Kerala's Sri Padmanabhaswamy temple could well be richest in country

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:

About Temple

Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple is a huge structure located in the heart of the thiruvananthapuram city with a 100 feet gopuram (tower). This richly sculptured structure was renovated in 1733. The presiding deity Sree Padmanabhaswamy is Lord Vishnu, reclining on the serpent 'Anantha'. The temple has a blend of Dravidian and Kerala style architecture and sprawls over a vast area. The entry to the shrine is restricted to only Hindus.

Pallivetta (Royal hunt) and Arattu (Holy bath) are two important rituals held as part of the festivals in some of the major temples in Kerala. The uniqueness of the Arattu at Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple is that the head of the royal family of the erstwhile Travancore kingdom still escorts the idols during the procession donning his traditional attire.

During Pallivetta the head of the royal family shoots a tender coconut using a bow and arrow. This ritual is symbolic of Lord Vishnu (the presiding deity of the shrine) hunting down the demon of evil in a forest and is held in front of the Sundravilasam Palace inside the Thiruvananthapuram fort. The Pallivetta is held on the eve of Arattu.

The Sri Padmanabhaswamy temple in Kerala could well be the richest in the country as unofficial estimates Saturday, the sixth day of preparing an inventory of treasures in its six chambers, suggested the value of its gold, diamond and other precious metals at close to Rs 1 lakh crore.

The inventory of the temple here, maintained by the erstwhile royal family of Travancore, is being made by a seven-member Supreme Court-appointed panel.

The temple has a total of six chambers, named A to F by the committee. With chamber B yet to be opened and chamber A's accounting ending Saturday, and two more chambers left unopened yet, it is expected that the inventory process may continue for a few more days.

The committee, which includes a gemmologist, stumbled upon a nearly four-foot-tall statue of Lord Vishnu in gold and studded with emeralds.

Other precious items that were accounted for Saturday included several golden statues, almost all weighing two kg each. Among other things are a gold necklace as long as 15 feet, and crowns studded with emeralds, rubies and diamonds.