Insta
Travancore Royal Family Will Administer Shri Padmanabhaswamy Temple, Rules Supreme Court
Swarajya Staff
Jul 13, 2020, 01:21 PM | Updated 01:21 PM IST
Save & read from anywhere!
Bookmark stories for easy access on any device or the Swarajya app.
The Supreme Court today (13 July) has upheld the rights of the Travancore royal family to administer the famous Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temple in Kerala’s capital city Thiruvananthapuram.
Handing over its judgement, pending with it for over nine years, the apex court turned down the judgement of the Kerala High Court which asked the State government to set up a trust to manage the temple.
In January 2011, the Kerala High Court ruled that the royal family ceased to administer the temple after the last ruler died in 1991. The High Court order was stayed by the Supreme Court in May 2011.
Justices U U Lalit and Indu Malhotra, reading out the verdict running to 300 pages, said the current administration committee, headed by the district judge, will continue until the new one is set up.
The new committee will also decide on whether the inventory of the temple’s second vault or vault B, which is reported to hold valuable treasures, needs to be taken.
The temple has six vaults, five of which were opened in July 2011. The audit, ordered by the Supreme Court, resulted in finding that the value of the treasures in the famed temple could be worth over Rs 1 lakh crore.
The temple, an architect’s delight constructed in a sprawling campus, was rebuilt in the 18th Century by the Travancore Royal house. The Travancore royal family had ruled southern Kerala and some parts of Tamil Nadu before it integrated with the Indian union in 1947.
Save & read from anywhere!
Bookmark stories for easy access on any device or the Swarajya app.
Support Swarajya's 50 Ground Reports Project & Sponsor A Story
Every general election Swarajya does a 50 ground reports project.
Aimed only at serious readers and those who appreciate the nuances of political undercurrents, the project provides a sense of India's electoral landscape. As you know, these reports are produced after considerable investment of travel, time and effort on the ground.
This time too we've kicked off the project in style and have covered over 30 constituencies already. If you're someone who appreciates such work and have enjoyed our coverage please consider sponsoring a ground report for just Rs 2999 to Rs 19,999 - it goes a long way in helping us produce more quality reportage.
You can also back this project by becoming a subscriber for as little as Rs 999 - so do click on this links and choose a plan that suits you and back us.
Click below to contribute.