The Kerala High Court, in a 2011 decision, ordered the state government to take control of all the properties and management of the Padmanabhaswamy temple.
Kochi| After hearing in the Supreme Court regarding the administration of the historic Sri Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Kerala and the rights over its properties, the top court has said that the right to manage the temple will remain with the former royal family of Travancore. The court will also pass judgment on the property of the temple. The temple has assets of around two lakh crore rupees.
The court will also decide whether this temple is public property and whether it requires the establishment of a Devasthanam board like the Tirupati Tirumala, Guruvayur and Sabarimala temples. The court can also decide on whether to open the seventh basement of the temple or not?
The case was heard in the Supreme Court for more than 8 years:
The Kerala High Court, in a 2011 decision, ordered the state government to take control of all the properties and management of the Padmanabhaswamy temple. This order was challenged in the Supreme Court by the former Travancore royal family. The Supreme Court held a hearing for over 8 years. A bench of Justices UU Lalit and Indu Malhotra reserved the judgment in the case in April last year.
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The seventh basement of the temple was not opened on the court’s instructions. It is believed that the cellar door can only be opened with the utterance of some mantras. It has the shape of two snakes. These snakes protect the door. It is said that this door is closed with ‘Naga Bandham’ or ‘Naga Pasham’ mantras. It can only be opened by chanting the ‘Garuda Mantra’ clearly and accurately. If there is a mistake, then death is considered fixed. The mystery of the seventh cellar chamber is currently unsolved.
The descendants of Utratam Tirunal are running the temple by building trust
The Padmanabhaswamy temple was built by the kings of Travancore in the 6th century. In 1750, Marthanda Varma submitted his life and property to him, describing himself as a servant of God i.e. ‘Padmanabha Das’. By 1947, the kings of Travancore ruled Kerala. After the death of Utratam Tirunal Marthand Verma in 2013, his family and his private trust are looking after the temple.
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