Dwarapalaka idols were brought for gold plating after taking it off after a month 

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: It has been revealed that the Dwarpalaka idols taken off from Sabarimala were brought to Chennai by Unnikrishnan Potty for gold plating after a month later. This was revealed by R G Radhakrishnan, who was Thiruvabharanam Commissioner during 2019.

'I assumed charge as the Thiruvabharanam Commissioner in August 2019. It was taken off in July itself, but reached Chennai only after a month. There are no records of where they were during all these days. The devaswom board has issued an order that the copper sheets be removed, weighed and handed over to Unnikrishnan Potty for gold plating.

A Padmakumar was the devaswom board president then. It is not known on what basis the object in the devaswom was given in this way. It was said that the Dwarapalaka idols were made of gold. However, there is no evidence for it anywhere. In the order issued by the devaswom board to hand it over to Unnikrishnan Potty, it is mentioned as copper,' said R G Radhakrishnan.

Meantime, reports had emerged that Unnikrishnan Potty had made financial gains under the cover of the pedestals and gold plating of the Dwarpalaka idols that went missing from Sabarimala. Vigilance also received information that Potty had performed puja on the pedestal kept at home and collected money from Ayyappa devotees. The finding of the Dwarpalaka idol’s pedestal from the relative's house of sponsor Bengaluru businessman Unnikrishnan Potty, is a mystery.

The pedestal, made of three metals including gold, was found by the Devaswom Vigilance on Saturday from the house of Unnikrishnan Potty's sister Mini Antharjana at Valiya Kattakkal in Venjaramoodu. After the pedestal was brought from Sabarimala, it was kept at the house of Unnikrishnan's employee in Kottayam. The vigilance received information that the pedestal was kept there until it sparked a controversy.