Poornathrayeesa temple security: Only four guards for 64.5 kg of gold and hundreds of rare gems

KOCHI: Over a hundred precious stones, including sapphires, rubies, agate, and hessonite, along with a silver collection and elephant tusks, are kept inside the famous Thrippunithura Poornathrayeesa Temple. The temple also holds 64.5 kilograms of gold ornaments used for daily rituals and festivals. Despite this vast treasure, only two unarmed security guards are on duty at a time to protect these priceless items. There are just four guards in total, all working on a shift basis, and all are temporary employees.

The valuables are stored in two vaults and inside the sanctum sanctorum of the temple. Even though a large portion of the jewels and gems that existed when the Kochi royal family handed over the temple to the Cochin Devaswom Board has gone missing, no significant security upgrades have been made. Recently, Kerala Kaumudi reported that a half-kilogram gold crown from the temple’s gold kolam had turned into rolled gold.

The details of the temple’s gold holdings were included in a report submitted on November 26, 2021, by High Court Registrar General K.P. Sudheer, who conducted an inspection along with experts. During a Crime Branch investigation in 2016, following complaints that the gold kolam and forehead ornament used during the Vrischikolsavam festival were fake, the High Court ordered that the items be melted down and remade using the Devaswom Board’s gold.

Members of the Kochi royal family challenged this in court. The Supreme Court later directed the Devaswom Board to conduct a full audit of the temple’s treasures. When the board failed to comply, the apex court assigned the task directly to the Registrar General of the High Court.

No progress in earlier investigations

• In 2006, there were allegations that 58 gemstones and about 100 stones were secretly removed from one of the vaults at night, but no inquiry was conducted.
• Recommendations to conduct a detailed inspection of all gold and valuables under the Thrippunithura Devaswom Group, and to verify them before new officers took charge, were never implemented.
• Other instructions, such as conducting quality checks and electrifying the vaults, were also ignored.

Temple gold holdings (in kilograms)

In the section under the chief priest’s responsibility: 17.861 kg

In the vault under joint responsibility: 37.766 kg

In the vault under the Devaswom officer’s responsibility: 8.88 kg