A revered Hindu temple in southern India’s Kerala state, the Sabarimala shrine, has become the center of a serious scandal involving the suspected theft of gold from sacred idols. The Kerala High Court recently revealed evidence indicating that several idols housed within the temple have had their gold coverings stripped off. This shocking discovery has sent ripples through the religious community and caught the attention of the media nationwide.
Gold and silver plating of temple idols and figurines is a customary practice across India, with many devotees donating precious metals to adorn the deities as a sign of reverence and faith. The Sabarimala temple, dedicated to Lord Ayyappa, is one of the most visited pilgrimage sites in the country, drawing millions each year. The news that gold was potentially stolen from the shrine’s idols has stunned devotees and raised questions about the management and security of these sacred items.
In response to the allegations, the Kerala High Court established a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to conduct a thorough inquiry. The police have already begun their probe, and three individuals have been arrested so far, including a former assistant priest associated with the temple. The case has attracted intense judicial scrutiny, with a two-judge bench monitoring the investigation closely through regular hearings since September. The court’s next session on this matter is scheduled for Wednesday.
Sabarimala is no stranger to controversy. A few years ago, it was at the center of a landmark Supreme Court ruling that had ordered the temple to permit women of menstruating age to enter the shrine — a practice that had been traditionally barred. However, following widespread protests, the Supreme Court agreed to review and temporarily suspend its ruling, underscoring the temple’s sensitive cultural and religious significance. While that issue remains unresolved, the current scandal involving the theft of gold has added a new layer of turmoil.
The controversy specifically concerns two idols known as the Dwarapalakas, or door guards, which stand just outside the temple’s sanctum sanctorum, where the main deity resides. The court took up the case after a preliminary report by the court-appointed Sabarimala Special Commissioner revealed that these door guard idols had large sections where their gold cladding had been removed.
The judges, Justices Raja Vijayaraghavan V and KV Jayakumar, have reviewed extensive documentation submitted by temple officials, including before-and-after photographs and other evidentiary materials collected by the SIT. In a series of court orders, they described the case as an “extraordinary” one involving the pilferage of Lord Ayyappa’s sacred valuables. The judges acknowledged that when they initially ordered the temple to produce records related to the idols’ repair, they had inadvertently “opened a hornet’s nest” — uncovering a far more serious issue than anticipated.
According to temple records, approximately 30.291 kilograms of gold were donated by the now-disgraced billionaire Vijay Mallya in 1998-99. This gold was used to gold-plate the idols, as well as various parts of the temple, including pillars, door arches, and decorative panels depicting stories of Lord Ayyappa. The gold cladding was thus a significant and valuable aspect of the temple’s sacred artifacts.
The court’s investigation revealed that in July 2019, the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), which manages the temple, permitted Unnikrishnan Potty, the former assistant priest and main suspect, to take the idols out of the temple for re-gilding with fresh gold. However, when the idols were returned two months later, they were not weighed upon their return — a critical oversight. Subsequent investigations found that the idols had lost significant weight, indicating that gold had been removed. Further inquiry by the SIT uncovered that gold was also missing from the pedestals and door frames, amounting to approximately 4.54 kilograms stolen since 2019.
The judges described the incident as a “heist and plundering of gold,” emphasizing the gravity of the theft. One particularly unusual aspect was that Mr. Potty was allowed to remove the idols for repairs, despite the fact that such work is generally carried out within the temple premises itself. The court also noted that, while handing over the valuable items to Mr. Potty, the temple board recorded the gold-clad items merely as “copper plates,” a bizarre mischaracterization that raised suspicions about internal complicity.
The court further criticized the temple