Temples of India: Mystery Vaults of Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temple Kerala

 

Shri Padmanabhaswamy Temple is an ancient temple whose history dates back to 500 BC and is situated in the East Fort situated in Thiruvananthapuram the capital of Kerala.

The presiding deity at the temple is Lord Vishnu, to whom the temple is devoted. Keralan and Dravidian architectural styles are mixed together in the temple's construction.

This temple is one of the 108 Vishnu temples, or "Divya Desams," that are located throughout India. The most revered and holy locations where Lord Vishnu lives are thought to be these Divya Desams.

Treasure vaults at Padmanabhaswamy Temple: Unlike other Keralan temples under the jurisdiction of the Travancore royal line, this temple has long been the subject of stories about buried valuables. A five-member committee was appointed by the Supreme Court to oversee the temple's management. Vinod Rai, a former comptroller and auditor, was assigned to examine the properties, assets, and financial records of the temple. Additionally, the court decided not to open vault B until after all other vaults were completed.

The public only learned of the Rs. 100,000 crore hidden treasure in the Padmanabhaswamy Temple vaults in July 2011, following the submission of the initial study on the subject.

 

It seems that the treasure has been buried five feet below the surface. Despite the claims that vault B had not been opened, Rai revealed that the temple records showed that the vault had been opened twice in 1990 and then five times in 2002. That's why the mystery surrounding the entrance of vault B continues to circulate.

Padmanabhaswamy Temple's vaults

Archaeologists found six underground vaults in the temple in 2001, labeled A to F. In the process of looking through the Padmanabhaswamy Temple vaults for the wealth, they found:

1.    Gold coins dating back thousands of years, including seven kilograms of coins from the 1700s, eighteen coins from Napoleon's reign, priceless stones wrapped in silk bundles, and a total of one thousand kilograms of gold in the form of coins and trinkets.

 Jewellery, comprising of an emerald and diamond-encrusted 9-foot-long gold necklace weighing 2.5 kg, 1 ton of gold-made rice jewels, gold sticks, diamond sacks, gold ropes, and numerous other ornaments in chamber A. Ancient baskets, earthenware pots, copper pots, and other containers held all of this jewelry.

3.    A small golden statue of an elephant.

   3 1/2 feet tall statues of Mahavishnu made of gold and studded with diamonds, rubies, and hundreds of other precious stones.

However, as of now the existence of another inner chamber which is hidden under Vault B has not been taken into account. This chamber is quite ancient and is believed to be made up of thick walls of gold. This is exactly where the mystery deepens since the royal family of Travancore has refused to give permission to the officials to open the vault as they believe it may anger the Gods and befall a terrible curse upon the nation.

There are a total of 6 vaults marked from A to F. 5 out of 6 vaults have been opened as of 2011. Vaults A and B store extensive gold treasures. C and D have gold and silver jewelry. E and F have utensils and other things related to temple rituals.

The vaults' curse

Two antechambers lead to the main vault on vault B since the serpent carving there is so well guarded. The sculptures of a Yakshi and a serpent on the vault door served as a warning to people not to enter.

According to legend, during the reign of King Marthanda Varma, the top religious authorities chanted the Naga Paasam mantras, sealing Vault B and safeguarding the treasure of the Padmanabhaswamy Temple. And only one of the most powerful priests may help in lifting the curse.

Stories about the curse behind the Padmanabhaswamy Temple treasure

1. An occurrence in the 1930s raised a lot of questions about the curse over the Padmanabhaswamy Temple treasure. It is said that miscreants were trying to break into vault B and were attacked by a hoard of snakes that appeared out of nowhere.

2. The petitioner of the vaults, Sundarajan, had an untimely death one month after the vaults were opened.

 

3. Another person associated with the opening of the vaults lost his mother. This strengthened the belief of the royal family and everyone else about the curse that was supposed to be there over the vaults.

4. Another interesting story states that the temple priests tried unlocking the door over a hundred years ago so they could use the treasure to save the country from the ongoing famine at the time. But as they got closer, they could hear gushing waves behind the door. Legend has it that it is connected to the Arabian Sea.