Amazing discovery of Indian archaeologists
At the beginning of the 18th century, the principality of Travancore was formed in the southwest of the Hindustan Peninsula. For many centuries, busy trade routes passed through its territory. European traders of pepper, cloves and cinnamon appeared here in the 16th century, after the caravels of the Portuguese Vasco da Gama sailed here in 1498.
Foreign and Indian merchants who came to Travancore for spices and other goods usually left generous offerings to the god Vishnu to receive blessings for successful trade from higher powers and at the same time gain the favor of local authorities. In addition to donations, gold received from European merchants in payment for spices was stored in the temple.
In 1731, one of the most powerful rulers of Travancore, Raja Marthanda Varma (he ruled from 1729 to 1758), built the majestic Padmanabhaswamy Temple in the capital city of Trivandrum (now called Thiruvananthapuram - the capital of the current Indian state of Kerala).
In fact, one of Vishnu’s 108 abodes has been located here since the 3rd century BC. e., and in the 16th century a temple complex was located. Raja built a gopuram at the same place - the main seven-row tower of the temple 30.5 m high. It is decorated with many statues and sculptures, each of which can be considered a real architectural masterpiece.
A long corridor with a colonnade consisting of 365 beautiful granite columns leads inside the temple. Their surface is completely covered with carvings, representing an example of the true skill of ancient sculptors.
The main hall of the temple building is decorated with frescoes depicting various mystical stories, and is intended to store the main shrine: a unique statue of Padmanabhaswamy - the form of Vishnu, staying in the Anananthasayanam pose, that is, in eternal mystical sleep.
The sculptural embodiment of the supreme god reclines on the giant thousand-headed snake Ananta Shesha, the king of all nagas. From Vishnu's navel grows a lotus with Brahma sitting on it. Left hand The statue is located above the lingam stone, which is considered the most important form and image of Shiva. His wives are sitting nearby: the earth goddess Bhudevi and the goddess of prosperity Sridevi.
The 5.5 m tall statue is built from 10,008 Shalagramashilas (sacred stones) and covered with gold and precious stones. She can be seen from three gates of the temple - through one her feet are visible, through others her body is visible, and through others her chest and face are visible. For several hundred years, the direct descendants of the Rajas of Travancore administered the temple complex and were trustees of Vishnu's earthly property.
However, several years ago it turned out that both the majestic temple and the magnificent sculpture are only the visible part of Padmanabhaswamy’s wealth. Moreover, an ancient curse hangs over the province of Kerala.
The fact is that in 2009, the famous Indian lawyer Sundara Rajan wrote a petition to the Supreme Court of India: he demanded to open the storerooms of the Sri Padmanabhaswamy Temple, sealed more than 130 years ago. The lawyer was worried that without proper supervision and accounting, the treasures could simply be plundered. Rajan, as a former police officer, pointed out the unacceptably poor security of the temple.
Local policemen confirmed his words: the Kerala police have no technical means, no experience in protecting such wealth. “We need to install laser alarms, video surveillance systems and other modern security systems, but we don’t have them", said the police officer.
In February 2011, the court found Sundar Rajan right and ordered the state to establish proper control over the temple in order to ensure necessary security valuables stored in his storerooms. According to court decision, the historical monument has been placed under the jurisdiction of the Kerala State Government.
In one of the vaults they found crowns inlaid with emeralds and rubies, gold necklaces, a 5.5 m long gold chain, a 36-kilogram gold “canvas”, and rare coins different countries, as well as an amazing statue of the god Vishnu lying on the snake Ananta Shesha, made of pure gold and having a height of 1.2 m.
According to preliminary data, the treasures found are valued at almost a trillion Indian rupees, which exceeds $20 billion in gold equivalent. This is more than the budget of the entire Delhi Metropolitan Region!
According to Indian archaeologists and researchers, they had no idea how impressive the treasure found would be. Naturally, the state government took unprecedented measures to ensure the safety of the found treasures. Most of the state police were brought in to protect them. In the temple itself they urgently installed burglar alarm and surveillance cameras.
