Kerala royals renounce temple treasure, parties to decide

Even as the head of the former Kerala royal family renounced any personal claim to billions in ancient treasure, representatives of 90 Hindu organisations have decided to meet on July 12 to decide their stand on the discovery.

"The royal family is not claiming anything. No part belongs to the family," said K.K. Venugopal, a lawyer representing the descendants of the erstwhile rulers of the Travancore princely state.

The find, worth an estimated Rs.1 lakh crore, was found in the underground vaults of Thiruvananthapuram's Sri Padmanabhaswamy temple.

BJP councillor Ashok Kumar, who was at the temple premises along with his supporters, also welcomed the apex court order on not opening the sixth and final vault.

"It is a welcome relief that the apex court of the country has come out with a directive not to open vault B until further orders. But we are certainly meeting on July 12 to decide what our stand should be with regard to this issue," said Ashok Kumar.

As soon as the directive came from the apex court on Friday not to do anything till they decide, supporters of Shiv Sena took out a march near the temple and shouted slogans favouring the apex court's ruling.

An apex court bench of Justice R.V. Raveendran and Justice A.K. Patnaik said that the sixth vault (Kallara B) will not be opened till the treasure recovered from Kallara A is videographed, photographed and its inventory prepared.

Meanwhile, the lawyer for the Kerala royals said the head of the Travancore family, Marthanda Varma, believed the stunning treasure 'should be used judiciously for religious and social purposes' such as building hospitals and schools.

"The artifacts may be kept in a museum independent of the temple," he added.

The discoveries have catapulted the shrine, renowned for its intricate sculptures, into the league of India's richest temples. There are six vaults in the temple, five of which have been opened.

On Friday, the Supreme Court directed that the opening of the final vault be deferred and asked for suggestions from the state government and Varma's family on how the treasure should be secured and preserved.

Kerala's finance Minister K.M. Mani, presenting the budget, also made an allocation of Rs.1 crore for the security of the temple.

Since India achieved independence from Britain in 1947, a trust managed by descendants of the Travancore royal family has controlled the temple.