A few days ago, the Sabarimala temple once again came into the news. For context, the Devaswom Board had removed the gold plating on the Dwarapalakas, the guardian figures flanking the sanctum at Sabarimala, and sent it to Chennai for maintenance work. In doing so, the Board ignored an existing directive from the Kerala High Court, which had mandated that all gold-related work must be carried out at the shrine itself.
The High Court immediately passed an order directing the Board to bring back the gold plating. In response, the Board informed the Court that the gold had already been melted in Chennai and could not be returned. The Board then apologized for the oversight and requested permission to carry out the work in Chennai. The Court relented, but directed the Devaswom Vigilance SP to produce all documents related to the weight and other details of the gold plates that had been removed.
After examining the documents, the High Court found some glaring inconsistencies. The records revealed that similar maintenance work had been carried out in 2019 as well. However, the Court observed that while 42.8 kilograms of gold had been sent for maintenance, only 38.258 kilograms were returned after repair, meaning that over 4 kilograms of gold had effectively vanished into thin air.
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Adding another layer to the deepening mystery of the vanished gold, the Court noted that according to the documents, ‘copper plates’ were shown as having been sent for maintenance, whereas in reality gold plates were sent. The Court observed that this appeared to be a deliberate error aimed at concealing the facts. It also remarked that the gold plates had been handed over and transported without adequate security, and no representatives from the Devaswom Board accompanied the sponsor who had undertaken the maintenance work. The Court further pointed out that it took over a month for the gold plates to reach Smart Creations in Chennai, where the work was carried out.
The Court also remarked sarcastically that such a disappearance could perhaps be justified if the item in question had been petrol. It has now ordered an investigation into the matter and directed that a report be submitted within three weeks. It should be noted that 2018–2019 was the period when the Sabarimala agitation was taking place. To remind you, this was the year when the Kerala state government made every effort to desecrate the temple by facilitating the entry of leftist women, which was strongly resisted by thousands of devotees. The atmosphere at the temple that year was utterly chaotic. It is only natural, one might suppose, that the atheists managing the temple saw it as the most opportune time to make a fortune from its wealth.
While I usually stick to facts and avoid arguments based on emotions or beliefs, I must share this story. A daily-wage worker from Tamil Nadu, earning just INR 250–300 a day, saved painstakingly for an entire year, all to buy a sovereign of gold to offer to his beloved deity at Sabarimala. Millions of devotees have made similar sacrifices. And now, imagine this, the very money they gave in faith appears to have been stolen. Make no mistake: those behind this audacious theft will not go unpunished!
