The secret behind the sealed door of Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple
Is there anyone here who is intrigued by mysteries buried deep by our ancestors?
If you are anything like us, you also feel that these well preserved mysteries are waiting
to see the light of day.
The Hows and whats that these incomplete riddles leave unanswered pull us into a never ending
abyss but curiosity is known to work its magic on man for centuries!
Let’s hold this thought and venture into the culture-filled land of India because what
else keeps secrets better hidden than centuries old traditions and customs?
Now that we have convinced you to peep into the Asian country of India, let’s limit
the focus to down south.
So what is the biggest mystery that continues to rage in Kerala?
No points for guessing, it is obviously the Vault B in Thiruvananthapuram’s Sree Padmanabhaswamy
Temple!
That’s exactly what we’ll be unveiling in this video.
But before we take the plunge into the dark vaults and darker secrets hidden in them,
let’s take a tour into the history of the temple.
Located in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, the Padmanabhaswamy temple is dedicated to Lord
Vishnu.
The deity is enshrined in the "Anantha Shayanam" posture, the eternal yogic sleep on the serpent
Adisheshan.
Now if you want to bow down to the principle deity and pray, know that only those who profess
the Hindu faith are permitted entry to the temple and devotees have to strictly follow
the dress code.
Anyway, did you know that the name of the city Thiruvananthapuram in Malayalam translates
to "The City of Lord Ananta", referring to the deity of Padmanabhaswamy Temple?
Apart from the serenity of the temple and the strong spiritual wave that will hit you
when you set foot in the temple, there is a lot that will cast a spell on you!
The temple is a visual treat with the intricate fusion of the indigenous Kerala style and
the Tamil style architecture.
The 16 century Gopuram with its ornate design is nothing short of an architectural marvel!
But what will catch your eye on the first look is the golden exterior which we may take
the opportunity to explain, is actually pure gold!
Come on, the Padmanabhaswamy temple isn’t the world’s richest temple for nothing!
Seems like we managed to capture your attention, ah don’t worry we weren’t bluffing about
the prosperity of the temple.
But to erase your suspicions, how about we go into the details of it?
The opulence of the temple is not limited to its gold plated glory, there is more to
it than the eye can see!
Let’s just say that underneath the temple, there is the largest treasure that man has
ever come across!
Don’t believe us?
Uhhmm, let’s take you back to the fateful day of June 27, 2011 when the most impressive
treasure was unearthed!
The story of the Padmanabhaswamy Temple and its treasures remind us of an Indiana Jones
movie!
Even before the vaults were opened, it was expected to reveal silver, gold and other
precious items in great quantity because of the offerings made by devotees to the temple
in the last 500 years.
But what came out of the secret cellars was beyond belief!
A team of experts appointed by India's Supreme Court opened five vaults dedicated to the
deity Lord Vishnu in 2011, following a private petition seeking transparency in the running
of the temple.
Well, after the treasure was discovered, it made sense why the vaults were not opened
until that point and also why was there a need for a petition to open the vaults even
though the temple authorities were aware of the 6 vaults.
Treasures worth $22 billion were found!
You heard that right, 22 BILLION DOLLARS, woah!
Well, the shrine dates back to the 10th century, but the present massive granite structure
was built only in the 18th century after King Marthanda Varma expanded and consolidated
the Travancore kingdom.
It was historically a royal temple but offerings in gold were made not just from Travancore
kings and other Kerala royalty but also millions of ordinary devotees.
Wow!
Now you know why the vaults were full of gold coins dating back thousands of years!
Not just coins, but gold necklaces as long as nine feet and weighing about 2.5 kg, gold
ropes, sacks full of diamonds and thousands of pieces of antique jewelry studded with
diamonds and emeralds, crowns and other precious stones lay scattered in the chambers.
The things were not systematically arranged, earthen pots full of gold, baskets, copper
pots were scattered everywhere!
They also discovered ceremonial costumes, and solid gold coconut shells studded with
jewels.
The most impressive of the gems were large diamonds, some of which were even a hundred
and ten carats.
But wait, the best is yet to be told!
An idol of Lord Vishnu was found in one of the vaults of the temple which was made entirely
of gold.
Any idea how precious it was?
Some archaeologists and gemologists estimated that the idol could very well cost about 30
million dollars.
Let that sink in!
Today if you visit the temple, you will find immense security guarding the treasure, from
metal detectors to security cameras and more than 200 guards in position.
But maybe the guards are protecting something else, what could that be?
Let’s re-travel the route into the underground vaults, if you remember we told you about
the existence of 6 vaults.
For documentation purposes, they were named A, B, C, D, E and F. But the treasure we told
you about was from 5 vaults because vault B stayed shut!
You weren’t expecting this twist in the tale, were you?
We forgot to tell you that the 7 member committee designated for the search could open five
of these vaults, with exceptional difficulty.
Vault A was very tough to open, it took a whole day to barge into it while the vaults
C through F have been opened about 8 times through the years.
But what about vault B?
You would be surprised to know that the Chamber B is not a part of the documented Temple Treasury!
That means nobody knows what lies beyond it.
When the committee reached vault B, the heavily rusted door with 3 different levers requiring
3 separate keys was jammed shut.
Nobody entered the vault and hence it still stays a mystery.
But many people believe that the 6th vault inside the temple conceals greater riches.
They have reason to believe so!
According to an ancient legend, anyone who tried to open vault B was attacked by deadly
serpents because of an ancient curse on those who defile the sacred site.
Is the site really cursed or is it a story fabricated to keep the dark secrets hidden?
In this case, maybe this story is just trying to keep the treasure safe.
According to Auditor General Vinod Rai, vault B had been opened once in 1990 and twice in
2002 and no unspeakable horrors were faced which is in stark contrast to the legend.
But the royal family of Travancore claims that on those few occasions only the ante-room
of the vault was opened, while the main chamber of the vault went untouched.
But who knows the complete truth?
Vinod Rai presses on the need to open the vault B and catalogue its contents to prevent
theft.
But since the door could not be opened with the latest technology available, we don’t
think the world will come to know about the secret of this vault anytime soon!
But it is interesting to note that fables about the serpent curse on the vault has done
its job of keeping the vault locked for so long.
Who knows if the vault has trillions hidden in the form of gold and diamonds or if there
is something else hidden in the vault that the snakes are protecting?
What do you think is behind vault B of the Padmanabhaswamy Temple?
Tell us in the comment section below.
Subscribe to our channel if you liked this video.
And while you're here, check out our other videos and tell us what you think of them.
You can also find us on twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Thanks for watching.