Leave more than just footprints!

My wife is on a donation drive. A small Hindu temple in our neighbourhood is on the verge of morphing into something big. Initially starting as zinc shed with a few deities, with ever-increasing congregating believers, its presence came to be felt by the surrounding occupants. They did not mind the occasional minor inconveniences caused by its presence as they thought the divine power that it represents would, in turn, protect them. 

Soon the temple coffers grew bigger, and the pressure to flaunt their presence became necessary. Architects were summoned in, and a grand design was put forth. But then, if only they had a few hundred thousand ringgits more…

That was when the drive started. 

The general public was not so forthcoming to part with their hard-earned moolah. They have had enough of schemes that never got off the ground. And the number of holy men in sheep's clothing is just too numerous to be enumerated. They would like to see money spent on education and social causes. The lay public fails to see how big erections, loads of flowers and metric tonnes of milk in the name of fetting the Gods will improve the community. 

But wait. 

Let us look at the country's history. As time goes on, we can notice the nation's story is written and re-written to trim and prune the actual events to satisfy the majority ethnic group in the country. Slowly, the deeds of the minority are erased and slowly forgotten from the annals of Malaysian history. 

The discovery of Hindu icons in Indian mosques set the records straight of the hidden history behind these monuments. The discovery of Angkor Wat, Borobudur, and the giant Buddhas of Bamiyan tells us about the land's glorious past. Asoka's Pillar is the testimony of a glorious Mauryan Empire that existed long ago.

It is pertinent for all communities to leave their legacy to mark their territory, especially in the modern world. As the majority try to dominate the rest in their rapacious desire to create a New World Order, they try to control the narrative and whitewash the contributions of the rest. These Hindu architectural marvels will seal the presence of Hindu culture in this region.

For those who have a compelling desire to contribute to this course, please submit your donations to:

PERSATUAN PENGANUT SRI DEVI KARUMARIAMMAN

RHB BERHAD ACCOUNT: 21209500071462

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

It is in the tuning?

Yet another perspective of trying to understand the secrets of life. Perhaps there might be another way to tap wisdom from the Intellect around us.

www.scienceandnonduality.com

The vessel to concentrate energies. 

The location, on a particular grid, 

in relation to the Earth's magnetic powers 

coupled with the specific placing of 

deities on certain metals to act as 

conductors and linked to the chanting 

of 'mantras' attempt to open the gateway 

for a seamless flow of knowledge of the 

Agent Intellect.

Imagine a shortwave radio or a ham radio. In order to receive transmissions, it needs to be set at a specific frequency for unhampered communications. Their whole function is determined by the ability to pick up signals by setting the dial at a particular station and for the antenna to absorb the waves. The devices in the radio turn them into audible sounds.

Many times, we run out of ideas. We seem to have hit a brick wall; thought blocks, muddled brains, whatever you call it. Suddenly, the Muse showers Her Grace and ideas just keep on flowing. How often a good nights' sleep clears the mind and makes you see everything in a different light. In the same vein how Ramanujam plucked formulas out of thin air as and when Goddess Namagiri whispered them to him.

This is yet another explanation for the existence of many deities amongst us. One divinity for one specific reason. It controls one particular trait of living. For someone whose immediate priority is to gain knowledge in academia and the arts may need to attune his thought frequencies to that of Sarasvati. To acquire wealth and prosperity, Lakshmi is invoked. For bravery and physical strength, Durga or Shakthi is summoned. The hymns and mantras recited are probably towards this end - to create an unimpeded channel for our brainwaves to be set at the required wavelength.

That must be the reason for all the rituals and meditative practices. The unearthly early morning rituals with the repeated chanting of verses in monotonous and hypnotic tones must all be towards this end - to set the internal antenna to the frequency we want to receive. Some receive it with ease, others struggle and yet some who miss the elephant in the room (pun unintended).

 https://asok22.wixsite.com/real-lesson 

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

What happened to all the knowledge?

