Treasure worth €15bn unearthed at Hindu temple

A VAST treasure trove of gold coins, jewels and precious stones unearthed at a lightly guarded Hindu temple in India was expected to grow further in value as the last two secret vaults sealed for nearly 150 years are opened.

The government has increased security since the treasure’s discovery in recent days, which has instantly turned the 16th-century Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple into one of the wealthiest religious institutions in the country.

Four vaults recently opened at the temple in Trivandrum, the capital of the southern state of Kerala, held a vast bounty estimated at $22 billion (€15.1bn).

The treasures unearthed so far include statues of gods and goddesses made of solid gold and studded with ediamonds, rubies, emeralds and other precious stones, crowns and necklaces, all given as gifts to the temple over the centuries.

The volume of gold and silver coins was so enormous that investigators weighed the coins by the sackful, rather than counting them.

The temple, built by the maharajas who ruled the then-kingdom of Travancore, remained under the control of the erstwhile royal family after India’s independence in 1947.

India’s supreme court ordered the inspection of the vaults after a lawyer petitioned a local court asking the state government to take over the temple, citing inadequate security.

The inventory began last week and the final vaults were to be unlocked yesterday.

Before the trove was uncovered, there was almost no visible security at the temple, save for a few local security guards patrolling the complex with batons, mainly for crowd control.

Kerala police chief Jacob Punnoose said he sent extra police officers to guard the temple and is planning a hi-tech security system to protect the treasure.

The discovery has sparked a debate over the future of the treasure trove.

Vellappally Nateshan, a Hindu leader, said the wealth should remain with the temple authorities.

Some social activists in Kerala demanded the treasure be handed to a national trust to help the poor.

Kerala’s top elected official, Oommen Chandy, assured the people the wealth would remain with the temple.