With both political leaders and ex-presidents trading charges, the controversy has deepened, awaiting clarity from the Devaswom Board and the government.
Published Oct 01, 2025 | 4:03 PM ⚊ Updated Oct 01, 2025 | 4:03 PM
Sabarimala
Synopsis: Meanwhile, Opposition Leader VD Satheesan alleging large-scale irregularities and questioning the Travancore Devaswom Board’s silence on the issue. Satheesan said that the Dwarapalaka sculptures, gold-plated in 1999 with a 40-year warranty, were inexplicably sent for replating in 2019.
“Liquor baron Vijay Mallya’s role in the 1999 gold plating of the Sabarimala sanctum sanctorum should also come under judicial scrutiny,” Travancore Devaswom Board president PS Prashanth said, on Wednesday, 1 October.
He added that the Board will approach the Kerala High Court seeking a comprehensive probe into both the recent gold plating controversy and Mallya’s involvement.
Prashanth clarified that 467 kg of gold, classified under Category C and kept in 18 strongrooms, has been deposited with the Reserve Bank under the gold investment scheme.
He stressed that this gold, unlike the Category A (ancient) and Category B (festive use) holdings, is not used for rituals or poojas.
Meanwhile, Opposition Leader VD Satheesan alleged large-scale irregularities and questioned the Travancore Devaswom Board’s silence on the issue.
Satheesan said that the Dwarapalaka sculptures, gold-plated in 1999 with a 40-year warranty, were inexplicably sent for replating in 2019.
“They took away 42 kg of gold but returned only 38 kg. Four kg went missing. Why did the Devaswom not verify the weight?” he asked.
He alleged that the gold was transported to Chennai in violation of rules, without the Board’s approval, and pointed fingers at sponsor Unnikrishnan Potty.
“Who is this benami? Why is he not an accused when the pedestal was found in a relative’s house? Such people collect crores in the name of sponsorship, but only a fraction reaches the temples,” Satheesan charged, adding that both the Devaswom Board and the government were complicit.
Meanwhile, the controversy triggered a spat among former Devaswom Board presidents.
A. Padmakumar, who held the post until 2021, demanded a comprehensive probe into all gold-related activities since 1998.
He maintained that no ritual or legal violations occurred during his tenure.
Padmakumar claimed that the plates sent to Chennai in 2019 were copper, with the earlier gold already removed.
He dismissed reports of six kg gold missing as politically motivated, insisting the actual gold brought was only 49 kg.
“During my term, the accounts were submitted to the High Court. If anything was against rituals, let it be probed,” he said.
In a veiled attack on his predecessors, Padmakumar questioned foreign trips by former presidents and raised concerns about construction works above the holy eighteen steps at Sabarimala.
With both political leaders and ex-presidents trading charges, the controversy has deepened, awaiting clarity from the Devaswom Board and the government.
Kerala High Court on Monday, 29 September, remarked that it’s time to prepare a precise inventory of valuables at Sabarimala and suggested appointing a retired district judge to oversee it.
A Division Bench of Justices Raja Vijayaraghavan V and K V Jayakumar said this during suo motu proceedings prompted by a Special Commissioner’s report into alleged loss of gold from gold-plated copper coverings of the Dwarapalaka (door-guardian) idols.
It said the plates were removed without informing the Special Commissioner and sent to Smart Creations, Chennai, for repairs.
The bench flagged “serious discrepancies” in Travancore Devaswom Board registers, saying gaps have enabled irregularities and possible concealment.
Unlike ornaments and coins donated by devotees — which are logged in the Thiruvabharanam register with description, date, receipt and quality — fixtures such as the kodimaram, dwarapalakas and peedams lack similar records, the court noted.
An earlier inquiry found a shortfall of about four kilograms of gold when the plates were reattached; the weight of the dwarapalaka idols was not recorded at refixing, which the court called a “serious lapse.”
The gold-plated peedams were later seized from the sister of devotee-sponsor Unnikrishnan Potty, who allegedly entrusted the items for repairs.
No mahazar or register entry confirms the items were returned to #Sannidhanam, the court observed.
The bench directed that a retired district judge be appointed to conduct a valuation with a valuer and prepare an accurate inventory, but stopped short of naming a judge.
The matter is posted for further consideration at the end of October.
(Edited by Sumavarsha, with inputs from Sreelakshmi Soman and Dileep V Kumar)