Shanti Stupa at Dhaulagiri

India has always struck to everyone as the land of mysticism. In its area lies the secret of its many centuries of civilisation and the many forgotten treasures and wisdom of yesteryear. Everyone goes there, in his full view, is yet another splendour of a previously well advanced enlightened with advancement in engineering, sciences, mathematics and ethics so sophisticated that is beyond compare. Some of the things that we see are just mind-boggling. Some of the tales narrated to us are beyond belief, wanting of rational scientific explanation.

At the turn of last year, I had the opportunity to gaze at a fraction of these wonders during a short trip to Odiya. Besides Emperor Asoka and his Kalinga Kingdom which is often mentioned in our textbooks, this tropical climate state is also well known for two other mammoth structures with its logic-defying features.

'The masses' lulling themselves with the notion that their nation, at one time, did rule the world
spiritually, economically and epistemologically. Never mind if it just a 'has been' story. 
At least the past glory can be a nidus the spark for the future.

The river in Dhauli, now just a stream which just saw a flow of crimson tide following the massacre of Kalinga.

Dhauli is the place where Asoka, after all the killings of his siblings, enemies and army, was enlightened here when he saw a river, instead of having running water had a sea of sanguine effluent. This, together with a few pre-forewarned sign reformed him into a Buddhist and a man of peace. In this place stands a stupa built by a Japanese to commemorate that event.

Another structure that is quite jaw-dropping is the 12th century Sun Temple whose construction showcases the richness of Odiya architecture. The people, the Sun-worshippers (not the Californian type), considered the Sun as the reason for their existence. A temple was built to honour it. The architectural outlay is basically to calculate sun positions and to ascertain the time and the seasons.

























At a time when the sciences were rudimentary, and pieces of machinery were primitive, it is indeed perplexing that the people then could actually carve out a temple out of a monolith with such precision and accuracy. Suggestions of alien intervention in these feats cannot be discredited but deserve more merit. The public display of sculptures of couples engaged in various positions of acts of copulation suggests that the Indian society indeed used to be a more liberal society than they are now. What gave, I wonder?

Jagannath Puri [Credit: noisebreak.com]

Yet another temple that would blow your mind away is the Jagannathpuri temple in Puri. It has gained the status of being one of the four magnificent Hindu temples at the four corners of India that one has to visit in his lifetime to achieve Moksha; the others being Dwarka at the west, Rameswaram at the south and Badrinath in the north. Shrouded in many unexplainable mysteries, this Vishnu temple is a display of splendour of Odiyan architecture at its zenith. If you look around Jaganath Puri from any angle at any time of the day, there would not be a single shadow cast from the dome of the main building.

The other unexplained mystery surrounding the temple is the prasadam (divine offerings) cooking technique and its distribution. Science cannot explain why the contents of the top-most pot are found to cooked before the one below when a stack of seven earthen pots are cooked over a fire below. Every day, there is no wastage or shortage of day. Miraculously, the amount prepared is just enough to accommodate the number of devotees and visitors.

noisebreak.com

Unlike other temples, the deities here (Lord Krishna; Balabhadra, his older brother and Subhadra, his younger sister) are wooden ones that are changed every twelve years. It is modelled after the very first prototype where one of the three deities is unfinished as the maker died after a curse. When the King ordered the erection of the temple, the best craftsmen were summoned. The leading artist locked himself to start on his project with the condition that the doors should not be opened until he says so. Curiosity took the better part of the Queen who decided to peek. The artist died, and the King decided to keep the diety as it was. Till this date, the newer statues are made with the third diety with no hands. The urban legend about the craftsman soon dying after completing his project lives on.

Another unique ritual that is found in this temple is the changing of the flag at the top of the dome on a daily basis. For the past 1800 years, a priest with no protective gears or safety harness climbs the dome which is as tall as a 45-storey building to continue the tradition. Legend dictates that if this ritual is broken, the temple would be shut for the next 18 years.
http://noisebreak.com/science-power-lord-jagannath-10-mysteries-puris-jagannath-temple-still-unexplained/

https://asok22.wixsite.com/real-lesson

Do you want to leave your legacy?

Historical Monument of Kalinga at Dhauli.

The ferocious Emperor Asoka was moved by

the crimson hue of the river water nearby.

