Sri Padmanabha Swamy , Travancore Royals and the Wealth!
What a wonderful out of the world experience it is to observe the true Royal behaviour of the Travancore royal family!
For centuries they guarded the wealth much larger than that of Nizam, but never built own personal wealth as done by Nizam, but these royals protected the wealth from the British loot, and never aspired to take advantage of the wealth.
Once I had the privilege of being in the same Temple, along with the royal family members. How simple unassuming but dignified they were, in simple dhoti and no showing off of gold. No signs of royal/rich ostentatious clothes even.
Once their turn is over, they quietly walked away out of the temple, through a special connecting door in to their palace. FOr that half an hour or so, the temple remains exclusive --while public wait in the huge corridors with temple, watching the royal family doing their pooja.
They are distinguished more because the public stood respectfully giving way to them. They do the first morning pooja.
I was contrasting this with the way our TTD Board members, behave arrogantly in Tirumala, as if they have more rights and privileges than original royals who built the basic infrastructure.Then the way our Ministers and senior bureaucrats along with their peons in impressive uniforms, show their power , all dressed in expensive silk clothes, and ladyfolk showing off their heavy gold ornaments, walking "royally" without bothering to look at the tens of thousands of devotees patiently waiting in que. They are made to wait while the important make their special prayers!!! The indifference shown is truly criminal. Add to this the special Security Police protection groups taking their kith and kin with equal disregard to normal pilgrims. My feeling is the time for pilgrims is now reduced because of the increased police all over the place, every one of them forcing their own presence to be felt by conducting special darshans to whom they favour.
Another glaring contrast is the way the AP Ministers camped personally at Prashanti Nilayam, with Baba practically in coma, for over two weeks, got the village barricaded and even used the police to empty the streets and said to run a convoy of vehicles too in and out of the village Puttaparthi. Rumours float naturally, when one sees these strange goings on.
Then the Ministers vanish, and official announcement follows of Baba's departure.
I am glad Kerala state ministers did not land up and tried to take control of the temple at Thiruvananthapuram. It is really a huge temple of course, but no ostentatious gold plating all over, you find.
Hope the same royal family remains trustees and as they desired, rightly, use the wealth to set up world class universities and hospitals in the name of Sri Padmanabha Swamy.
Earnestly , I pray, the Supreme Court takes this decision too.
Printed from
Use temple treasure for hospitals and schools: Royals
AFP | Jul 8, 2011, 07.25pm ISTNEW DELHI: The head of a former royal family renounced on Friday any personal claim to billions of dollars' worth of ancient treasure discovered in a temple in the kingdom his ancestors once ruled.
"The royal family is not claiming anything. No part belongs to the family," said KK Venugopal, a lawyer representing the descendants of the erstwhile rulers of the Travancore princely state in Kerala.
Venugopal made the statement in the Supreme Court in New Delhi, which is driving efforts to establish ownership of the sacks of gold, precious stones and jewellery found last week at the Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Thiruvananthapuram.
Venugopal said the head of the Travancore family, Marthanda Varma, believed the stunning treasure "should be used judiciously for religious and social purposes" such as building hospitals and schools.
"The artifacts may be kept in a museum independent of the temple," he added.
The temple, dedicated to god Vishnu, was built hundreds of years ago by the king of Travancore and donations by devotees have been kept in the temple's vaults ever since.
All but one of the vaults have been opened, with the value of the haul estimated at between 500 billion and one trillion rupees ($11-22 billion).
The discoveries catapulted the shrine, renowned for its intricate sculptures, into the league of India's richest temples.
Since India achieved independence from Britain in 1947, a trust managed by descendants of the Travancore royal family has controlled the temple.
On Friday, the Supreme Court directed that the opening of the final vault be deferred and asked for suggestions from the state government and Varma's family on how the treasure should be secured and preserved.
"The royal family is not claiming anything. No part belongs to the family," said KK Venugopal, a lawyer representing the descendants of the erstwhile rulers of the Travancore princely state in Kerala.
Venugopal made the statement in the Supreme Court in New Delhi, which is driving efforts to establish ownership of the sacks of gold, precious stones and jewellery found last week at the Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Thiruvananthapuram.
Venugopal said the head of the Travancore family, Marthanda Varma, believed the stunning treasure "should be used judiciously for religious and social purposes" such as building hospitals and schools.
"The artifacts may be kept in a museum independent of the temple," he added.
The temple, dedicated to god Vishnu, was built hundreds of years ago by the king of Travancore and donations by devotees have been kept in the temple's vaults ever since.
All but one of the vaults have been opened, with the value of the haul estimated at between 500 billion and one trillion rupees ($11-22 billion).
The discoveries catapulted the shrine, renowned for its intricate sculptures, into the league of India's richest temples.
Since India achieved independence from Britain in 1947, a trust managed by descendants of the Travancore royal family has controlled the temple.
On Friday, the Supreme Court directed that the opening of the final vault be deferred and asked for suggestions from the state government and Varma's family on how the treasure should be secured and preserved.
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