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Sree Padmanabha Temple, Thiruvananthapuram.
The Sree Padmanabha Swamy temple in Thiruvananthapuram has in recent years attracted international attention for the fabulous treasures stored in it’s vaults.
The temple contains in it’s vaults, the richest treasures in the country, with fabulous jewels and gold worth hundreds of thousands of crores, accumulated over eight centuries.
However the legacy of the temple which played an integral part in the administration of the erstwhile kingdom of Travancore after independence, is not much known to the common people.
Even 75 years after independence, a large number of the people of Kerala still believe that the temple and it’s riches are the private property of the erstwhile royalty of Thiruvithamkoor. The Supreme Court has ruled that the former royal family will continue to have a role in the administration of the temple.
I invite interested readers to the book “Integration of the Indian States”, by V P Menon, to understand the history of the ownership of the temple after independence.
V P Menon, as Secretary of States of India, was the right hand of the home minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. Menon acheived the near impossible task of integrating the native kingdoms including Travancore, into the Indian Union.
The status of the last king, Sree Chithira Tirunal and the Sree Padmanabha Temple, was discussed and decided in detail during the talks for the integration.
The ownership of the temple passed on to the State after Travancore joined the Indian Union. Certain rights and privileges granted to the Maharaja of Travancore granted at the time of signing the covenant for joining the Indian Union, ended with the passing away of the last Maharaja,Sree Chithira Tirunal.
The temple. and all its properties and treasures now belong to the State and thereby to the people of Kerala.
Excerpts from the book:
…… (p 252) I reached Trivandrum on 21 May(1949) and had several meetings with the Maharaja………
The devotion of the Maharaja to Sri Padmanabha borders on fanaticism…………
As regards the Maharaja’s request that he should be styled Perumal and not Rajapramukh, I told him this could not be………………..
The most important temple in this State is the Sri Padmanabha temple, richly endowed and possessing very extensive landed properties. These were originally managed by a Yogam of eight hereditary trustees and the ruler, but at the beginning of the 18th century the Yogam was ousted and the administration of the temple together with its properties were taken over entirely by the ruler.
…………. After prolonged discussions, it was agreed that the administration of the Sri Padmanabha temple should be conducted under the control and supervision of the Maharaja through an executive officer to be appointed by him. It was decided that there should be a committee of three Hindu members nominated by the Maharaja to advise him; and that one of the three should be nominated on the advise of the Hindu members of the Council of Ministers…………….
These decisions were subsequently incorporated in the covenant (p 257).
……… On 27 May I took the finalised covenant to the Maharaja of Travancore who signed it in the presence of the Premier.(p 260).
– (Integration of the Indian States
by V P Menon.)
– Joy Kallivayalil.
