Centuries-old cellar in Kerala opened; what was inside shocks

KOZHIKODE: The centuries-old vault at Vadakara Sub-Treasury Office has been opened. The vault was dismantled and inspected by a team including officials at around 11.20 am on Friday. However, the iron chamber, which is one meter long and three-quarters of a meter wide, was empty. The building where the Sub-Treasury Office functioned was the headquarters of the taluk during the British rule. Such iron vaults were built at that time to store currencies and valuables. The building that housed the Taluk Office was destroyed by fire. The old building is being demolished to make way for the new building. Everyone expected that antiques, including valuables, would be inside the vault.

Authorities clarified that such iron vaults were built in the past to prevent thieves from looting. There were such underground vaults in the treasury offices of Kozhikode Puthiyara, Wayanad Vythiri and Idukki Devikulam. These will be transferred to the archaeological collection of the Treasury Department in Thiruvananthapuram.

The vault was opened under the leadership of Vadakara RDO Anwar Sadat, archaeologist Jeevamol, Vadakara Sub-Treasury Officer Ajith Kumar, Tehsildar D. Ranjith, Vadakara SI Vineeth Kumar and others.