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The man who opened the Pandora's Box is no more. But he had accomplished his mission. At last the treasures of the Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Trivandrum were revealed to the public through his efforts. T.P.Sundararajan, former I.P.S. officer, till his last breath on 17th July lived like a saint, close to the temple. If it were not for his efforts through the Supreme Court of India, few would have known about the wealth concealed in the six vaults of the temple. Hindu Mythology has it that Lord Vishnu bereft of funds for his marriage with goddess Padmavati (Lakshmi- the goddess of prosperity) approached Kubera, the lord of wealth for a loan. Kubera credited him a hefty sum and the devotees of Vishnu believe that the interest is still being paid by Vishnu. The followers of Vishnu offer him gold coins and other valuables thus helping him repay the loan.

The people of the princely state of Travancore also did not hesitate in supporting their beloved Lord Sree Padmanabha (another name for Vishnu) and their kings followed suit thus making the temple richer day by day. Their offerings resulted in a treasure trove, the rough intrinsic value of which is little above 21 billion dollars, and thus the temple has now become one among the largest treasure crypts of the world. No archeological expert will find such a variety in a treasure and no curator can still assess the real heritage value of the findings as the articles have different kinds of estimates. Even the apex court of India on whose order the offerings in the six secret chambers are getting catalogued seem unclear on the volume of the riches and it is waiting for experts' opinions on what to be done with it.

GUARDING GOD'S PROPERTY

Travancore the state which occupied most of the southern chunk in the present Kerala had Vishnu as the tutelar deity in the form of the 18 ft idol of Ananthashayi. Vishnu in a relaxing position which mythology refers as yoganidra (meditational slumber). All that was offered to Vishnu was never allowed to be taken outside the temple but placed in chambers close to the idol. "We knew the temple has an immense pile of gold and silver but we never cared about that as it was God's own property" said Santha, a devotee who comes to the temple every day to witness the Sheeveli (a procession of the deity at the end of the day). After Sheeveli only a few unarmed guards in dhotis remained in the magnificent stone-built edifice and Vishnu continued to be in Yoganidra with all the treasure in his proximity. The scene is totally different now. Commandos wielding machine guns have taken guard of the temple. Special police constables in traditional attire scans the nook and corner of the sanctum sanctorum with the help of cameras.

ALL IN THE GOD'S NAME

Rarely had even the Maharajahs of Travancore cared for such a strong security during their times or even a few days ago. Those kings led a humble life and the records on Travancore history says that whenever they strayed from their routine ethical life they compensated or were forced to compensate Sree Padmanabha through offerings in different forms. The kings considered themselves the dasa or servants of Sree Padmanabha and they ruled in his name after dedicating everything to him including the kingdom through a ritual called Trippadidana or the offering at the holy steps. Everything they acquired through conquests, they earned through trade and even the fine imposed to defaulters of taxes went into the coffers of the temple. All these were manuscripted in palm leaves and bundled together with a label Mathilakom records. Mathilakom means the enclosure inside the walls. These manuscripts numbering about 30,000 in ancient scripts contain accounts on settlement during the various functions and events in the temples on pujas, festivals and on the transactions of business by the yogam or temple councils grants and donation to temples by Royal family. Everything was identified with Sree Padmanabha including his insignia the conch shell which became the state emblem of Travancore and later Kerala. Details of every item was recorded and it was said that kings just before stepping out of the temple used to even wipe out the dust on their feet as even that belonged to the Sree Padmanabha. "Along with the records the riches also figure in the palace manual which runs into 12 volumes" says noted historian, M.G.Sasibhooshan. And everything in the vaults are listed in these records.

What can it be? It was mindboggling even for the veteran judges of the Kerala High Court who were sent to the temple as observers for stock-taking. Justice C.S. Rajan couldn't resist the temptation of talking to the media about what he saw at the vaults thus inviting the wrath of the Apex Court. Thereafter no one dared to talk to the reporters who have come from all over the globe to witness another wonder of the century. The seniormost member of the Royal family, Uthradom Thirunal Mathanda Varma when quizzed by the reporters insisted by pointing his fingers towards his eyes that, till the stock-taking is clear only his eyes would speak.

In Kerala there is no dearth for debates, already there are heated discussions about the upkeep of the wealth. There is a section which demands the utilisation of the wealth for welfare and development purposes. Others are for safe preservation of it for the coming generations to see and be proud of their rich legacy. Arguments are bountiful after the demise of Sundararajan. A story says that he invited the wrath of the diety by exposing the treasures to the world. One thing is for sure; the cumbersome legal procedures will invite indefinite delay for any decision and Sree Padmanabha Swamy along with his ardent devotees in Thiruvananthapuram will remain unfazed.