Questions have arisen over the whereabouts of several gold and silver ornaments belonging to nearly 20 temples under the Neyyattinkara Devaswom Sub Group in Kerala, after discrepancies were reportedly detected during the ongoing verification of temple assets by the Travancore Devaswom Board. The issue surfaced during a review of inventories prepared as part of a wider exercise initiated following the exposure of the Sabarimala gold theft case.
According to the Tiruvabharanam (Temple Ornaments) Commissioner, ambiguities have been found in statements relating to precious ornaments and ritual items belonging to temples under the Neyyattinkara Devaswom Group. The gold and silver articles stored in various temples were included in the inventory submitted by the Neyyattinkara Assistant Commissioner.
Following the detection of discrepancies, the Devaswom Board has reportedly written to the Neyyattinkara Sub Group Assistant Commissioner seeking a detailed report on the whereabouts of the missing ornaments.
The verification process began after concerns over the security and accounting of temple assets emerged in the wake of the Sabarimala gold theft case. The precious ornaments belonging to temples under the Neyyattinkara Sub Group are reportedly kept in the strong room of the Parassala Mahadeva Temple in Thiruvananthapuram district.
The inventory of valuables stored in the strong room is already available with the Devaswom Commissioner. In addition, separate inventories of ornaments belonging to individual temples under the Sub Group had also been prepared and consolidated before being submitted to the Tiruvabharanam Commissioner.
However, when the consolidated inventory was compared with the existing records, several items were allegedly found to be missing.
According to the Tiruvabharanam Commissioner’s report, the missing articles include the silver lotus of Veernakkavu Temple, the silver tray of Parukalathoor Temple, the Veerachakra of Kutappana Devaswom, a gold block belonging to Parassala Devaswom, a gold mudra packet of Mooryankara Devaswom, and gold garlands belonging to Rameshwaram Devaswom.
The report further states that ritual and pooja-related paraphernalia from several temples are also unaccounted for.
Sources indicate that the explanations received from some temples regarding the missing items were not considered satisfactory.
The Board has reportedly directed the Neyyattinkara Sub Group Assistant Commissioner to ascertain whether ornaments and artefacts taken out for temple festivals were genuinely lost or whether they had not been returned to the strong room and properly recorded. A detailed report has been sought at the earliest.
The developments have once again triggered concerns regarding the management and safeguarding of temple assets under Devaswom Board administration, which critics allege is largely controlled by anti-Sanatana and atheist political leaders.
Several Hindu organisations have long argued that temple properties require stronger accountability mechanisms and independent oversight to ensure the protection of valuable ornaments, artefacts, and other assets belonging to Hindu temples.
