Thaindian News

Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 7 (IANS) With the Supreme Court appointed committee having begun documentation of the Sri Padmanabhaswamy temple’s treasure trove believed to be worth Rs.1 lakh crore, priests will conduct prayers for three days beginning Monday, the temple management said Sunday.

Accomplished Hindu priests will hold an astrological examination or “deva prasnam” at the temple, Aditya Varma, scion of the erstwhile royal family of Travancore which oversees temple affairs through an executive committee, told IANS.

“We have been receiving numerous letters from devotees and also from various Hindu organisations that a ‘deva prasnam’ has to be done because things are being done which have never ever taken place in the temple,” Varma said.

“This is going to be the first time that cameras and videography as directed by the court will take place. Hence taking into the religious sentiments, the way out is a ‘deva prasnam’, which has been done at temples whenever there is a deviation from the normal,” he said.

“It will look into what needs to be done of vault B, which also has remained closed for more than 150 years,” Varma said.

An apex court bench of Justice R.V. Raveendran and Justice A.K. Patnaik appointed two committees last month.

Director General of the National Museum C.V. Ananda Bose, who heads a five-member committee will videograph and photograph the articles found in the temple. It had a first round meeting Aug 1 and Bose is now expected to be back here Wednesday.

The second committee, headed by Justice M.N. Krishnan, will oversee the operations of this committee.

Stocktaking of the treasure started after the late T.P. Sunderarajan, a former Indian Police Service officer, approached the apex court alleging mismanagement of temple affairs.

Sunderarajan, 70, died July 17.

The temple has six vaults, five of which were opened on the orders of the Supreme Court and a staggering amount of treasure trove was discovered in them.