After this, the Hindus were seized by a real mania: grabbing metal detectors or armed with pure enthusiasm, crowds of “pilgrims” ran to the temples - what if similar treasures were found somewhere else? Those who had never been distinguished by piety also rushed to the “houses of the gods.”
Everyone knows that since ancient times, rich families of India generously donated jewelry to temples, and in addition, there was a custom during wars and civil strife to hide the city treasury in temples. But sacred buildings in India have always been inviolable, and not all Hindus rushed in search of treasures - believers are horrified by the actions of the “blasphemers” and claim that the gods will not forgive intrusions into their homes.
At the same time, the intrigue around the Padmanabhaswamy Temple continues to unfold. After all, only five treasuries were opened. After this, they were going to open the last of six underground vaults, where the most valuable part of the treasure is believed to be located.
However, the curses threatened by the priests of Vishnu are stopping senior Kerala officials from taking decisive action. And most a shining example The mysterious death of the initiator of the sacrilege served as an indication that it was unreasonable to brush aside the threats of the priests.
Less than a week after the opening of the treasures, seventy-year-old Sundar Rajan died suddenly, according to the official version - from a fever. Physically strong man, who had never complained about his health before, died suddenly, and the autopsy did not establish the exact cause of his death. Of course, many Hindus did not believe the press reports and regarded his death as a punishment from Vishnu for disturbed sleep.
The descendant of the rulers of Travancore is not going to give up either. He declared that he would fight for the integrity of the last cache of treasures of the Padmanabhaswamy Temple. This hiding place was not opened at the same time as the five other rooms, since it was sealed with a special “sign of the serpent” guarding the peace of Vishnu. And it’s not even about the treasures that are stored there.
The Mystery of the Sealed Door of the Padmanabhaswamy Temple
There is a legend that in a room sealed with the “sign of the serpent”, a kind of emergency reserve of the Vishnu temple is kept. Gold and jewelry stored there are prohibited from being touched.
Only in the most extreme case, when the fate of the principality and the people living in it is at stake, the priests, after a special ceremony, will be allowed to open the door to the treasury, which is guarded by a huge three-headed cobra with ruby eyes. Those who try to enter the dungeon without permission will face a terrible death.
This door does not have locks, bolts, latches or any other fasteners. It is believed to be hermetically sealed using sound waves.
They say that somewhere in late XIX centuries, the British, who then felt like complete masters in India, despite all the warnings of the rajah and priests, decided to penetrate the forbidden treasury. But they never managed to do this.
The brave men who entered the dungeon with torches and lamps soon jumped out of there with wild screams. According to them, giant snakes attacked them from the darkness. The enraged reptiles could not be stopped either by sharp daggers or by shots. Several people were bitten by poisonous creatures.
In terrible torment, the sacrileges who encroached on Vishnu’s treasures died in the arms of their comrades. No one else dared to repeat their attempt to get into the forbidden storeroom.
So the treasured door is not yet open. One of the temple servants even testified under oath that it is impossible to open the “door with a snake” - this promises innumerable troubles for everyone. The Supreme Court ruled that the last sealed vault will not be opened until local authorities guarantee the integrity and security of the temple, and the treasures - proper assessment and protection, documentation, filming and professional attribution. However, as the judges noted, this has not yet been accomplished even for the wealth already found.
In the meantime, the supreme judges are dealing with ancient spells, historians and the public are arguing over who now owns the treasure and what to do with it. Vice-Rector of the University Mahatma Gandhi in Kerala Rajan Gurukkal is confident that regardless of whether this treasure was princely or temple, it is a unique archaeological treasure dating back several hundred years.
“And any archaeological site belongs to the nation.” After all, first of all, the temple treasure is of great value as a source of information about the society of medieval India and beyond, since treasures, especially such large ones, can contain coins and jewelry accumulated over fairly large periods of time. Gurukkal is confident that the state should take care of the preservation of the found historical and cultural objects, and calls for sending the treasure to the national museum.
But the former head of the Council of Archaeological Research, Narayanan, told the press that the authorities, on the contrary, should not interfere - the fate of the treasure should be decided by the temple council. Otherwise, it will be an attack on private property.
