Temple in India holds vast trove of jewels
Source: Agencies |
July 4, 2011, Monday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
A TREASURE trove of gold, diamonds and precious stones hidden for centuries was discovered in the underground vaults of a temple in southern India, a temple official said yesterday, as authorities scrambled armed police to guard the shrine.
Local media said that the search team's finds included a 1.2 meters tall gold statue studded with emeralds, 4.6 meters long gold necklaces and jewel-encrusted crowns. The estimated value of the hoard is 750 billion rupees (US$17 billion), but officials said they were yet to assess the findings.
"Most of the articles found in the temple are offerings made by devotees and wealth the erstwhile rulers of the Travancore princely state had stored in the temple," the temple official said.
The treasure was found in the 16th century Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple in southern Kerala state, the royal chapel of the former rulers of Travancore, now part of Kerala.
Hundreds of armed police were deployed around the temple and metal detectors were set up at the entrance after the first reports of the treasure came out yesterday.
The value put to the treasure is more than what the federal government spends on education annually.
Intellectuals and religious leaders debated on how to use the wealth. A mob attacked the house of an activist who demanded it be used to public purposes.
Several temples in India have billions of dollars worth of wealth as rich devotees and royalty donate gold and other precious objects, and run schools, colleges and hospitals.
The Tirumala temple in eastern Andhra Pradesh state is reported to have 3,000 kilograms of gold, a third of which it deposited with the State Bank of India last year.
Local media said that the search team's finds included a 1.2 meters tall gold statue studded with emeralds, 4.6 meters long gold necklaces and jewel-encrusted crowns. The estimated value of the hoard is 750 billion rupees (US$17 billion), but officials said they were yet to assess the findings.
"Most of the articles found in the temple are offerings made by devotees and wealth the erstwhile rulers of the Travancore princely state had stored in the temple," the temple official said.
The treasure was found in the 16th century Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple in southern Kerala state, the royal chapel of the former rulers of Travancore, now part of Kerala.
Hundreds of armed police were deployed around the temple and metal detectors were set up at the entrance after the first reports of the treasure came out yesterday.
The value put to the treasure is more than what the federal government spends on education annually.
Intellectuals and religious leaders debated on how to use the wealth. A mob attacked the house of an activist who demanded it be used to public purposes.
Several temples in India have billions of dollars worth of wealth as rich devotees and royalty donate gold and other precious objects, and run schools, colleges and hospitals.
The Tirumala temple in eastern Andhra Pradesh state is reported to have 3,000 kilograms of gold, a third of which it deposited with the State Bank of India last year.
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