Kerala temple assets stand at Rs 7000 cr and still counting

Thiruvananthapuram, Jun 30: Even as Sai Baba's multi-crore assets hog the limelight and has now brought the focus back on the humongous assets that devotional and spiritual organisations hold, the assets of the famed Padmanabha Swamy Temple in Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala will make the Sai Baba trust look like sundry establishment.

With the opening of stone cellars that had remained sealed for centuries, the assets that have found inside can be termed mind-numbing and gives out the real insight in to the way royalty lived centuries ago. Only three of the hidden underground chambers have been opened and it is believed to contain priceless artefacts, gold ornaments, utensils, jewelled crowns, golden accessories used during the festival of the presiding deity, pearls etc... With officials not able to put an exact figure on the articles worth as they hold extreme importance due to its sheer antiqueness.

A mammoth exercise, the opening of the chambers are being carried since the last couple of days and the assets till now are estimated at Rs 7000 crore with the exact figure extremely hard to fathom.

The temple is a major landmark in Kerala and was built by the King of Travancore dynasty, Marthanda Verma, in 18th century. The decision to open the chamber was based on a PIL filed in order to make the temple administration more transparent.

OneIndia News