Representatives of the Indian intelligentsia, including former Supreme Court judge Krishna Iyer, propose using wealth for the benefit of society: in the country, 450 million people live below the poverty line.
The Supreme Court of India is now trying to decide the fate of the enormous wealth stored in the basements of the Vaishnava temple in the city of Thiruvananthapuram. We are talking about treasures whose value, according to the most conservative estimates, is $22 billion. On the one hand, they are claimed by the descendants of rajas who have been accumulating gold and precious stones for centuries. On the other hand, there are Hindu believers and the temple servants’ union. Meanwhile, the price of the issue could jump significantly higher, since not all of the temple vaults have yet been opened, and the total value of the treasures located there is likely equal to a trillion dollars.
“When they pulled back the granite slab, almost absolute darkness reigned behind it - it was diluted only by a dim ray of light from the doorway. I looked into the blackness of the pantry, and a stunning sight opened up to me: as if the stars were twinkling in the sky on a moonless night. Diamonds and other precious stones flashed, reflecting the faint light coming from open door. Most of the treasures were stored in wooden chests, but over time the wood turned to dust. Precious stones and gold simply lay in heaps on the dust-covered floor. I've never seen anything like it."
This is how one of the members of the special commission appointed by the Supreme Court of India to examine the treasury, the kallar, in which the rajas of Travancore, an ancient principality in the territory of the present state of Kerala, stored their wealth for centuries, described the treasures of the Padmanabhaswamy Temple. In the presence of a descendant of the rajas, one of the vaults was opened to make sure that the ancient legends about the countless riches of the princely family do not lie.
Now Padmanabhaswamy is under 24-hour security of 200 policemen. All approaches to the temple are monitored by external surveillance cameras, a metal detector is installed at the entrance, and machine gunners are stationed at key positions. These measures do not seem excessive: although the commission members pledged to keep the full list of treasures found secret, according to the most conservative estimates, we are talking about values slightly exceeding the Croatian budget. Some of the most notable solid gold exhibits include a full-size throne studded with hundreds of diamonds and other precious stones, 800 kilograms of coins, a chain five and a half meters long and a golden sheaf weighing more than half a ton.
At the same time, members of Hindu communities insist on keeping the treasures in their original place, the article says. And one of them even threatened an action of mass suicide if the valuables were taken out of the temple. Angry Hindus argue that only the descendants of the maharajas who guard the temple treasures can decide what to do with them.
However, the head of the state government, Oommen Chandy, has already promised that all valuables will remain in the possession of the temple. He added that consultations are underway with the descendants of the rulers of Travancore and the chief priest of the temple in this regard.
On the other hand, many temples deposit their treasures in a bank (for example, the Tirumala Venkateswara Temple, located in the east of the country, stores a third of its three tons of gold in a bank). Others actively invest in education and culture and build schools.
Persons particularly interested in the fate of the treasures, who were not at all surprised by what was found in the secret storerooms, were the princely family of Travancore.
PS: By the beginning of the 20th century, 80% of all the world's gold was concentrated in Asia, including India and China. It was the US Federal Reserve that tried to prevent this gold from entering global circulation...
The richest temple in the world July 23rd, 2016
We will learn about the riches of the temple a little later, but for now a little history.
Built in honor of one of the main Hindu Gods, Vishnu, the Padmanabhaswamy Temple is located in the capital of the southern state of Kerala, the city of Trivandrum, or as it is more commonly known, Thiruvananthapuram.
The gopuram, the main tower of the temple, was built in 1566. It has seven levels and its height is more than 30 meters. It is decorated with many statues and sculptures, each of which can be considered a real architectural masterpiece. A long corridor with a colonnade consisting of 365 beautiful granite columns leads inside the temple. Their surface is completely covered with carvings, representing an example of the true skill of ancient sculptors.
Photo 2. 
