, as well as conquered wealth of
states and offerings stocked in the temple for safekeeping.[67] Most scholars however believe that this
was accumulated over thousands of years, given the mention of the Deity and the Temple in several
extant Hindu Texts, the Sangam Tamil literature (500 BC to 300 AD wherein it was referred to as the
"Golden Temple" on account of its then unimaginable wealth), and the treasures consist of countless
artifacts dating back to the Chera, Pandya, Mesopotamian, Greek and Roman epochs. The Malabar
region (as a part of the "Tamilakam" region of recorded history) were centers of trade and commerce
since the Sumerian Period. Also, at times like the invasion by Tipu Sultan, the other then-extant
temples in the Kerala region (like the Kolathiri-ruled area) and the extreme South stored their
offerings for safekeeping in the Padmanabhaswamy Temple. [12][13][14][34][45][64][66][68] Also, most of the
treasures housed in the much larger and as-yet-unopened vaults, as well as in the much smaller
cellars that have been opened, date back to long before the institution of the so-called Travancore
Kingdom, e.g the 800-kg hoard of coins from 200 B.C mentioned by Vinod Rai. Lastly, it has to be
remembered that in the Travancore Kingdom, a distinction was always made between the
Government (State) Treasury (Karuvelam), the Royal Family Treasury (Chellam), and the Temple
Treasury (Thiruvara Bhandaram or Sri Bhandaram). During the reign of Maharani Gowri Lakshmi
Bayi, hundreds of temples that were mismanaged, were brought under the Government. The excess
ornaments in these temples were also transferred to the Vaults of the Padmanabhaswamy Temple.
Instead the funds of the Padmanabhaswamy Temple were utilised for the daily upkeep of these
temples.
On 4 July 2011 the seven-member expert team tasked with taking stock of the temple assets
decided to postpone opening of Chamber 'B'. This chamber is sealed with an iron door with the
image of a cobra on it and it has not been opened, due to the belief opening it would result in much
misfortune.[69] The royal family said that many legends were attached to the temple and that chamber
B has a model of a snake on the main door and opening it could be a bad omen. [70] The sevenmember team will consult with some more experts on 8 July 2011 and then they may take the final
decision on opening of chamber B.[71] An Ashtamangala Devaprasnam conducted in the Temple to
discern the will of the Lord revealed that any attempts to open Chamber 'B' would cause Divine
displeasure and that the holy articles in the other chambers were defiled in the inventorying process.
[24]
The original petitioner whose court action led to the inventory taking, T.P. Sundarajan, died in July
2011, adding credence to those who believe in the folklore around the temple. [72]
The Kerala High Court ruled in 2011 that the state government should take over the control of the
temple and its assets, but the Travancore royal family appealed to the Supreme Court. [73] An
independent report was commissioned, and was completed in November 2012, [74] finding no
evidence that the royal family were expropriating the treasures.[73]
As of March 2013, vaults B, G, and H along with their several ante-chambers were yet to be opened;
while inventorying of the items in vaults C, D, E, and F were just completed; and formal inventorying
of vault A had commenced. Over 1.02 lakh 'articles' had been retrieved from Vault A and its antechambers, till that point, though only a fraction of them had been inventoried then. An 'article' could
be either an individual item, or collections of several items, examples of the latter being a cache of
1,95,000 'Rassappanams' (Gold coins) weighing 800 kg and sets of Navaratnas (collections of nine
different kinds of diamonds). There are over 60,000 fully precious stones, set as parts of larger
pieces of gold jewelery, amongst those items inventoried as of March 2013.[75] The results of the

inventory are not to be released until the completion of the whole process by order of the Supreme
Court of India.[74]
In April 2014, Amicus Curiae advocate Gopal Subramaniam filed a 577-page report to the Supreme
court of India alleging malpractices in the administration of the temple. According to him, the
authorities failed to perform their ethical duties by opening many bank accounts, trusts and also not
filing Income Tax returns for the past ten years. He alleged that Vault B was opened despite a
previous ruling of the Supreme court prohibiting the same. [76] The report states, "The large amount of
gold and silver, the discovery of which was a shock to the Amicus Curiae, is a singular instance of
mismanagement. The presence of a gold plating machine is also yet another unexplained
circumstance. This discovery raises a doubt of the organized extraction by persons belonging to the
highest echelons. There appears to be resistance on the part of the entire State apparatus in
effectively addressing the said issues. The lack of adequate investigation by the police is a telling
sign that although Thiruvananthapuram is a city in the State of Kerala, parallelism based on
monarchic rule appears to predominate the social psyche."[77]
The Supreme court bench comprising justice R. M. Lodha and justice A. K. Patnaik ordered a
change in administration by forming a 5-member committee and appointing Vinod Rai as auditor.
