A 55.72-sovereign gold crown kept in the strong room at the Sabarimala temple has gone missing, with the discrepancy coming to light during an inventory of the temple’s sacred ornaments, as reported in Mathrubhumi.
The crown, weighing 445.78 grams, was donated by Ayyappa devotees from Tamil Nadu in August 2012. Although the offering is recorded in the temple register, the crown currently kept in the strong room is reportedly an imitation of the original.
The imitation crown is of the same shape and size as the original and is fitted with white stones resembling diamonds. However, it weighs only 240 grams, compared with the 445.78 grams recorded for the original crown at the time of its donation.
The original gold crown was reportedly offered at Sabarimala by a group of Ayyappa devotees from Tamil Nadu, who were chartered accountants, on 17 August 2012, when the temple opened for the Chingam month. A receipt was issued for the offering.
Following the offering, the crown was taken to the sanctum sanctorum and placed on the idol of Lord Ayyappa. It was subsequently moved to the strong room at the Sannidhanam.
The Sabarimala strong room does not have CCTV surveillance.
According to the established procedure, valuable articles received at Sabarimala are supposed to be kept temporarily in the strong room at the Sannidhanam before being transferred to the Travancore Devaswom Board’s strong room at Aranmula.
However, the gold crown donated in 2012 was never transferred to the Aranmula strong room.
The whereabouts of the original 55.72-sovereign crown and the circumstances under which an imitation crown came to be kept in its place are yet to be established. A detailed investigation is expected to determine what happened to the original ornament.
Other Sacred Articles Also Reportedly Missing
The missing Sabarimala crown is not the only discrepancy to have come to light.
A four-sovereign gold chain has reportedly gone missing from a Travancore Devaswom Board strong room in Aranmula.
In another case, silver horns studded with precious stones have reportedly gone missing from the OTC Hanuman Temple near the Legislative Assembly building in Thiruvananthapuram.
Travancore Devaswom Board president K. Jayakumar has ordered an investigation into the reported discrepancies.
Rules Governing Access To Sabarimala Strong Room
The strong room at Sabarimala is governed by specific procedures concerning access and the recording of valuables.
The Sabarimala administrator and executive officer are appointed for one-year terms. Under the rules, the strong room can be opened only during daytime.
The key is kept by the administrative officer responsible for the strong room, and the room is required to be opened in the presence of the executive officer.
Every activity, from the opening of the strong room to its closing, is required to be recorded in the Mahazar, the official record documenting the facts and details of an inspection or inventory.
A Devaswom guard is also required to be present during the process and sign the Mahazar.
The discrepancy involving the crown has emerged while an inventory of valuable articles at Sabarimala is being conducted.
Inventory Conducted Amid Sabarimala Gold Theft Probe
The inventory is being conducted under the supervision of Justice K.T. Shankaran, the amicus curiae appointed by the Kerala High Court in connection with the alleged theft of gold at Sabarimala.
The inventory of valuable articles at the temple is now in its final stage.
The discovery that the 55.72-sovereign crown recorded as having been donated in 2012 is no longer present in its original form is expected to form part of the wider investigation into the handling and accounting of Sabarimala’s valuable ornaments.
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