In the main hall of the building there is the main shrine of the temple - a statue of Vishnu, depicting him in the aspect of Sri Padmanabha, reclining on the snake Anantha or Adi Sesha, a lotus grows from his navel, on which Brahma sits. Vishnu's left hand is located above the linga - the stone-container of the divine essence - Shiva. And next to him sit his two wives - Sridevi, the Goddess of prosperity, and Bhudevi, the Goddess of the Earth. The statue is made of sila, a fossil mined from the bottom of the sacred river Kali Gandaki, which is black in color and is considered an aniconic incarnation of Vishnu. In addition, the top of the statue is covered with a special substance “Katusarkara Yogam” - an Ayurvedic mixture that does not allow dust and dirt to settle on the surface of the idol.
The temple hosts a ten-day festival of the traditional dance and dramatic art of Kerala, Kathakali, twice a year. But only people professing Hinduism can enter Padmanabhaswamy, and they are also required to follow a very strict dress code.
In past centuries, kings and their dynasties donated huge amounts of gold to the temple. Often, on the occasion of the crown prince's coming of age, the temple received the weight equivalent of an adult heir, only in the form of gold. There are still legends that somewhere under the building itself all these countless treasures are hidden. In ancient literature, the temple is described as having walls made of gold and a huge amount of precious stones.
Photo 3. 
In 2011, by a court decision, the legend turned into reality.
Before opening the vaults, no one suspected what could be in the rooms. But when they saw the treasures, many were shocked; at first glance, the amount of gold and diamonds could not be counted. To protect the treasure, the authorities are recruiting almost all the state police. Alarm and video surveillance systems are installed inside the temple.
Photo 4. 
And indeed, there was something to be surprised at and something to protect; the weight of gold coins alone was one ton. And also another ton of gold cast into ingots, and various necklaces, many different precious stones. In one of the five open storerooms, crowns decorated with emeralds and rubies were discovered.
A statue of the god Vishnu, made of gold, lying on a snake, a large gold chain 5.5 meters long, gold necklaces. But archaeologists were able to open only five vaults; the sixth room remains sealed to this day. As many predict, there are untold riches there.
Photo 5. 
Due to the opening of the storage facilities, litigation dragged on for a very long time. The descendants of the Rajas of Travancore claimed ownership of the temple and declared themselves the owners of the treasures. However, the result of long trials is the decision to open the repository, obliging the state to ensure the protection of the treasury, and to transfer the heritage of the past to the authorities of the state of Kerala.
Photo 6. 
This court decision outrages Uthradhan Varma, and he appeals to the Supreme Court. The 89-year-old man, who is a trustee of the temple, referred to a special law passed after India's independence, which put the temple and treasure at his full disposal.
But the aristocrat’s words that the Rajas of Travancore were priests of the Vishnu temple, and he was their direct descendant, did not impress the judges. The appeal was rejected, and the judge stated that in modern times, rajas no longer have special legal status, making exceptions for them. However, the aristocrat continues to fight for ownership of the Padmanabhaswamy temple.
Photo 7. 
The sixth room of the temple is sealed with the “sign of the snake” - an image of a huge multi-headed cobra guarding the chambers of the god Vishnu. The official version says that the ancient vault will not be opened until local authorities provide the necessary security to the ancient treasures. Security, documentation, and step-by-step video filming. As the judges note, this has not yet been done, and the Supreme Court is awaiting a detailed report on the treasures already found.
Another reason preventing the opening of the last room is superstition. Or rather, a curse that will punish with death all who disturb the peace of God. And local authorities have reasons to take the curse seriously. Police officer Sundar Rajan, who insisted on opening tombs sealed 150 years ago, has died.
Photo 8. 
A man who had not previously complained of health and was physically strong suddenly dies after opening the tomb. An autopsy was unable to determine the true cause of death. And many residents of the state of Kerala regarded the sudden death of the former officer as a punishment from the god Vishnu for disturbing the peace.
According to one of the assumptions, the descendant of the rajas and the priests do not protect the treasures of the temple in their personal interests. The legend says that in a room sealed with the “sign of the snake”, treasures are kept that are forbidden to be touched. They are left by the god Vishnu for special occasions when there is a threat to the entire principality, and are guarded by a giant three-headed cobra with ruby eyes. And it will be possible to open the treasury only after a special ceremony performed by the priestesses.