The committee will include Thiruvananthapuram District judge K. P. Indira,[78] Thantri and Nambi of
the temple and two members to be decided in consultation with the Government of Kerala.
Additionally, IAS officer and former administrator of the temple, K. N. Satish was appointed as
executive officer.[79][80] The Government of Kerala agreed to comply with the Supreme court order.
[81]
Moolam Thirunal Rama Varma remains the trustee of the temple and still does the ritual duties as
the titular Maharaja of Travancore, but has no responsibility regarding the temple management after
the interim ruling by the Supreme Court [82][83] The report also found the existence of two more vaults
that were never even made mention of or hitherto spoken about. The report named them Vault 'G'
and Vault 'H'. Like Vault 'B' and all its antechambers, both these vaults and their antechambers were
yet to have been opened, as of May 2014.[84][85] The report also mentions that Mr. Subramanian found
several large trunks filled with artifacts made of precious metals and precious stones outside of the
eight vaults and their antechambers.[86]
The CBI and the Intelligence Bureau have red-flagged the appointment of Gopal Subramaniam as a
Judge in the Supreme Court. The IB cites Mr Subramaniam's report on Sree Padmanabhaswamy
Temple as one of the instances where he relied heavily on his spiritual instincts rather than rational
logic and hard facts.[87] In his second report on Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temple, Mr Subramaniam
himself reveals,"It was his morning ritual of [shutting] his mind and seeking guidance, which resulted
in discoveries in this direction."[88]
The Amicus Curiae has also been accused of conducting poojas in the Temple in violation of its
customs.[87] He performed poojas at the Thevarappura in the Temple and in front of the Vedavyasa
Shrine. Despite opposition from the Royal Family and the Tantries of the Temple, he pulled out a
stone Yantra from the nearby Marthandan Madhom Palace and did pooja on it for several days. The
Tantries explained that the Yantram had no connection with the Padmanabhaswami Temple and that
it was for the protection of the Palace. But the Amicus Curiae insisted on having it installed in the
Sanctum Sanctorum of the Temple. Due to severe opposition from the Tantries the Yantram remains
where it was. The Amicus Curiae introduced the daily rendering of Thiruppati Venkatesa
Suprabhatam in spite of this Temple having its own musical heritage. In his first report to the
Supreme Court, the Amicus Curiae directed the Tantries to examine whether a Sri Yantra can be
installed in the Sanctum Sanctorum in front of the utsava moorthi. [89]
According to a report by Comptroller and Auditor General of India Vinod Rai, records shared with him
show that Vault B has been opened a number of times in recent decades: twice in 1991 and five
times in 2002. It also shows it was opened after 2011 against the courts ruling. Speculation is that it
has been opened several more times than actually recorded. Record states that some silver items
were removed and replaced by other gold items, also later removed. [90] Once Vinod Rai's report was
out, Princess Aswathi Thirunal Gowri Lakshmi Bayi clarified that Mr Rai could be referring to Vault

B's ante-room, which was opened even in 2011 by the Supreme Court-appointed observers. The
anteroom leads into another room which has never been opened. [91]