A gold crown weighing 55.72 sovereigns has been found missing from the Sabarimala temple’s strongroom, with an imitation crown found in its place during an ongoing inventory of the shrine’s sacred ornaments.
The original crown weighed 445.78 grams, while the crown currently kept in the strongroom weighs only 240 grams. The difference was discovered during an inventory being conducted under the supervision of Kerala High Court-appointed amicus curiae Justice K T Sankaran.
The crown was reportedly donated by devotees from Tamil Nadu in 2012. The imitation piece is said to be of a similar size and design and has stones resembling diamonds.
Crown Donated in 2012
Records show that the gold crown was offered at Sabarimala in 2012. It was subsequently supposed to be transferred from the Sannidhanam strongroom to the Travancore Devaswom Board’s more secure strongroom at Aranmula.
However, preliminary information from the inventory suggests that the original crown remained at Sannidhanam and was not transferred to Aranmula.
The circumstances under which the original crown went missing and the imitation piece was placed in its position are not yet known.
No CCTV in Strongroom
The crown was reportedly kept in an area without CCTV surveillance, making it difficult to establish when the replacement took place.
Officials and staff responsible for the temple have also changed over the years as part of the administration’s rotational system. Investigators are expected to examine records and the officials who were responsible for the strongroom during the period in which the crown was kept there.
A preliminary inventory has also raised questions about other missing valuables. Reports say a four sovereign gold chain was found missing from a strongroom at Aranmula.
Devaswom Board Orders Investigation
Travancore Devaswom Board president K Jayakumar said he learnt about the missing crown through media reports and that the matter required a detailed investigation.
Jayakumar said that if the original crown was not at Sabarimala, it should have been at the Aranmula strongroom unless there was a specific reason for it to remain at the temple.
He said the security lapse would be examined and that further details would emerge from the report being prepared for the Kerala High Court.
The Travancore Devaswom Board is expected to examine the officials and employees who were responsible for the crown during the relevant period.
Investigation Underway
The discovery comes amid an ongoing inquiry into earlier allegations concerning missing or reduced quantities of gold ornaments at Sabarimala.
The current inventory was ordered following directions from the Kerala High Court and is being conducted under Justice K T Sankaran’s supervision. The findings will help determine when the original crown disappeared, how the imitation crown came to be placed in the strongroom and who was responsible for its custody.
At present, the circumstances surrounding the disappearance remain under investigation.
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