In a shocking incident, jewels worth one crore rupees have gone missing from the renowned Thirupullanai Aadhi Jagannatha Perumal temple in Tamil Nadu. The missing items include 952 grams of gold jewels and 2400 grams of silver jewels, which were reportedly used during festivals and special occasions at the temple.
The Thirupullanai temple, dedicated to the Vaishnava deity Narayan, is esteemed as one of the 108 Divya Sthrems and holds significance as the 44th temple in the order. Adorned with poems by Azhwars in Tamil, the temple’s main deity, Sri Ram, is depicted in a reclining posture on a bed made of holy Tharpa grass. Legend has it that King Dasaratha, the father of Bhagwan Sri Ram, installed a statue of the Naga Lingam (Snake god) at the temple and conducted prayers.
The missing jewels, which include gold, diamond, pearl, coral-embedded ornaments, and silver articles, were stored in a safe vault within the Ramanathapuram palace under the custody of a trustee. The keys to the vault were entrusted to the Sthanikars (temple administrators). However, an audit conducted by Diwan Palanivel Pandian in November 2023 revealed a significant discrepancy: 1400 grams of gold and 2249 grams of silver jewels were found to be missing.
Subsequent inquiries led to the admission of guilt by the temple Sthanikar, Srinivasan, who reportedly confessed to stealing the jewels under his custody. Despite being given until February 2024 to return the stolen items, Srinivasan failed to meet the deadline and was subsequently suspended on March 1st. A complaint has since been lodged with SP Sandeesh, detailing the missing 30 types of gold jewels and 16 varieties of silver jewels, totaling 952 grams and 2400 grams, respectively.
In response to the incident, the Crime Branch CID has registered an FIR on grounds of breach of trust and other related offenses. Police sources have indicated that the missing jewels may have been unaccounted for over several years, prompting an extensive investigation into both the Sthanikar and temple management officials.
The disappearance of such valuable religious artifacts has sparked concern and consternation among devotees and temple authorities alike. With the investigation ongoing, efforts are being made to ascertain the circumstances surrounding the missing jewels and to ensure the security and integrity of the temple’s assets in the future.
