Padmanabhaswamy Temple : Richest Temple in world

Padmanabhaswamy TempleSree Padmanabhaswamy Temple is one of the most famous Lord Vishnu Temples in Kerala, South India. Also Padmanabhaswamy Temple is the Richest Temple in world, known as Sree Ananda Padmanabhaswamy Temple, this Mahavishnu Temple is located inside East Fort, in Thiruvananthapuram - the capital city of Kerala, India. Lord Vishnu is enshrined here in the Anananthasayanam posture (in eternal sleep of yognidra), lying on Sri Anantha, the hooded snake. According to traditions, Sree Padmanabhaswamy Kshetram is believed to have been worshipped by Chandra (Moon God) and Lord Indra (the head of the Devas).Significance of Sree Padmanabhaswamy TempleSree Anantha Padmanabhaswamy Temple is one of the 108 Divya Desams of Lord Vishnu. Divya Desams are the holiest abodes of the Lord Mahavishnu that are mentioned in the works of the Tamil Azhvars (saints).

Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple (Malayalam: ശ്രീ പദ്മനാഭസ്വാമി ക്ഷേത്രം, śṟī padmaṉābhasvāmi kṣētṟaṁ ?) is a Hindu temple dedicated to Vishnu located in Thiruvananthapuram, India. The shrine is currently run by a trust headed by the royal family of Travancore. The temple is one of 108 Divya Desams (Holy Abodes of Vishnu) – principal centres of worship of the deity in Vaishnavism. The temple, constructed in the Dravidian style of architecture, is glorified in the Divya Prabandha, the early medieval Tamil literature canon of the Tamil Alvar saints (6th-9th centuries CE), with structural additions to it made throughout the 16th century CE, when its ornate Gopuram was constructed.The most recent renovations to the temple occurred in the 18th century CE. The temple features heavily in Akilam five series of the Akilathirattu Ammanai corpus, the holy text of the Ayyavazhi belief system. Services were provided to the local community with the temple's revenue. The temple gave its name to Kerala’s state capital Thiruvananthapuram. ‘Thiru’ ‘Anantha’ ‘Puram’ means Sacred Abode of Lord Anantha Padmanabha The principal deity, Padmanabhaswamy, is enshrined in the "Anantha-sayanam" posture (in the eternal sleep of Yoga-nidra on the serpent Ananta). The Travancore Kings regarded themselves as ‘Padmanabha-dasa’ (Servant of Lord Padmanabha).

Temple assets

Padmanabhaswamy Temple is the Richest Temple in world.

The temple and its assets belong to Lord Padmanabhaswamy, and are controlled by a trust run by the Royal family.The royals consider themselves Padmanabhadasas i.e. servants of Padmanabhaswamy.

There had been an earlier inventory of at least one vault on Sunday, December 6, 1931. A vault was opened in the presence of Sree Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma, then the Maharaja of the state of Travancore. Among the contents found were gold and silver coins stored in a "granary like thing," four brass chests of coins, over 300 gold pots, and a six-chambered wooden chest containing jewels decorated with diamonds, rubies, emeralds and other precious stones. Four coffers were removed and taken to the palace treasury for counting and valuation.

The Kerala High Court ordered the temple and its assets be managed by the State on January 31, 2011. As trustees of the temple, the royals have challenged the Kerala Govt.'s decision. The lower court's ruling was set aside by the Supreme Court of India. The Supreme Court directed utmost security in and around the temple and asked the Central Valuation Institute of Lucknow for an inventory valuation.

currently Padmanabhaswamy Temple : Richest Temple in world.

In June 2011, the Supreme Court directed the authorities from the fire services and archeology department to open the secret (sanctum sanctorum) chambers of the temple for inspection of the items kept inside. A detailed inventory of the temple assets, consisting of gold, jewels, and other valuables was made. Several 18th century Napoleonic era coins were found,as well as a three-and-a-half feet tall gold idol of Mahavishnu studded with rubies and emeralds, and ceremonial attire for adorning the deity in the form of 16-part gold anki weighing almost 30 kilograms (66 lb) together with gold coconut shells, one studded with rubies and emeralds.

This revelation has solidified the status of the Padmanabhaswamy temple as one of the wealthiest temples in India and with the final estimate of the wealth, it might overtake the Tirumala Venkateswara Temple—hitherto thought to be the wealthiest temple—having some 320 billion (US$7.14 billion) in gold, coins and other assets.It is estimated that the value of the monumental items is close to 1.2 trillion (US$26.76 billion), making it the richest temple in the world.If the antique value is taken into account, these assets could be worth ten times the current market price.

Currently Padmanabhaswamy Temple is richest shrine in world.

The valuables are thought to have been in the temple for hundreds of years, having been put there by traders, pilgrims and royals such as the maharajahs of Travancore, and by offerings of Travancore kings, other royals and ordinary devotees to the deity.While some Historians have suggested that a major chunk of the stored riches reached the kings in the form of tax, gifts, as well as conquered wealth of states and offerings stocked in the temple for safekeeping. A ferry transported traders, pilgrims and chroniclers across the Gulf of Mannar from the Tenavaram temple, the famously wealthy Vishnu-Shiva temple town emporium to the Chera kingdom via Puttalam of the Jaffna kingdom during the medieval period.This temple was destroyed in 1587 CE, a few years after the Thiruvananthapuram Padmanabhaswamy temple gopuram was constructed. Morrocan traveller Ibn Batuta visited Tenavaram in the 14th century and described the Vishnu idol here as being made of gold and the size of a man with two large rubies as eyes "that lit up like lanterns during the night."All people living within the vicinity of the temple and who visited it were fed with monetary endowments that were made to the idol.

The temple has 6 vaults (Kallaras), labeled as A to F for book keeping purpose by the Court. While vaults A and B have been unopened over the past 130 years, vaults C to F have been opened from time to time. The two priests of the temple, the 'Periya Nambi' and the 'Thekkedom Nambi', are the custodians of the four vaults, C to F, which are opened periodically. The Supreme Court had directed that "the existing practices, procedures and rituals" of the temple be followed while opening vaults C to F and using the articles inside. Vaults A and B shall be opened only for the purpose of making an inventory of the articles and then closed.

On July 4, 2011 the seven-member expert team which is taking stock of the assets at temple decided to postpone opening of the secret chamber marked 'B' till they obtained more expert opinion as preliminary examination of its gates had found the vault to be secured with iron shutters making experts wonder what lay inside. The royal family said that many legends were attached to the temple and that chamber B has a model of a snake on the main door and opening it could be a bad omen.Seven-member team will consult with some more experts on July 8, 2011 and a then they may take the final decision on opening of chamber ‘B’.

In late June 2011, a review of the temple's underground vaults was undertaken by a seven-member panel appointed by the Supreme Court of India to generate an inventory, leading to the enumeration of a vast collection of articles that are traditionally kept under lock and key. Unofficial estimates on the sixth day of the inventory placed the value of contents at close to 100,000 crore (US$22.3 billion), making it one of the wealthiest in the world,richer than the Tirumala Venkateswara Temple in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh – by official records considered to be the richest shrine in India.The precious articles come from the donations that were made by the Royal family and traders, who used to come from other parts of the country and abroad, as offerings to the deity, and were sealed within the thick stone walls and vaults of the temple for over a millennium.

The final vault of the temple has not been opened, due to the belief that a curse befalls those who attempt to open it. Less than a month after the first of the secret vaults was opened, the chief petitioner for opening the vaults, T.P. Sundarrajan died after suffering from a sudden unexplained illness.This has been dubbed as "The Curse of the Cobra" by the media.