Why a popular Hindu temple in Kerala is mired in a string of gold thefts

A prominent Hindu temple in southern India has been embroiled in a scandal after the Kerala High Court said it had evidence that some of the idols had been stripped of their gold plating.

Gold and silver plating of idols and temple figurines, mostly paid for by devotees, are common in temples in India. And so, the theft at the Sabarimala shrine, visited by millions of pilgrims every year, stunned the devout and made headlines.

The Kerala High Court set up a Special Investigation Team (SIT), the police launched a probe into the disappearance of gold and three people, including a former assistant priest at the temple, were arrested.

A two-judge panel overseeing the investigation has been holding regular hearings in the case since September, with the next hearing scheduled for Wednesday.

The hill shrine, dedicated to the Hindu deity Lord Ayyappa, had been in the news a few years back as well. The temple bars menstruating women and was ordered by the Supreme Court to end this discrimination. But after protests, the court agreed to reconsider its landmark decision and postpone it.

The current controversy centers around two idols of Dwarapalakas – or the gate keepers that stand just outside the sanctum sanctorum where the main deity sits.

The court took up the case in September after a report by the court-appointed special commissioner of Sabarimala revealed that the idols had been stripped of their gold at many places.

In a series of court orders since then, Justices Raja Vijayaraghavan V and KV Jayakumar said they had reviewed the records provided by temple officials, before and after photographs and other documents that the SIT had collected in “this extraordinary case involving the theft of the sacred valuables of Lord Ayyappa”.

The judges said that when they ordered the temple officials to produce complete files and records related to the renovation of the idols, “we did not realize that we were actually opening a hornet’s nest”.

Temple records show that 30,291 kg of gold – donated by now-disgraced billionaire businessman Vijay Mallya – was used in 1998-99 to gild the idols and several parts of the temple, including some pillars, door arches and panels depicting the stories of Lord Ayyappa.

The court says that in July 2019, the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), which runs the temple, allowed prime suspect Unikrishnan Poti – a former assistant priest at Sabarimala – to take out the idols for a new gold plating.

Two months later, when they were returned, they had not been weighed, but the court was told that later investigations showed they were much lighter. Further investigation by the SIT revealed thefts from the pedestals and door frames as well and the court said that approximately 4.54 kg of gold had gone missing since 2019.

“Robbery and looting of gold” – that’s how the judges defined the case of the missing gold.

What was highly unusual was that Mr. Poti was allowed to take out the idols as renovation work is usually done at the temple, the court observed. It added that “while handing him the precious objects,” the temple’s trustees recorded gold-plated objects as “copper plates.”

The judges were also scathing in their criticism of the temple board for “wrongfully allowing ‘Mr Poti’ to retain approximately 474.9 grams of gold” after the renovation.

Referring to an email sent by Mr Potti to the board seeking permission to use this “surplus gold” for the “marriage of a girl who is known or related to him”, the court said it was “deeply disturbing and reveals once again the extent of the impropriety”.

Mr Poti has been arrested and remanded in custody by a judge and the BBC has been unable to speak to him

But as he left court after his arrest, he shouted to a crowd of waiting reporters that he was “trapped”.

“The truth will come out. Those who trapped me will face the law. Everything will be revealed,” he said.

In the past few days, the police have also arrested two employees of the board. Board president PS Prasanth, who is also under investigation, did not respond to calls or messages from the BBC.

He earlier told reporters that “the current board has nothing to do with the issue,” but added that he was “cooperating fully with the investigation” and “hopeful that all those responsible will be brought to justice.”

The SIT has been given six weeks to complete its investigation and the court has vowed to “identify and bring to book any person guilty in the case…irrespective of the person’s position, influence or status”.

The scandal also led to a political row in the state with opposition parties staging protests against Kerala’s communist government.

“About 5kg of gold was stolen,” VD Satheesan of the Congress party, who is the leader of the opposition in the state legislative assembly, told the BBC. “The court expressed shock and noted that the officers were equally, if not more, culpable in the matter.”

Satheesan and other opposition politicians demanded that Minister of State for Temple Affairs VN Vasavan take responsibility for failing to protect the values ​​of the god and resign.

Vasavan has denied the allegations and rejected opposition calls for his resignation. “We will co-operate fully with the investigation being overseen by the court by the high-level police team,” he told the BBC.

“Let people be aware of all the transactions since 1998 and what is happening now. We have nothing to hide.