Photo 9. 
All those people who try to enter the room will face a terrible death. Stories are told of how at the end of the 19th century, the British, disobeying the warnings of the rajah and priests, went to the treasury. Taking torches, they boldly went to get treasures. However, the brave souls immediately left the place with the treasures, screaming and screaming.
Afterwards, the survivors told how huge snakes attacked them from the darkness. Which could not be stopped either by knives or bullets. People bitten by snakes died in the arms of their comrades in terrible writhing and screams. After this incident, no attempts were made to enter the treasury.
Photo 10. 
The opened vaults of the temple revealed more than 800 kilograms of gold, a sheaf of gold weighing more than half a ton, several thousand gold jewelry, a golden throne set in diamonds and much more. Without taking into account historical value, the entire wealth was valued at approximately $22 billion.
Photo 11. 
Photo 12. 
Photo 13. 
The Supreme Court of India is now trying to decide the fate of the enormous wealth stored in the basements of the Vaishnava temple in the city of Thiruvananthapuram. We are talking about treasures whose value, according to the most conservative estimates, is $22 billion. On the one hand, they are claimed by the descendants of rajas who have been accumulating gold and precious stones for centuries. On the other hand, there are Hindu believers and the union of temple servants. Meanwhile, the price of the issue could jump significantly higher, since not all of the temple vaults have yet been opened, and the total value of the treasures located there is likely equal to a trillion dollars.
Stars in the Dark
“When they pulled back the granite slab, almost absolute darkness reigned behind it - it was diluted only by a dim ray of light from the doorway. I looked into the blackness of the pantry, and a stunning sight opened up to me: as if the stars were twinkling in the sky on a moonless night. Diamonds and other precious stones flashed, reflecting the faint light coming from the open door. Most of the treasures were stored in wooden chests, but over time the wood turned to dust. Precious stones and gold simply lay in heaps on the dust-covered floor. I've never seen anything like it."
This is how one of the members of the special commission appointed by the Supreme Court of India to examine the treasury - the kallars, in which the rajas of Travancore, an ancient principality in the territory of the present state of Kerala, stored their wealth for centuries, described the treasures of the Padmanabhaswamy Temple. In the presence of a descendant of the rajas, one of the vaults was opened to make sure that the ancient legends about the countless riches of the princely family do not lie.
Now Padmanabhaswamy is under 24-hour security of 200 policemen. All approaches to the temple are monitored by external surveillance cameras, a metal detector is installed at the entrance, and machine gunners are stationed at key positions. These measures do not seem excessive: although the commission members pledged to keep the full list of treasures found secret, according to the most conservative estimates, we are talking about values slightly exceeding the Croatian budget. Among the most notable solid gold exhibits are a full-size throne studded with hundreds of diamonds and other precious stones, 800 kilograms of coins, a chain five and a half meters long and a golden sheaf weighing more than half a ton.
The remaining vaults have not yet been opened. They could contain treasure worth a trillion dollars - more than the military budgets of the United States, China and Russia combined.
Cobras and juvenile gods
The princely state of Travancore in southern India was founded in 1729, but the Padmanabhaswamy Temple is much older. Its current building was built in the 16th century. The sanctuary on this site, as historians say, existed long before that. In ancient Tamil texts it was called the Golden Temple because according to legend, the walls of the sanctuary were made of pure gold. For centuries, people brought offerings there to the god Vishnu. After the founding of Travancore, a stream of treasures literally poured into the temple: the fearless Rajas won many victories over their neighbors, appropriating their treasures, and even defeated the Dutch East India Company. The state prospered, trade grew stronger, money flowed like a river.
Merchants returning from successful travels left generous offerings at Padmanabhaswamy, the main temple of Travancore. The rajas themselves gave a lot of treasures to the temple: according to custom, the heir to the throne, upon reaching adulthood, donated to the temple as much gold as he himself weighed. During British times, Travancore became a native princely state, its rulers were in good standing with the British and enjoyed numerous privileges, continuing to grow rich. The temple's treasures were safe: although the kallars were guarded by only a few men with wooden sticks, everyone in Travancore knew that Padmanabhaswamy's cellars were infested with poisonous cobras, whose images were carved on the doors as a warning to thieves.
