Incredible Padmanabhaswamy Temple And Its Ancient Treasures Hidden In Vaults Guarded By Serpents

Ellen Lloyd - AncientPages.com - This ancient mysterious temple containing six vaults has long been shrouded in mystery.

According to an ancient legend, there is an ancient curse on those who defile the sacred site.

Sri Padmanabhaswamy Temple. source

In the 1930s, treasure hunters tried to open the temple, and as soon as they did, deadly serpents emerged from one of the vaults. Was the place really cursed? It was said that any attempts to open the mysterious vault B with man-made technology will result in catastrophes that will occur in and around the temple. Vault B must not be open other than by chanting.

The origin of the Padmanabhaswamy temple located in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India is lost in antiquity. It is impossible to determine exactly, from any reliable historical documents or other sources as to when and by whom the original idol of Sree Padmanabhaswamy was.

Some well-known scholars, writers, and historians, like the Late Dr. L.A.Ravi Varma of Travancore, have stated that this enigmatic temple was established on the first day of Kali Yuga, which is over 5000 years ago.

The legends of the temple are handed down through the centuries. It is not allowed to enter the temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu unless you profess the Hindu faith and the believers strictly follow the dress code. It is the richest Hindu temple in the world.

In fact, in terms of precious metals and precious stones, it is by far the wealthiest institution and place of worship of any kind in the recorded history of the world.

According to some sources, the Padmanabhaswamy temple was built in the 16th Century by the kings of Travancore who stored immense amounts of treasures within the thick stone walls and vaults of the temple.

For a very long time, no one dared to open the temple. Many were afraid of the ancient curse.

In 2001, archaeologists opened the underground chambers and discovered six chambers, labeling the vaults A through F, with the help of temple priests.

What they found inside was startling. Among the treasures were gold coins dating back thousands of years, gold necklaces as long as nine feet and weighing about 2.5 kg, about one tonne of the yellow metal in the shape of rice trinkets, sticks made of the yellow metal, a sack full of diamonds, gold ropes, thousands of pieces of antique jewelry studded with diamonds and emeralds, crowns and other precious stones lay scattered in the chamber marked 'A'.

All these things were strewn and scattered everywhere," recalls Justice CS Rajan, the 75-year-old retired Kerala High Court judge who was part of the team that entered the vault, called a kallara. "They were not really arranged systematically. There were baskets, some earthen pots, some copper pots, and in all these things, these things were kept. It was a magnificent experience. There are no words to describe it."

Painting by Raja Ravi Varma depicting Richard Temple-Grenville, 3rd Duke of Buckingham and Chandos being greeted by Visakham Thirunal, with Ayilyam Thirunal of Travancore looking on, during Buckingham's visit to Thiruvananthapuram, Travancore in early 1880.

Later, they unearthed even more surprising artifacts. Among them were 7 kg of gold coins dating back to the East India Company period, 18 coins from Napolean's era, precious stones wrapped in silk bundles besides over 1,000 kg of gold in the form of coins and trinkets, and a small elephant made of the yellow metal.

There were also sovereigns bearing the 1772 seal indicating they were from the reign of the then native king Karthika Thirunal Rama Varma.

Fragment of the tower of Shri Padmanabhaswamy temple. Credit: Adobe Stock - irinabal18

Yet many believe the historic shrine inside the temple conceals greater riches still. On the day the first vault was opened, the court team also tried to open a second, known as Kallara B. However, the door, with its heavily rusted, old-fashioned lock with three levers requiring three separate keys, was jammed shut.

"It is a peculiar kind of old-time lock, and it is very much rusted," recalls Rajan.

"The blacksmith could not open it, and we did not want to break open the door, being a part of the temple and all."

According to an ancient legend, the mysterious vault B was guarded by serpents. That is something Vinod Rai, former Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) dismissed, stating that the vault has been open at least seven times to his knowledge since 1990.

However, what's inside has not been revealed so far. There are those who think vault B contains even more incredible ancient treasures.

One can easily say that the mysterious Padmanabhaswamy Temple is India's own El Dorado.

Written by Ellen Lloyd – AncientPages.com

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