As political tempers flare and investigations begin, the “Ayyappan’s gold” controversy is shaping up to be yet another test of credibility for the LDF government.
Published Oct 07, 2025 | 11:00 AM ⚊ Updated Oct 07, 2025 | 11:00 AM
Sabarimala Temple. (Creative Commons)
Synopsis: Allegations of large-scale misappropriation in the Sbarimala temple, including the disappearance of 4.541 kg of gold from the ornate Dwarapalaka idols and the suspected misuse of gold-plated copper foils, have now plunged the TDB and the LDF into a deepening controversy. The Kerala High Court ordered a Special Investigation Team probe into the controversy, calling the revelations “shocking”.
When the LDF government threw its weight behind the Travancore Devaswom Board’s (TDB) grand Global Ayyappa Sangamam, it was more than a spiritual congregation — it was a calculated political move.
With local body and Assembly elections on the horizon, the event helped the ruling front court favour from powerful community organisations like the Nair Service Society (NSS) and the Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana (SNDP) Yogam — which represent Nair and Ezhava communities, respectively — along with several smaller Hindu groups.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan at the Global Ayyappa Sangamam.
However, the euphoria was short-lived.
Allegations of large-scale misappropriation — including the disappearance of 4.541 kg of gold from the ornate Dwarapalaka (guardian) idols and the suspected misuse of gold-plated copper foils — have now plunged the TDB and the LDF into a deepening controversy.
With the Kerala High Court ordering a Crime Branch probe, the scandal surrounding the revered Sabarimala temple has raised more questions than answers — about faith, transparency, and the politics that intertwine them.
And most importantly, a renewed vigour to the right wing’s campaign that the state government is mishandling temple assets, and thus, it should be managed by devotees.
Gold covered sanctum sanctorum of Sabarimala.
The gold offering now under scrutiny at Sabarimala traces its origin to 1998 — and to none other than liquor baron Vijay Mallya.
The fugitive economic offender, who fled India in March 2016 and owes banks nearly ₹9,000 crore, was once the donor behind the glittering gold covering of the Sabarimala sanctum sanctorum.
It was on 16 April 1998 that Mallya, then chairman of the UB Group of Industries, entered into an agreement with the TDB to gold-plate the temple’s sanctum.
The Board accepted his offer, stating that it would “add to the sanctity and solemnity of the temple.”
The agreement authorised Mallya to execute the work through JNR Jewellers of Chennai, with the TDB’s Chief Engineer (Projects) overseeing the process.
AK Ravi Nedungadi, Executive Vice President (Finance) of UB Group, signed on behalf of Mallya.
Under the terms, the donor was to:
Work began on 15 May 1998 and was completed within three months.
The gleaming sanctum was formally handed over to the TDB on 4 September (Thiruvonam day), with the consecration set for 15 October. However, the offering was not without controversy.
The moment Mallya’s name was linked to the revered shrine, petitions flooded the Kerala High Court, challenging the Board’s decision.
Critics argued that accepting a donation from a liquor magnate went against the spirit of the temple, whose devotees abstain from alcohol, sex, and non-vegetarian food during the 41-day penance.
While some opined that accepting financial assistance from someone associated with liquor is improper, others believed that the temple, which earned around ₹35 crore annually from offerings, could have funded the work independently.
Mallya’s critics alleged ulterior motives — claiming he sought to advertise his UB Group in the temple precincts to reach the millions who visit annually.
It is also said that Mallya’s offering triggered a discussion within the UB Group board meeting, as some questioned making such an extravagant offering. Mallya countered this, it’s said, by saying that Lord Ayyappa’s blessing would always be there for the group.
The Kerala High Court eventually allowed the work to proceed, but barred any form of commercial publicity, permitting only a single board acknowledging that the gold covering was an offering from Vijay Mallya.
More than two decades later, the same gold — once celebrated and condemned in equal measure — has returned to the spotlight, this time amid allegations of misappropriation and the disappearance of 4.541 kg of gold.
What began as an extravagant act of devotion by a liquor baron has now turned into a controversy shimmering with irony.
A priest distributing prasadam near the gold-plated Dwarapalaka sculptures at Sabarimala.
It was a decision of the TDB that opened the cupboard and exposed the skeletons within.
On 10 September, Special Commissioner R Jayakrishnan submitted a report to the Kerala High Court alleging that the gold plating on the Dwarapalaka sculptures at Sabarimala had been removed without court approval — a serious breach of protocol.
The high court’s Devaswom Bench, which had earlier mandated that any gold work in the Sannidhanam must receive prior judicial sanction, viewed this non-compliance as a grave lapse.