In 1946, before the British left India, the rulers of Travancore remembered their past glory and refused to join India and Pakistan. "Travancore will become independent state, - announced the representative of the principality. “We see no reason why we should have less sovereignty than Denmark, Switzerland or Siam.” It was only with great difficulty that the Travancore people were persuaded to join India, but in return the princely family demanded many privileges, including the title of custodian of the Padmanabhaswamy Temple.
The fact is that according to Indian laws, the deities to whom the temple is dedicated can own the gifts presented to them and land plots at the sanctuary. At the same time, legally the gods are equated to minors, and therefore, they are entitled to a guardian - he is also the keeper of the temple and all its treasures. It was this position that the Rajahs of Travancore received. Soon rumors spread: evil tongues said that the rajas, who had lost other income, were dipping their toes into the temple wealth.
Ananda Padmanabhan's War
Two people changed everything. The house of Ananda Padmanabhan, a lawyer from Thiruvananthapuram, stands on the street leading to the temple, and from his childhood he heard all the rumors and gossip about the dishonest former Rajas of Travancore. His uncle Sundararajan, a devout Hindu, did not care about earthly wealth - only serving the gods. Over the years, Padmanabhan, under the influence of his uncle, plunged headlong into religion and decided to devote his life to the god Vishnu.
In 2007, he sued the head of the family of the Travancore Rajas, 86-year-old Marthanda Varma, claiming that he was poorly performing his duties as a custodian and that Vishnu had lost a significant part of his wealth because of them. According to the lawyer's calculations, in total, over the past decades, valuables worth more than a billion rupees ($15 million) have disappeared from the temple. “They didn’t even keep proper records,” the lawyer was indignant. “The royal family lied, claiming that the treasure was never opened, but scraps of records show that it was opened at least seven times.” The deity, Padmanabhan declared, needed a new guardian.
Padmanabhan was unexpectedly supported by the temple servants' union. Its leader, in particular, said: “Many things for recent years disappeared. A flute made of ivory, she was many centuries old. I saw her once, but since then no one has found her. A lot of treasures were simply stolen.” Soon, one of the trade union activists, Padmanabha Das, was doused with acid by unknown assailants; he survived literally by a miracle.
An investigation by the Auditor General of India, Vinod Rai, corroborated the testimony of Padmanabhan and the union members. The resulting 1,000-page document listed the missing jewels from the temple, a list the document said was incomplete.
Descendants of former kings
During the process, an elderly descendant of the rajas, Marthanda Varma, died, and his place was taken by his nephew, a small businessman, Mulam Tirunal Rama Varma. He, like his uncle, categorically denies all accusations. The interests of the former rulers are defended in court by a whole team of professional lawyers.
The Rajas of Travancore owned the temple for centuries, as the protection recalls, and had a special relationship with the god Vishnu: thus, kings from century to century accompanied his idol during a ceremonial bath in the sea twice a year and even asked him for permission if they needed to leave the city. No earthly law can change this sacred connection. Any allegations of embezzlement are completely ridiculous: records show that the late Marthanda repeatedly contributed money to cover the temple budget deficit.
On the side of the rajas is colossal influence, which they still enjoy in the state of Kerala, where, out of habit, they are sometimes called kings. If necessary, the former rulers of Travancore can easily organize campaigns in their support.
“The royal family considers the temple and the treasures in it their property,” complains Padmanabhan. - But in 1972, the government deprived them, like other rulers, of all privileges and income. A personal exception was made only for those who were rulers at the time of independence, but the last true Raja of Travancore died in 1991. Now my work is almost completed - I only wanted the treasures to be properly counted and described, and then let the court decide.”