Only then did the realisation of his tyranny

came fore. He became a pacifist, a Buddhist

and built stupas and pillars to remind

himself and his subjects on the value of life.

They keep telling me that I am insignificant; that I am inconspicuous to the grander scheme of things around; that I am just passing through. My existence in time is less than a millimicrosecondth of the 13.8 billion years since the time Big Bang happened. They ask me to be humble, to bow to the forces of Nature and to remember that I am weak; all just flesh, blood and bone. I am so brittle, organic and living on borrowed time. At the bat of an eyelid, I may be down and out. I remain but just dust, a part of the galaxy. I am told to invoke the blessings of the celestial bodies that govern our every move and not to incur their wrath.

This message of humility is apparently applicable only to some. It is shoved down the throats of lesser beings who are powerless and have to forever live on the goodwill of the crumbs from the mighty, the courageous and the wealthy. Social and moral mores are not applicable to them. They can act without impunity till death do them apart, or the Agent Intellect shine the ray of wisdom on them.

When their Consciousness becomes more manifest, they will insist that they are reformed and be given a new slate and a new lease on life. With their unholy earning, they would kosher it with mammoth structures to remind mortals that they are nothing. They would be anything but humble.

But then these megalomaniacs are the ones that history remembers. The average Joe whose existence follows the actual path of moderation as preached by the elders hardly matters to the more important direction of the human civilisation. Their lives are quickly forgotten.

My assertion is that rules only apply to the weak. The valiant segment of the population is exempt from the common rules and regulations. Well, some people are more equal than others. Some leave a legacy behind, others not even their carbon print or footprint.

Buddha statue Dhauli, Odisha

Sculpted by devotion?

@PawanDurani This Brahmana is from Melukote. Carries water for abhisheka from the Pushkarani down below to the Yoga Narasimha temple atop a hill. A steep climb of 300 steps, plus added distance from Pushkarani. He has been at it for decades now, 4-5 times every day. Body sculpted by devotion.

https://twitter.com/Tasveer_wala/status/949470952240250881

This is more than a mere photo story. The servant of God takes upon himself his divine duty to carry water up to the temple. In simple terms, he is the modern-day Sisyphus. He carries the heavy load of water up the hill every day without actually having a target. He would never be able to fill up the hill or have a deadline when his repetitive duty would end. He takes the 'job' as his Dharma, his reason for his existence. He carries on this selfless and endless mission with the primary gain of finishing his job. He has to find happiness within the act of completing the job, knowing very well that the monotonous and arduous task needs to be repeated, again and again. Perhaps, it is just better for him to continue the duty at hand subserviently, without asking the meaning of it all. Look at him. He displays the full glory of the beneficial effects of his physical exertion, a well-crafted body and probably pink of health. He may look forward to continuing his job the next day, thinking that there would be no one to continue his legacy.

Would things still be the same if he were to overthink and starts automating? What if he begins outsourcing, delegating or hiring to do the same? What if he devises hydraulics? The physical work may be done,, but the fringe benefits? Perhaps that would explain the meaningless (in our minds), repetitive chanting and rituals associated with religious practices -to stay focused. Whether the physical act of doing the chore has any definitive meaning, that is another question. It is not the action but the effects. Just thinking...

Thanks, AqS and SK for tickling my mind.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Time after time...

Gyanvapi Mosque at Varanasi was originally Kasi Viswanath Temple

Gyanvapi mosque is located in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India. It was constructed by the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb after he demolished the original Kashi Vishwanath temple at the site.

One can clearly notice the old Hindu temple wall mixed into the mosque.

There is a small well in the temple called the Jnana Vapi also spelt as Gyaan vapi (the wisdom well). The Jnana Vapi well sites to the north of the main temple and it is believed that the Jyotirlinga was hidden in the well to protect it at the time of the invasion. It is said that the main priest of the temple jumped into the well with the Siva Linga in order to protect it from invaders.

This mosque was built by Aurangzeb in 1669 CE, after destroying the Kasi Viswanath temple located on the site.