TDB president PS Prashanth, however, defended the move, claiming that the gold-plated copper plates had been damaged and were sent to Chennai for repair with the Thantri’s (priest) consent.
He maintained that the procedure was carried out safely, with temple officials, vigilance personnel, and the donor’s representative present, and that the Special Commissioner’s approval was not required. But the court was not convinced.
On 11 September, the Kerala High Court ordered the immediate return of the gold-plated sheets sent to Chennai and criticised the TDB for acting “improperly” without prior approval.
It also halted all work by Smart Creations, the Chennai-based firm, and issued notices to senior Devaswom officials, warning of action for violating earlier court directives in similar cases.
The Bench noted that the plates, installed only in 2019 with a 40-year warranty, had been secretly removed at night, and reminded the Board that all such repairs must be done within the temple premises under supervision. On 15 September, the court again pulled up the TDB for its “casual and negligent” handling of the gold-clad idols and peedams.
Observing that Smart Creations had already begun the electroplating, the Bench permitted completion of the process but ordered the immediate return of the repaired pieces to the shrine.
The real shocker came on 17 September, when the court noted discrepancies in the gold content of the Dwarapalaka idols — nearly four kilograms of gold missing.
The Bench directed the Chief Vigilance and Security Officer to conduct a detailed probe, citing inconsistencies in weight records and missing documentation from 2019.
According to reports, gold-cladded plates weighing 42.8 kg when handed over in July 2019 were returned weighing only 38.2 kg a month later — a difference of 4.5 kg that remains unexplained.
The idols had been entrusted to devotee Unnikrishnan Potty, the project’s sponsor, and sent to Smart Creations for plating, in violation of the Devaswom Sub-Group Manual that mandates such work be done at Sannidhanam itself.
The vigilance report added that no registers detailing the gold quantity were maintained and that another set of Dwarapalaka idols allegedly kept in the temple strong room could not be traced. Then came the most sensational twist.
On 27 September, vigilance officers raided the residence of Mini, sister of Unnikrishnan Potty, near Venjaramoodu in Thiruvananthapuram, and seized gold-plated peedams concealed in a sealed cover.
Potty, despite filing an affidavit earlier, had failed to disclose possession of these sacred objects.
The court slammed the TDB officials for entrusting priceless temple property to a private individual “with questionable antecedents” and ordered the investigation to continue “with renewed vigour.”
On 29 September, the Bench directed the creation of a comprehensive, digitised inventory of all valuables at Sannidhanam.
It appointed Justice KT Sankaran, former High Court judge, to oversee a thorough appraisal of all temple items, including those in the Thiruvabharanam Register and gold-cladded articles, assisted by an independent jewel appraiser.
Finally, on 6 October, the Kerala High Court ordered a Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe into the controversy, calling the revelations “shocking.”
The SIT, led by Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) H Venkatesh and Superintendent of Police (SP) S Sasidharan, will include members from the Crime Branch and Cyber Division, with a mandate to complete the probe within a month.
The investigation will scrutinise the roles of sponsor Unnikrishnan Potty and Devaswom officials, and uncover how a sacred repair project turned into a glittering scandal.
Unnikrishnan Potty.
At the heart of the ongoing gold-plating controversy stands Unnikrishnan Potty, a former junior priest of the Sabarimala Ayyappa Temple who has since turned into a Bengaluru-based businessman.
Hailing from Pulimath near Kilimanoor in the Thiruvananthapuram district, Potty was once an assistant to his father at the Pulimath Devi Temple before moving to Bengaluru, where he served as an assistant priest at the Srirampura Ayyappa Temple — from which he was reportedly expelled in 2004.
Over the years, Potty is believed to have built an extensive network among wealthy devotees and industrialists, particularly from Karnataka and other neighbouring states.
By arranging special darshan and exclusive facilities at Sabarimala, he allegedly positioned himself as a mediator for substantial offerings.
Potty’s name has now become central to the controversy surrounding the alleged disappearance of 4.541 kilograms of gold meant for the gold-plating of the Dwarapalaka idols at Sabarimala.
He had sponsored the 2019 gold-plating work on the copper cladding of these idols, executed by the Chennai-based firm Smart Creations.
However, conflicting accounts soon emerged on whether the plates handed over for the work were already gold-plated or entirely copper.
The controversy deepened when a gold-plated pedestal, part of the Dwarapalaka idols, was recovered by the TDB Vigilance wing from the residence of one of Potty’s relatives in Thiruvananthapuram.
Ironically, it was Potty himself who had initially complained to authorities that the same pedestal — which he had sponsored — had gone missing from TDB custody.
