Don’t touch the secret temple vault: Devaprasnam

PNS | Thiruvananthapuram

There should be no attempt to open Chamber B, second of the six secret vaults at the Sri Padmanabha Swamy temple in Kerala, astrologers have learned from the signs that came up in the Deva Prasnam (astrological examination) held at the shrine in the context of a Supreme Court-appointed panel’s plan to assess the value of the treasures kept there.

Death and destruction are likely to visit upon anyone who touches Chamber B and all his relatives because its stature as the original divine powers has to remain undisturbed, astrologers have concluded from the signs of the Thamboola Prasnam, the main part of the examination. The Deva Prasnam at the temple started on Monday.

After analyzing 12 Thamboolams (betel leaves) over the past four days, the scholars said that the deity alone had the authority and right to enter Chamber B. They said that the one who touched the chamber and his relatives were likely to die of poison consumption or snake-bites.

After analyzing the signs of the Prasnam, scholars said that there was no need of any other method or scientific practice to know beyond what had already been learned. The procedures on the third day had revealed that efforts to steal the temple property were possible.

The signs that came up from the Prasnam on the fourth day emphasized the need for each member of the Travancore royal family, the traditional trustees of the temple and its assets, to always remain committed to protecting the shrine. Each member of the royal family should take oath in this regard, it was said.

The Deva Prasnam was performed to know of the deity’s response to the move of the Supreme Court-appointed five-member committee to document and assess the value of the treasures kept in the vaults, including Chamber B. Devotees and the royal family had suggested that Chamber B should not be opened before holding a Deva Prasnam.

The five-member panel, headed by National Museum Institute vice-chancellor CV Ananda Bose, had the other day decided to wait till the conclusion of the Deva Prasnam to take a decision on the modalities of going about the valuation process. A panel had earlier assessed the value of the articles found in the five chambers at over Rs 100,000 crore.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, who attended a high-level meeting on the security of the temple after visiting it, reiterated on Thursday that all the gold, precious stones and other valuables found there belonged to the shrine.

“I have already made the Government’s stand clear. This wealth belongs to the temple and it should remain there. The security of this wealth and the temple is the responsibility of the Government and we would never forget it,” he said.

Director General of Police Jacob Punnoose said that the security at the temple presently was mostly man-power based but efforts were being taken to upgrade it to technology-based system so that fool-proof security could be provided without causing disturbances to the rituals and devotees.

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