The mosque is named after Gyanvapi (“the well of knowledge“), which is situated between the temple and the mosque.

Kasi Viswanath temple existed since many thousands of years and has been reconstructed every few hundreds of years.

The temple structure that existed prior to the construction of the mosque was built by Raja Man Singh during Akbar’s reign.

The temple’s demolition was intended as a warning to the anti-Mughal factions and Hindu religious leaders in the city after few helped Maratha King Sivaji to escape from Agra.

Maratha ruler Malhar Rao Holkar (1693-1766) wanted to demolish the mosque and reconstruct Vishweshwar Temple at the site.

However, he never actually did that. Later, in 1780, his daughter-in-law Ahilyabai Holkar constructed the present Kasi Viswanath Temple adjacent to the mosque.

The original Kasi Temple is mentioned in Siva, Skanda Puranas and original Viswanath temple was destroyed by the army of Qutb-ud-din Aibak in 1194 CE when he defeated the Raja of Kannauj as a commander of Mohammad Ghori.

Its temple was rebuilt by a Gujarati merchant during the reign of Shamsuddin Iltumish (1211-1266 CE).

It was demolished again during the rule of either Hussain Shah Sharqi (1447-1458) or Sikandar Lodhi (1489-1517).

Raja Man Singh built the temple during Akbar’s rule, but orthodox Hindus boycotted it as he had let the Mughal emperors marry within his family. Raja Todar Mal further re-built the temple with Akbar’s funding at its original site in 1585.

Even after Aurangazeb demolishing the original temple and constructing a mosque over it, the remains of the former temple can be seen in the foundation, the columns and at the rear part of the mosque.

During 1833-1840 CE, the boundary of Gyanvapi Well, the ghats and other nearby temples were constructed.

The Circle of Life

Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring (봄 여름 가을 겨울 그리고 봄, Korean, 2003)

This is a very quiet movie with hardly any dialogue set in a serene lake surrounded by mountain. The message it carries, however, is ‘earth shattering’. In very few words, it narrates with symbolisms by using animals (rooster, cat, snake, tortoise) which refer to particular virtues in Buddhist and Eastern traditions. It is divided into seasons, not all in a year, signifying the life cycle that seems to repeat itself.

A very young boy (maybe six) grows up in a floating Buddhist monastery in a lake deep in the wood with his sifu, an elderly monk. Their daily routine is laid out - daily walks, plucking herbs and chanting. The boy, mischievous as he is, ill-treats little animals in the forest, fish, frog and snake. The master was watching his every move, teaches him that every cruel deed would be carried by the heart forever.

In the next segment, the boy grows into a young man. A mother brings her daughter (a young woman) for a mysterious illness, probably the mental kind. The young man with his bulging hormones is head-over-heels in love with the lady. They were caught embraced in sexual activity. The girl is sent off as she seems to have recovered. The young man, longing to be with her, follows her back to civilisation. He is warned that lust leads to the desire for possession, and possession leads to murder. A colourful rooster, which signifies desire and craving, is featured in this segment.

In the ‘fall’ component, the monk reads from an old newspaper wrapping that the apprentice had killed his wife for infidelity and that he is at large. Expectedly, he arrives at the monastery. The cat is featured here. Cats are thought to be able to cast away evil spirits in Korean culture whilst they denote decadent lascivious life in Far Eastern scriptures.

The apprentice, regretting the turn of events, attempts suicide but is stopped by the monk. He is made to carve out some holy scriptures. Police later arrived to apprehend him. Sifu then performs self-sacrifice by burning himself on a pyre.

Winter... Many years later, the apprentice returns as a changed man. He rejuvenates the temple. A lady turns up to leave her son. Spring... the child does the same thing that the apprentice did before, torture animals...

That is the circle of life. Things happen cyclically; the world is a stage with the same play. Only the props and actors differ. The plot may vary slightly. The outcome may vary, but the trend is the same.

You can't take the film out of an Indian!

