History
In older days Sree Padmanabha Kshetram and its properties were controlled by powerful lords known as Ettuveetil Pillamar under the guidance of Ettara Yogam. Later, Marthanda Varma defeated the Pillamar and his cousins "Kunju thampis", took over power.
The last major renovation of the temple was done by King Marthanda Varma, Maharaja of the erstwhile princely state of Travancore. He dedicated his kingdom to the deity, and pledged that he and his descendants would serve the kingdom as Padmanabha Dasa, meaning "servants of the Lord Padmanabha". With this, Sri Padmanabha became the nominal head of the state of Travancore, assuming the title Perumal, the Emperor. The British Government saluted the Lord with a 21-gun salute, a military tradition of colonial days, which was continued by the Indian Armyuntil the abolition of the privy purses by Government of India with Indira Gandhi as the Prime Minister.
The royal insignia of the Lord, The Valampiri Shankhu or dextral conch-shell, served as the State emblem of Travancore and even continued so for some time after the re-organization of the States. Sri Padmanabha is still regarded as regional deity of Travancore.The two annual festivals of the Temple culminate in a grand procession, in which the three deities (Sree Padmanabha, Narasimha Swamy andKrishna) are carried on flower-deck and aesthetically decorated Garuda Vahanas to the Shankhumukhom beach, for 'aaraattu' (sacramental ablution). The 'aarattu' days are declared as local public holidays in Thiruvanathapuram. The Idol is made of Kadusarkkara Yogam, an ayurvedic mixture, with Lord Vishnu sleeping on Anantha with his head pointing towards south and facing east.
TREASURE OF PADMANABHASWAMY TEMPLE
Even as priceless treasures found from cellars of Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple here is estimated to be around Rs 90,000 crore, the discovery has sparked a debate on how to protect and preserve the royal legacy which has surpassed everyone's imagination.
Opening of the long-locked chambers, on Supreme Court orders, which began on June 27 has so far revealed a large number of gold ornaments, gold and silver coins, stone studded crowns, idols and figurines inlaid with precious stones and jewels.
The exercise to assess the value of the articles, undertaken by a seven-member panel of observers, including two former High Court judges, will continue tomorrow after a day’s breather today. Emergence of the temple as one of the richest Hindu shrines in the world has also thrown up security concerns with police as an interim step deploying two platoons of armed personnel.
According to the temple sources, the treasure trove has been so far estimated at around Rs 90,000 crore. The question nagging historians, academics and enthusiasts of temple culture, however, is how to safeguard the treasure considering its immense historical and cultural values.
Many of them say the treasure symbolised the honesty and simplicity of erstwhile Travancore kings, who did not take away a single item from the pile whose existence they were aware of. While similar treasures possessed by many other princely states in pre-colonial India were plundered by attackers, or wasted on luxuries by members of the royal houses themselves, the Travancore kings have zealously guarded them as reserves of the state, they said.
Narayanan, former Indian History Congress president said utmost care and thought should be given to protect the treasures. "The state or Central government cannot take over these assets as they are part of the temple coffers according to the system followed by the Travancore kings," he said.
"We have the examples of many temples before us which have been taken over by the government and later plunged into mismanagement and irregularities. It should not happen to this shrine also," he said.
"In my view, a temple museum can be set up and some selected articles, recovered from the cellars, can be catalogued and exhibited. Other articles should be kept in a safer place. I Historian and writer M G Sasibhushan opined that the rare treasures, kept for centuries in the secret chambers of the shrine, should be preserved for future generations.
Coins from other princely states like Vijayanagar Empire and European countries have also been found which might be part of the gifts received by the rulers of the time. The coins also reflect on the revenue received by the royal state through its maritime spice trade. While all major temples of the area were handed over to the Travancore Devaswom Board after merger of the princely state with the Indian Union after 1947, control of Padmanabhaswamy temple was retained by the royal house through a covenant with the government.
Though the last royal ruler Sree Chithira Tirunal Balarama Varma left the entire treasure untouched he was made 'Rajapramukh' (status equivalent to Governor) after the merger Meanwhile, outfits like VHP and community organizations like Nair Service Society and Sree Naryanad Dharma Paripalana Yogam have warned against any attempt on the part of the state to take over the treasure and wanted them to be declared as the temple asset.
Treasure trove
In 2011 the Supreme court of India directed the authorities from the the fire services and archeology department to open the secret (sanctum sanctorum) chambers of the temple for inspection of the items kept inside.On July 2, 2011, approximately 500 billion rupees ($11.2 billion US) worth of gold, jewels, and other treasures were unearthed in the vaults of the temple. Several antiques such as 18th century Napoleonic era coins were also discovered at the temple. Finds also included a golden idol of Mahavishnu and ceremonial attire for adorning the deity in the form of 16-part golden anki weighing almost 30 kilograms as well as golden coconut shells, one studded with rubies and emeralds.India's Supreme Court recently ordered the temple be managed by the State to ensure the security of the temple and its treasures.
This revelation has solidified the status of the Padmanabhaswamy temple as the most wealthy temple in India, with the Tirupati Temple(previously thought to be the most wealthy) having some 320 billion rupees in gold, coins and other treasures.
It is estimated that the value of the total monumental items are over 100,000 crore (US$22.3 billion) , making it the richest temple in the world.
The inventory has been thought to have been in the temple for more than a hundred years after being put there by the maharajahs ofTravancore. It was called "Sri Pandaram" and the items were known as "Sri Pandaram Vaka" (Lord's Treasure).
