Sabarimala Gold Mystery Deepens: Missing Temple Gold Raises Urgent Questions on Protection of Sacred Offerings
After the Kerala High Court ordered a comprehensive probe into alleged irregularities involving the gold and valuables of the Sabarimala Temple, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) has reported that the scandal extends far beyond what was initially believed.
Fresh findings suggest that gold is missing from additional temple artefacts, reinforcing long-standing concerns that offerings made by devotees over decades have remained vulnerable to misuse by a powerful few with access to temple administration.
From Isolated Doubts to a Wider Scandal
The SIT had initially informed the court about two instances of missing gold — from the Dwarapalaka idols and the gold-clad door frames of the sanctum sanctorum.
However, a subsequent report submitted to the vigilance court in Kollam makes it clear that the problem is far more extensive, with discrepancies now detected in multiple artefacts.
The unfolding revelations have renewed calls for stringent, permanent safeguards to ensure that gifts made to the deity in faith — often by ordinary devotees — are protected from disappearing under the guise of repairs, renovations or technical processes.
The 1999 Gold Plating and What Followed
The roots of the controversy trace back to 1999, when the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), which manages over 1,250 temples in southern Kerala, undertook repairs to the gold-clad Dwarapalaka idols at the temple entrance.
The project was sponsored by then UB Group chairman Vijay Mallya, who donated 30 kg of gold.
Experts involved at the time stated that about five kilograms were used exclusively for the Dwarapalakas, with the remaining gold utilised to plate other temple features.
Two decades later, this gold layer became central to the present controversy.
Sponsorship, Silence and Missing Gold
In 2019, Unnikrishnan Potty obtained TDB approval to sponsor gold-plating work on temple idols and valuables at his own expense.
Crucially, the handover document did not refer to the existing gold plating from 1999 and described the artefacts as merely bearing “copper plates”.
After the items were taken to Chennai and returned 39 days later, an unexplained shortfall of 4.54 kg of material was noted.
Despite this discrepancy, the TDB reportedly overlooked the issue and once again entrusted Potty with a gold-replating project in 2025 — a decision that has since come under sharp judicial scrutiny.
Court Flags Procedural Violations
The High Court identified several disturbing irregularities in the latest repair process.
Potty proposed electroplating instead of traditional gold plating, claiming it required only a minimal amount of gold.
While the commissioner overseeing sacred ornaments initially rejected this, citing the superiority of traditional methods and the lack of capability at Smart Creations to remove existing gold plates, his stance changed a month later after consultations with Potty.
The court also noted violations of the Devaswom Board’s own manual, which mandates that such works be carried out within temple premises.
Additionally, the vigilance officer was absent when the artefacts were handed over for transport to Chennai — a serious breach of protocol.
Removal Without Intimation and Court Intervention
On September 9, the Sabarimala Special Commissioner informed the High Court that the gold-plated copper coverings of the Dwarapalaka idols had been removed and sent to Chennai without prior notice.
This directly violated explicit court directions issued in 2023, which required advance intimation for any work on temple ornaments following earlier lapses.
When questioned, the TDB cited defects in the plating done in 2019 by Smart Creations, which had offered a 40-year warranty. The court, unconvinced, ordered that the repair work be halted immediately and that the artefacts be returned to the temple.
Fresh Revelations: More Gold Missing
As the probe widened, the SIT discovered that gold is missing from seven copper plates at the Prabha Mandalam, which covers idols of Siva and Vyali roopam — a symbolic architectural element on the sopanam, the steps leading to the sanctum.
The investigation revealed that the gold had allegedly been separated using a chemical mixture at Smart Creations in Chennai and is currently in the possession of Bellary-based jeweller Govardhan Roddam.
The SIT has sought custody of three key accused — Unnikrishnan Potty, Govardhan Roddam, and Pankaj Bhandari of Smart Creations — among ten individuals arrested so far.
Scientific Audit and Political Fallout
To determine the exact quantity of gold originally present on temple artefacts, the SIT has sought technical assistance from Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre.
Scientists will collect samples from gold-covered copper plates to scientifically assess losses, marking an unprecedented step in a temple-related investigation.
The case has also taken a political turn. Among those arrested are three CPI(M) leaders, including former legislator A Padmakumar.
Former Devaswom Minister Kadakampally Surendran, who held office in 2019, has also been questioned by the SIT.
A Moment for Tough Decisions
The Sabarimala case has laid bare a systemic vulnerability: sacred offerings worth crores can be moved, altered and diminished with minimal oversight.
For devotees, the issue goes beyond missing gold — it strikes at trust, faith and accountability.
Many believe this is a defining moment for the state and temple authorities. Temporary inquiries and post-facto outrage will not suffice.
What is urgently needed are iron-clad, transparent mechanisms to ensure that gold and valuables gifted to temples are inventoried, audited and protected permanently — beyond the reach of influence, privilege or power.
Until such measures are enforced, the fear remains that what devotees offer in faith may continue to quietly vanish, leaving behind not just empty coffers, but a deeper erosion of trust.
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