As part of their plan to change the landscape of attendees of the temple from a predominantly geriatric population who are trying to postpone their face to face appointment with their Maker to a much younger one and to enhance the inter and intra familial ties, the ladies wing of the temple committee that I attend decided to hold a variety show in their premises. The other agenda on the list was to source funds to channel towards an orphanage.
Well, you would think that getting orphanage to participate in this fare should be easy. Not really! Most of these institutions have their appointment books all packed with invitations from well wishers. They even limit the type of handouts that you can offer them. They can choose because they are not beggars! In a land of plenty like ours, everyone is affluent.
You would not be penalised if you think that there would not be any takers for purchase of ticket to this show. Wrong again. The tickets sold off faster than hot cakes, leaving many disappointed souls.
The theme of the show was 'Hum Saath Saath Hain' (we stand united) to illustrate the fact that a family that  spend time together feasting the eyes, mind and palate together would stand united as a happy family. 'Hum Saath Saath Hain' is a title of a Hindi movie that came out in the 90s of the trial and tribulations of an extended family. Someone said that he felt so nauseated throughout the film as every character were just much too sweet to each other sacrificing for others' wellbeing! (Like drinking 50% dextrose, you will puke!)

Good for you!

The show started keeping to Malaysian or Indian timings as the attendees were Malaysians and Indians. An excellent Masters of Ceremony kept the crowd in stitches and at their toes as he went around getting the audience involved in the event. The audience kept their side of the bargain by performing songs and going on stage as easy as flipping the coin. 
The event appeared like a remembrance of sorts for the recent passing of the Hindi film superstar, Rajesh Khanna. Many of the quiz questions and background songs were from his movies. Some of the performances were choreographed to his songs!

Can't keep the eyes off!

The performances flowed in seamlessly as the guests were digging into their delicious vegetarian cuisines. In midst of lucky draws were pantomime by the priest and his family on a sketch of how God works in mysterious ways, a Bollywood song singing competition between sexes (Antakshari), an imitation of a reality show as seen in Hindi channel, dances by the young and the old, music from Bollywood and a finale by the organising committee.
The organisers managed to grasp the attention of all ( from young to old) and made them stay around way past their bed times! They also managed to show how a wholesome show suitable for the whole family can be organised. Of course, the whole evening would have been a turn-off if it appeared preachy with hymns and prayers only. If not for Bollywood input, it would not have been possible. A right balance of entertainment and family values was maintained.  Kudos!


*Antakshri (Devnagri: अन्ताक्षरी, Urdu: انتاکشری) is a spoken parlour game played in India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Nepal. Each contestant sings the first verse of a (usually Bollywood) movie song that begins with the Hindi or Urdu consonant on which the previous contestant's song selection ended.

National integration in temple

In Rome do what Romans do.
When the English brought indented labourers from India, they brought with them their culture, religion and way of life. To keep them contended, the colonial master built arrack shop and let them build their own place of worship. Over the generations, the Indians who migrated to this land for better life have blended well into the society. They contributed their sweat, life and blood to transform this backwater malarial infested land into a near developed country with the help of other citizens. Well, malaria has been replaced by dengue, that's another story!
National integration, at least from the food perspective has infiltrated into Hindu temples. This, I discovered today. Generally, the Aadi month (the fourth month of the Tamil calendar) as I knew when I was growing up, was an inauspicious for many life altering events like weddings, consummation for newly weds, moving into a new house or childbirth. Now, I have come to understand that it is actually a good month for Goddesses and unmarried ladies to pray for a good husband! And now over the years, the temples have started becoming hive with activities, thus generating business again for themselves and its off-shoots that benefit from it (i.e.florists, caterers, textiles etcetera).
Historically, Aadi may have been a busy month for the farming community to work on their next crop cycle. Aadi was also a bad month for business. Couples who slept in Aadi run a risk of delivering their offspring in May, the hottest month in Tamil Nadu, perhaps when the highest rate of puerperal sepsis was!

Vegetarian nasi lemak with  crispy soya based
fake anchovies, peanuts and hot red spicy sauce.

