Gold plating at Sabarimala moved without permission: Special Commissioner submits report to High Court

SABARIMALA: Special Commissioner R Jayakrishnan has submitted a report to the High Court alleging that the gold plating on the Dwarapalaka sculptures in front of the shrine was moved without the permission of the court. The High Court Devaswom bench has directed that gold work should be done in the Sannidhanam only with the permission of the court. The report says that non-compliance is a serious lapse. The High Court is likely to consider the report today.

Meanwhile, Devaswom Board President P.S. Prashanth said that the gold-plated copper plates of the sculptures were damaged and were taken to Chennai for repair. "The permission and consent of the Tantri has been obtained. The permission of the Special Commissioner is not required for this. Sabarimala Assistant Executive Officer Hemanth, Administrative Officer Sreenivasan, Thiruvabharanam Special Commissioner Rejilal, Devaswom Vigilance SI Rakesh, two police officers from Vigilance, Devaswom Smith, two Devaswom guards and a representative of the sponsor who offered the gold plates as an offering are the people who went to Chennai. The journey was in a safe vehicle," the president said.

The work on the doors was carried out following the Tantric instructions to repair the steps and doors of Dwarapalaka and Sopanam from 2023. Permission was given to remove the plates on the day the temple is closed after the Onam pujas based on the Tantric instructions to immediately repair the cracks and discolouration in the Dwarapalaka plates. PS Prashanth said that it was decided to carry out purification rituals and reinstall the plates on the third day of the month of Kanni, adding that other statements are baseless.