A large security operation was under way last night around one of southern India’s holiest Hindu temples after the discovery of a treasure trove of gold, silver, diamonds and coins that has been valued at more than 500 billion rupees (£6.9 billion).
The precious offerings to the Hindu god Vishnu were discovered beneath the 16th-century Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple in Trivandrum, capital of Kerala, following a Supreme Court order to open a series of ancient underground lockers.
The state’s chief secretary, K. Jayakumar, said that a preliminary assessment of the value of the items had triggered a rush to secure the site with armed guards and alarms.
The treasure has been found in six underground granite vaults, two of which have not been opened for almost 150 years. One gold necklace found on Thursday is 20ft (6m) long, according to reports. The haul also includes a 4ft solid gold statue studded with emeralds, and pots full of gold coins.
Many of the items are thought to have been placed there by the Maharajahs of Travancore, who ruled the princely state of southern Kerala from 1750 until India won independence from Britain in 1947. “We are yet to open one more secret chamber,” Mr Jayakumar added.
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The Supreme Court made the order because of concerns for security at the temple. It said that the site should be taken over by the state and the vaults opened. The temple had been under the management of a trust controlled by the 89-year-old descendant of the last Maharajah of Travancore, who said that he was a servant of Vishnu.
Oommen Chandy, the chief minister of Kerala, said that extra police and commando units were being sent to the site and that security cameras and alarms were now being installed.
“Now it is known all over the world that the Padmanabhaswamy temple has jewels worth billions of rupees we have decided to assign it maximum security,” he said.