So, I attended one of these prayers honouring Goddess Amman. After the long symbolic ceremony, again signifying the greatness of a weary space traveller with her various paraphernalia exhibited during the course of the elaborate prayers, we were treated to a vegetarian meal in the temple premises.
Adding Malaysian flavour to the menu was our good old nasi lemak, one of Malaysians' all time favourite dish. Of course, in keeping with the sensitivities of the host and the premises, it was a strictly vegetarian fare. Off the list of ingredients were eggs, anchovies and shrimp paste (belacan). The taste may not satisfy the tastebuds of die hard nasi lemak enthusiast but it tasted more than 80% as good.
And I was thinking to myself, "You can't force national integration. Given time, it would evolve by itself sooner or later!".

Whose dough is it anyway?

People get into in the intricacies of life, they fall sick, they get hit by natural calamities, their living becomes unbearable. They persevere in their daily dealings in spite of adverse turn of events with the undying faith that the Almighty would pave a way for them to live in their place in the sun. This, they did by way they knew best. They frequented the house of abode of the Lord, made here on Earth by men who claim to possess divine wisdom or spiritual connexion. They, in a way, bribed the Gods with worldly possessions like money, gold, precious stones and various alms in the hope that the Divine Powers be pleased with their subservience. By twist of fate or divine intervention, things actually improved. Serenity was returned. Forget about the occasional tragedies - God knows best, look at the bigger picture, it is the Butterfly effect, bla, bla...

30kg Golden idol valued at Rs 5 000 000 000

These halls of worship become too small for its congregations. Peasants and even rich zaminders follow suit in this way of herd mentality and mass hypnotism. It became coolest place to be hanging around. It became the meeting place to procure new business clients and ventures. This status symbol had to depict the greatness of the village to keep up with the Joneses. The rich contributed to the grandiosity in the understanding that they and their family members would be the leaders for generations.

Time trickled on.... Invaders came...Emperors reigned...Empires crumpled with self destruction...but the temple hanged on. This seemingly low profile temple somehow escaped the fancy of fortune seekers and invaders (divine protection or otherwise) but continued at business as usual. Upheaval and uncertainties were fertile grounds for theological assistance. Hive of activities in the temple (now a golden shrine) go on....

Fast forward to the next few millenia....

Due to the curse of the Gods or a case of 'too small the cake for too big a crowd to lick', the general  poverty and infrastructure around the temple have hardly improved over time. The new socialist minded committee were reminded of the temple's secret vaults and their bottomless pit of wealth which could be used for betterment on the needy. That started the snowball of events.

Suddenly, the sharkly black draped men of the law manifest out of thin air. The superior protector of law and order have decreed that the vaults be shut and the temple wealth be frozen till further notice. Then the debate began! Whose wealth is it anyway?

Does it belong to the temple committee who were given the enviable task of custodians of the temple wealth who would decide on the destiny of the treasure? Or should it be nationalized and the wealth utilized for good of masses? Yeah, right!

 How about the temple forming a trust to improve living conditions and future of those living in that vicinty? If only human can agree or they waiting for a divine intervention for common sense to prevail?

Treasure belongs to 'Lord' or people?

Asha P Nair

Express News Service

Last Updated : 04 Jul 2011 08:46:01 AM IST

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The hidden treasure is out in the open. Debates are on as to what should be done with the mountain of wealth. But the million dollar question remains unanswered. Who does this money belong to the Lord or to his people? Even the historians seem divided in tackling the tricky question.
If there is one factor that mesmerises historians, it is that Padmanabhaswamy Temple here has remained unscathed by invasions of any sort in the past. Whether the rich temples next door in Tamil Nadu or up in the Northern states like Rajasthan, none has escaped from the eyes of plunderers. But Padmanabhaswamy Temple did, the reason why such a huge wealth accumulated, historians think. But the argument that it is people's money does not stand any ground with many of them. "The tax collected from people went into the tax treasury, and the presents, tributes to the Lord and possibly the wealth accumulated by winning battles, went into the temple treasury.  'Mathilakom' (related to the Padmanabhaswamy Temple) documents clearly state that tax treasury was called 'karuvalam' and temple treasury was 'ituveippu'. So, there is no confusion, the treasure now unearthed belongs to the Lord,'' says historian M G Sasibhushan. Backing the opinion is another renowned historian M G S Narayanan who says that it was the 'ettarayogam' which had handled the money of the Lord initially."Our history puts it down clearly that the money belongs to the temple. The treasury was different those times," he says. Therefore, the money should not be given out. "It is legally and morally wrong to take the money out of the temple. It should be preserved," he adds. However, there are those who endorse the view that going by the kind of measureless wealth that has been discovered, it may not be just the donations and offerings but some of people's money too.