That complaint has since backfired.
Devaswom Minister VN Vasavan and TDB President PS Prasanth have publicly accused Potty of staging a “drama” and a “conspiracy” — alleging that he deliberately hid the pedestal, claimed it was missing, and then used the episode to malign the Devaswom Board.
The TDB Vigilance wing is now closely examining Potty’s financial transactions and assets, amid allegations that he conducted large-scale fundraising drives among affluent devotees, mainly from outside Kerala, under the pretext of the gold-plating project and other temple-related offerings.
Investigators suspect that the gold plates themselves may have been used as part of these fundraising efforts. Potty is also accused of having performed rituals on the recovered gold pedestal at his relative’s residence.
Further, scrutiny has revealed that Potty allegedly holds significant land assets and is involved in multiple criminal cases, including one relating to a house break-in, attack, and arson, as well as another concerning land fraud.
Potty, however, insists on his innocence, maintaining that he only received copper plates for gold plating and is fully prepared to cooperate with the investigation.
The controversy has now snowballed into a major political storm in Kerala, with both the Congress and the BJP mounting fierce attacks on the ruling LDF.
The uproar comes close on the heels of the Global Ayyappa Sangamam and has quickly turned into a political flashpoint, with the Opposition accusing the TDB and the state government of gross negligence and possible corruption.
The Congress-led UDF and the BJP have rejected the ongoing TDB Vigilance inquiry, alleging a cover-up.
Earlier, All India Congress Committee (AICC) General Secretary (Organisation) KC Venugopal called for a Kerala High Court-monitored probe by a higher agency, while BJP leader and former Union minister V Muraleedharan demanded that the case be handed over to the CBI.
Kerala BJP president Rajeev Chandrasekhar intensified the attack, insisting that, considering the gravity of the issue, a central agency must conduct the probe.
He demanded the resignation of the Devaswom Minister and the TDB president, warning that the BJP would “take to the streets” and “march to the chief minister’s residence” on 7 October to “expose the true face of this government.”
Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition in Kerala Assembly VD Satheesan announced that the Congress political affairs committee and the UDF leadership would soon finalise a statewide protest programme seeking the Devaswom Minister’s resignation and the expulsion of the TDB president.
Opposition MLAs in front of the Assembly on 6 October
On Monday, 6 October, the Kerala Legislative Assembly witnessed high drama as Opposition MLAs stormed the well of the House, raising slogans and halting proceedings. This triggered an uproar that forced the cancellation of the Question Hour.
Waving banners and placards, Opposition members accused the government of shielding corruption.
“The Speaker is protecting the government from a debate on a serious breach of faith involving temple assets,” Satheesan charged, describing the scandal as “a theft of Ayyappan’s gold.”
Speaking to reporters outside the Assembly, Satheesan said, “Neither the TDB nor the government acted on reports of discrepancies. Those who stole Ayyappan’s gold have devoured the temple itself. The Devaswom Minister must resign, and a case should be registered against the former minister and the former TDB president.”
Inside the House, Parliamentary Affairs Minister MB Rajesh dismissed the protest as a “pre-scripted drama.”
“They are staging theatrics without even giving proper notice. If they were serious, they could have raised it as a submission or a motion. The Opposition fears that an open discussion would expose their hollow claims,” he said.
Earlier, the CPI(M) State Secretariat itself urged a High Court-monitored investigation into the controversy, signalling internal concern over the growing political fallout.
When reminded that CPI(M) leader A Padmakumar had been the TDB president when the gold panels were sent for repair in 2019, State secretary MV Govindan, on 3 October, asserted that the party “is under no obligation to shield any wrongdoer”.
Earlier, current TDB president PS Prasanth admitted that officials had “prima facie erred” in allowing private intermediaries to transport the gold coverings to Chennai for repair — violating the TDB manual, which mandates that such work be carried out within temple premises.
He said the Board’s standing counsel would seek a judge-monitored probe tracing the issue back to 1998, when the gold foils were first received.
Immediately after the high court ordered a high-level inquiry, TDB welcomed the court’s move, stating that it fully supports a comprehensive probe into all allegations surrounding the gold plating on the Dwarapalaka sculptures.
As political tempers flare and investigations begin, the “Ayyappan’s gold” controversy is shaping up to be yet another test of credibility for the LDF government—touching a nerve that blends faith, politics, and accountability in equal measure.
As the sanctum’s golden sheen gives way to scandal, the controversy is no longer about missing metal — it’s about missing trust, where even a speck of tarnish could prove politically costly.
(Edited by Muhammed Fazil.)