Need more gold
Looming invisibly above this fray is another player: the federal government. India is in desperate need of gold: every year, in order to meet the demand of the jewelry industry, it has to import about a thousand tons, spending a lot of money on it. And in Hindu temples throughout the country, according to the calculations of the head of the Indian Arun Jatli, more than three thousand tons of this precious metal are stored (India's gold reserve, for comparison, is 550 tons).
Nobody even knows the approximate date of foundation of the Padmanabhaswamy Temple. Scientists have been arguing for many years and have not yet come to a consensus. Many are inclined to believe that it already existed 5000 years ago.
In general, Padmanabhaswamy was built in honor of the god Vishnu. It is located in Trivandrum, in the Indian state of Kerala. In past centuries, kings and their dynasties donated huge amounts of gold to the temple. Often, on the occasion of the crown prince's coming of age, the temple received the weight equivalent of an adult heir, only in the form of gold. There are still legends that somewhere under the building itself all these countless treasures are hidden. In ancient literature, the temple is described as having walls made of gold and a huge amount of precious stones. In 2011, by a court decision, the legend turned into reality. The opened vault of the temple revealed more than 800 kilograms of gold, a sheaf of gold weighing more than half a ton, several thousand gold jewelry, a golden throne in diamonds and much more. Without taking into account historical value, the entire wealth was valued at approximately $22 billion.
upd. Many people wonder, where is the announced trillion dollars? First, $22 billion is the cost without taking into account historical value. Auctioneers estimate the total amount to be orders of magnitude higher. In addition, only one of the secret rooms was open. And according to scientists, there are at least nine of them. So even a trillion may be too small to estimate the wealth of the temple.
The world's largest treasure
Since ancient times, temples and churches throughout have tried to stand out with their wealth and beauty. All this was created for the most part with the money of parishioners. And even today, in order to simply baptize a child, you must at least buy a cross for the baby and pay for the sacrament itself. It seems that in India, spiritual mentors had more authority, since the world's largest treasure was discovered in the Sri Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Kerala.
This temple was built in honor of the god Vishnu back in the 16th century, in the city of Thiruvananthapuram and has always been famous for its incredibly rich appearance outside and inside. Residents of the state, then still belonging to Britain, brought their savings here in the form of money, jewelry with the sole purpose of appeasing the deity in whose honor this structure was built. All these untold riches were kept in secret dungeons for hundreds of years.
This happened thanks to the negligence of one ancient aristocratic family, which did not take care of the temple properly. As a result of the court decision, Sri Padmanabhaswamy was handed over to the city, and the hiding places in the basements were opened by the executors judicial service. Imagine their amazement when 7 rooms appeared before them, filled to the top with treasures, totaling 25 billion dollars.
Among the tons of gold and silver in coins and bars, the following were also found here: a five-meter gold necklace, a statue of the god Vishnu reclining on the snake Ananta, 1.2 meters high.
Legends about the countless treasures in the Sri Padmanabhaswami temple have circulated for many centuries. His trustees resisted with all their might the opening of the caches and even filed a complaint with the Supreme Court. The judge did not support them, saying that today the maharajas do not have the power that they were vested with before, and therefore the law applies to them as well as to everyone else.
We also note that temple property in India is protected by law, so found treasures must either remain where they were found, or can be purchased by the state for 120 percent of their value.
Now this place is under heavy security.
This is the most big treasure on Earth at the moment. Before this, the treasure on Robinson Crusoe Island, which is located 560 kilometers from Chile, held the palm. It was discovered in 2005 and consisted of 600 barrels filled with incredibly beautiful gold items. Its value is estimated at 10 billion dollars.
Padmanabhaswamy is a Hindu temple of Vishnu located in the Indian city of Thiruvananthapuram. This is one of the one hundred and eight divya deshams - the most sacred abodes of Vishnu. The temple is a thirty-meter seven-row gate tower covered with elaborate carvings. Inside you can find a huge corridor with three hundred and twenty-four relief pillars and a twenty-five-meter golden pole topped with a flag. The walls of the structure are covered with numerous frescoes depicting various stories from the beliefs of followers of Hinduism. (website)
The deity within is Padmanabhaswamy, a form of Vishnu in a state of mystical sleep. The figure, which is five and a half meters long, consists of ten thousand black stones and is also covered with gold and jewels.