___________________________________________________________________________

Treasure trove (from Wikipedia)
Main article: Secret chambers of Padmanabha Swami temple
In 2011, the Supreme Court of India directed the authorities from the fire services and archeology department to open the secret (sanctum sanctorum) chambers of the temple for inspection of the items kept inside. The inspections at the temple began after the Supreme Court set aside a Kerala High Court order that the state government take over the temple, but asked for the inventory of its assets. The high court order was given after a local lawyer, Sundar Rajan, petitioned it because, he alleged, the trust running the temple did not have the capacity to ensure the security of its assets. On 2 July 2011, approximately Rs 500 billion (US$11.15 billion) worth of gold, jewels, and other treasures were unearthed in the vaults of the temple. Several 18th century Napoleonic era coins were found, as well as a three-and-a-half feet tall gold idol of Mahavishnu studded with rubies and emeralds, and ceremonial attire for adorning the deity in the form of 16-part gold anki weighing almost 30 kilograms (66 lb) together with gold coconut shells, one studded with rubies and emeralds. The Kerala High Court recently ordered the temple be managed by the State to ensure the security of the temple and its treasures. This ruling was set aside by the Supreme Court. The Temple remains under the control of a private trust run by the Royal family.
This revelation has solidified the status of the Padmanabhaswamy temple as one of the wealthiest temples in India and with the final estimate of the wealth, it might overtake the Tirumala Venkateswara Temple—hitherto thought to be the wealthiest temple—having some Rs.320 billion (US$7.14 billion) in gold, coins and other treasures. It is estimated that the value of the monumental items is close to Rs.1 trillion (US$22.3 billion), making it the richest temple in the world. If the antique value is taken into account, this treasure will be worth 10 times the current market price.
The treasure is thought to have been in the temple for more than one hundred years, having been put there by traders, pilgrims and royals such as the maharajahs of Travancore. While some historians have suggested that a major chunk of the stored riches reached the kings in the form of tax, gift and bribes, as well as looted wealth of conquered states and temples stocked in the temple for safekeeping, there is also clear evidence that the Royal family which has looked after the temple for centuries have lead a very austere and simple life, thus belying claims of hoarding for personal use. A ferry transported traders, pilgrims and chroniclers from the Tenavaram temple, the famously wealthy Vishnu temple town and Tamil emporium to the Chera and Chola kingdoms of Tamilakkam via Puttalam on the western shore of Ceylon (then an extension of Malabar Kerala) and the Gulf of Mannar during the medieval period. This temple was destroyed in 1587 CE, a few years after the Thiruvananthapuram Padmanabhaswamy temple gopuram was constructed. Morrocan traveller Ibn Batuta visited Tenavaram in the 14th century and described the Vishnu idol here as being made of gold and the size of a man with two large rubies as eyes "that lit up like lanterns during the night." All people living within the vicinity of the temple and who visited it were fed with monetary endowments that were made to the idol.
The findings represent the highest valued assets at present, saved in secret chambers by the royal families.
The temple has 6 vaults (Kallaras), labeled as A to F for book keeping purpose by the Court, that are hidden under the sanctum sanctorum. While vaults A and B have been unopened over the past 130 years, vaults C to F have been opened from time to time. The two priests of the temple, the 'Periya Nambi' and the 'Thekkedom 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. Vaults A and B shall be opened only for the purpose of making an inventory of the articles and then closed.
On July 4, 2011 the seven-member expert team which is taking stock of the assets at temple decided to postpone opening of the secret chamber marked 'B' till they obtained more expert opinion as preliminary examination of its gates had found the vault to be secured with iron shutters making experts wonder what lay inside. 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.