Hello pinchers!
The secret behind the sealed door of Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple. Is there anyone here who is intrigued by mysteries buried deep by our ancestors? If you are anything like us, you also feel that these well preserved mysteries are waiting to see the light of day. The Hows and Whats that these incomplete riddles leave unanswered pull us into a never ending abyss but curiosity is known to work its magic on man for centuries! Let's hold this thought and venture into the culture-filled land of India because what else keeps secrets better hidden than centuries old traditions and customs? Now that we have convinced you to peep into the Asian country of India, let's limit the focus to down south. So what is the biggest mystery that continues rage in Kerala? No points for guessing, it is obviously the Vault B in Thiruvananthapuram's Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple! That's exactly what we'll be discussing today. But before we take the plunge into the dark vaults and darker secrets hidden in them, let's take a tour into the history of the temple.
Located in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, the Padmanabhaswamy temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu. The deity is enshrined in the "Anantha Shayanam" posture, the eternal yogic sleep on the serpent Adisheshan. Now if you want to bow down to the principle deity and pray, know that only those who profess the Hindu faith are permitted entry to the temple and devotees have to strictly follow the dress code. Anyway, did you know that the name of the city Thiruvananthapuram in Malayalam translates to "The City of Lord Ananta", referring to the deity of Padmanabhaswamy Temple? Apart from the serenity of the temple and the strong spiritual wave that will hit you when you set foot in the temple, there is a lot that will cast a spell on you!
The temple is a visual treat with the intricate fusion of the indigenous Kerala style and the Tamil style architecture. The 16th century Gopuram with its ornate design is nothing short of an architectural marvel! But what will catch your eye on the first look is the golden exterior which we may take the opportunity to explain, is actually pure gold! Come on, the Padmanabhaswamy temple isn't the world's richest temple for nothing! Seems like we managed to capture your attention, ah don't worry, we weren't bluffing about the prosperity of the temple. But to erase your suspicions, how about we into the details of it?
The opulence of the temple is not limited to its gold plated glory, there is more to it than the eye can see! Let's just say that underneath the temple, there is the largest treasure that man has ever come across! Don't believe us? Uhhmm, let's take you back to the fateful day of June 27, 2011 when the most impressive treasure was unearthed! The story of the Padmanabhaswamy Temple and its treasures remind us of an Indiana Jones movie! Even before the vaults were opened, it was expected to reveal silver, gold and other precious items in great quantity because of the offerings made by devotees to the temple in the last 500 years. But what came out of the secret cellars was beyond belief! A team of experts appointed by India's Supreme Court opened five vaults dedicated to the deity Lord Vishnu in 2011, following a private petition seeking transparency in the running of the temple.
Well, after the treasure was discovered, it made sense why the vaults were not opened until that point and also why there was a need for a petition to open the vaults even though the temple authorities were aware of the 6 vaults. Treasures worth $22 billion were found! You heard that right, 22 BILLION DOLLARS, woah! Well, the shrine dates back to the 10th century but the present massive granite structure was built only in the 18th century after King Marthanda Varma expanded and consolidated the Travancore kingdom. It was historically a royal temple but offerings in gold were made not just from Travancore kings and other Kerala royalty but also millions of ordinary devotees. Now you know why the vaults were full of gold coins dating back thousands of years! Not just coins, but gold necklaces as long as nine feet and weighing about 2.5 kg, gold ropes, sacks full of diamonds and thousands of pieces of antique jewelry studded with diamonds and emeralds, crowns and other precious stones lay scattered in the chambers. The things were not systematically arranged, earthen pots full of gold, baskets, copper pots were scattered everywhere!
They also discovered ceremonial costumes, and solid gold coconut shells studded with jewels. The most impressive of the gems were large diamonds, some of which were even a hundred and ten carats. But wait, the best is yet to be told! An idol of Lord Vishnu was found in one of the vaults of the temple which was made entirely of gold. Any idea how precious it was? Some archaeologists and gemologists estimated that the idol could very well cost about 30 million dollars. Let that sink in! Today if you visit the temple, you will find immense security guarding the treasure, from metal detectors to security cameras and more than 200 guards in position. But maybe the guards are protecting something else, what could that be? Let's re-travel the route into the underground vaults, if you remember we told you about the existence of 6 vaults.
For documentation purposes, they were named A, B, C, D, E and F. But the treasure we told you about was from 5 vaults because vault B stayed shut! You weren't expecting this twist in the tale, were you? We forgot to tell you that the 7 member committee designated for the search could open five of these vaults with exceptional difficulty. Vault A was very tough to open, it took a whole day to barge into it while the vaults C through F have been opened about 8 times through the years. But what about vault B? You would be surprised to know that Chamber B is not a part of the documented Temple Treasury! That means nobody knows what lies beyond it. When the committee reached vault B, the heavily rusted door with 3 different levers requiring 3 separate keys was jammed shut. Nobody entered the vault and hence it stillstays a mystery. But many people believe that the 6th vault inside the temple conceals greater riches. They have reason to believe so!
According to an ancient legend, anyone who tried to open vault B was attacked by deadly serpents because of an ancient curse on those who defile the sacred site. Is the site really cursed or is it a story fabricated to keep the dark secrets hidden? In this case, maybe this story is just trying to keep the treasure safe. According to Auditor General Vinod Rai, vault B had been opened once in 1990 and twice in 2002 and no unspeakable horrors were faced which is in stark contrast to the legend. But the royal family of Travancore claims that on those few occasions only the ante-room of the vault was opened, while the main chamber of the vault went untouched. But who knows the complete truth?
Vinod Rai presses on the need to open the vault B and catalog its contents to prevent theft. But since the door could not be opened with the latest technology available, we don't think the world will come to know about the secret of this vault anytime soon! But it is interesting to note that fables about the serpent curse on the vault has done its job of keeping the vault locked for so long. Who knows if the vault has trillions hidden in the form of gold and diamonds or if there is something else hidden in the vault that the snakes are protecting? What do you think is behind vault B of the Padmanabhaswamy Temple?
