Devaswom to confiscate Poornathrayeshan’s gold – Hands off; Devotees to mull massive protest

Safeguard of Lord Poornathrayeshan’s Temple Wealth: Confluence of Devotees on 17 April

Kochi: There is a mass protest against the bid being made by Kochi Devaswom Board in confiscating the temple treasures of Lord Poornathrayeshan and transferring the same to Thrissur. In connection with this, the Hindu Aikya Vedi will organize a protest meet in Thripunithura on 17 April, demanding the Devaswom to retract its decision.

The move will result in priceless jewels and ornaments belonging to the temple worth crores, being cluelessly lost. They have been stored and safely kept in temple vaults since centuries. Removing it from there is thoroughly against the wishes of devotees,” said Aikya Vedi leaders.

Sources have indicated that the latest budget of Kochi Devaswom Board has chalked down its decision of transferring ornaments and priceless jewellery belonging to Poornathrayeshan temple, to its on locker and thereafter making a sale out of the same.

“All ornaments which are not being used during daily pooja or during festivities are to be gathered and melted and sold off. The Devaswom Board plan includes other principle temples like Chottanikkara Devi Temple, Kodungalloor Bhagavathy Temple, Thrissur Vadakkumnathan Temple etc. The Board, which is facing acute financial crisis plans to level its losses through these means. However, the financial crisis happened as a result of corruption, involving political leaders as well as Devaswom Board officers, along with sheer negligence. They must resolve the crisis and find a solution, but not at the cost of temple ornaments,” said a devotee.

In 2006, Kochi Devaswom Board had secretly smuggled away a sizable portion of poornathrayeshan’s wealth to its own private vaults. Later it disappeared from Devaswom Board registers. Documents were later tampered with here it was shown that ornaments were in reality cheap imitation jewellery.

“But it has not been documented as to who examined these ornaments and who put an estimate on its worth.  A case was initiated by Crime Branch and police, but it was hurriedly hushed beneath the carpet owing to political interference. If the rest of the ornaments belonging to the Lord are also taken away, the same fate will befall them too,” stated a devotee.

Various bodies of devotees have come forward, demanding that the Devasom Board retract from its decision of selling temple ornaments to meet their daily expenses. The protest meeting scheduled for 17 April will be inaugurated by RV Babu, General secretary of HAV. 

Responses