The temple was built in 1731-1750 by King Marthanda Varma.
Fabulous riches
In the summer of 2011, perhaps the richest treasure in human history was found in Padmanabhaswamy, which became a real world sensation. Before this, the largest treasure was considered to be the treasure discovered on Robinson Crusoe Island. Their estimated value was about ten billion dollars. Padmanabhaswamy hid a trillion rupees in his underground vaults, which was estimated at about twenty billion dollars in gold equivalent. Where did they come from?
In ancient times, the area where the Hindu temple stands today was used as a trade route for many centuries. Indian and foreign merchants who came here to purchase spices, fabrics and other goods brought gifts to the Vishnu temple - not so much to receive divine blessings, but to appease the then rulers of the earth. All donations in the form of gold and gems were deposited in a religious building. European traders were especially generous - many ancient European coins and jewelry were found in Padmanabhaswamy, as well as Aztec and Incan gold melted into ingots.
When gold was really shoveled
Indian archaeologists who descended into the dungeons of the temple were absolutely shocked when they discovered chests with a ton of gold coins, a ton of gold items and bars, as well as numerous bags of rubies, emeralds, pearls and diamonds. Elaborate gold chains and numerous statues made of precious metals were also found here. According to experts, they did not even suspect that at least one percent of such wealth could be located here.
The Kerala government has undoubtedly done everything to ensure maximum security for the treasures. In order to guard the treasure, almost all the military and police of the state were brought here at one time.
Aristocracy vs.
It is worth noting that before these riches were discovered in one of Padmanabhaswamy’s underground premises, the Indian authorities had been suing local aristocrats for many years, who were direct descendants of the rajas who once owned the temple. The government insisted that the structure belonged to the state, and the treasures hidden in it were also state property. The aristocracy appealed to other laws, according to which Padmanabhaswamy belongs precisely to the descendants of his former owners.
Officials still managed to unseal the dungeon after receiving appropriate court permission. The historical monument was transferred to the control of the local government. However, eighty-nine-year-old Uthradhan Thirunaal Marthanda Varma, who is a descendant of the Raja of Travancore, began challenging the Supreme Court decision. According to the aristocrat, when India gained independence, new laws arose according to which Indians have the full right to dispose of the property that belonged to their ancestors, regardless of whether this property is a historical monument or not. The appeal was ultimately rejected.
The Mystery of the Last Door
Nevertheless, the restless aristocrat continues to defend his rights. He has come to terms with the fact that the government has taken possession of the wealth described above, but he insists with all his might that the last of the five hiding places, where no one has looked for many centuries, should not be opened. It is believed that the most valuable part of the wealth is hidden there, which can be worth several tens of billions of dollars. The room is sealed with a special snake sign, guaranteeing the inviolability of the room.
Curse of Treasures
As in the case of other treasures, there was a legend about the curse of Padmanabhaswamy’s treasures. It is noteworthy that these beliefs became one of the reasons why the authorities have still not decided to open last room. The initiators of opening the cache died during mysterious circumstances some time after obtaining judicial permission. In addition, the chief of police responsible for guarding the jewelry suddenly died. A young and healthy man was found dead in his bed, and no signs of poisoning or violence were found.
At the same time, it is not the jewelry itself that is allegedly cursed, but those people who decide to take possession of them for the sake of their own enrichment. It is believed that the treasures can be removed from the temple and used only if India is in danger and the people of the area need a lot of money for military expenses.
According to one of the local myths, at the end of the nineteenth century, the British, who felt themselves to be full-fledged masters of India, invaded Padmanabhaswamy and, ignoring all the warnings of the priests and rajas, decided to plunder the forbidden treasury. However, as soon as the British, armed with torches and firearms, were below, some of them ran back with terrible screams. According to them, in the darkness of the dungeon there were thousands of snakes, which instantly attacked the strangers. When the rest of the colonists went down, they discovered the corpses of their compatriots, bitten by snakes from head to toe. So the Padmanabhaswamy temple has remained untouched to this day.
