Hidden Treasure Discovered in Indian Hindu Temple Estimated to be Worth $22billion
- Posted on July 3, 2011 at 4:57pm by
Christopher Santarelli
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A $11.2 billion treasure has just been discovered in a southern India temple according to AFP. The Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple is nearly 500-years-old, and the thousands of necklaces, coins and precious stones have just been discovered in “at least five underground valuts.” The Indian government has indicated that one more secret chamber is yet to be opened, and speculate that whatever treasure could be inside has been sealed for 140 years. AFP:
“The temple, dedicated to Hindu lord Vishnu, was built hundreds of years ago by the king of Travancore and donations by devotees have been kept in the temple’s vaults since.
A necklace found on Thursday was 18 feet (six metres) long. Thousands of gold coins have also been found.
Since India achieved independence from Britain in 1947, a trust managed by descendants of the Travancore royal family has controlled the temple.
But India’s Supreme Court recently ordered that the temple be managed by the state to ensure the security of valuables at the shrine.
Until now, the Thirupathy temple in southern Andhra Pradesh state was believed to be India’s richest temple with offerings from devotees worth 320 billion rupees.
The revelation about the huge riches in the Padmanabhaswamy temple has forced police to sharply step install security cameras and alarms.”
How does the saying go? Leave no door unopened, no stone unturned.
UPDATE
The four vaults recently opened at the temple in Trivandrum, the capital of the southern state of Kerala, held a vast bounty that unofficial estimates peg at $22 billion. This figure is expected to grow Monday as the last two secret vaults sealed for nearly 150 years are opened.
The treasures unearthed so far include statues of gods and goddesses made of solid gold and studded with diamonds, rubies, emeralds and other precious stones, crowns and necklaces, all given as gifts to the temple over the centuries.
The operation began last week and the final vaults were to be unlocked Monday afternoon.
Every year, devout Hindus donate millions of rupees worth of cash, gold and silver to temples. Some temples in India are so wealthy, they have formed trusts which run schools, colleges and hospitals that offer free treatment to the poor.
The discovery has sparked a debate over the future of the treasure trove.
Vellapally Nateshan, a Hindu leader, said the wealth should remain with the temple authorities.
Some social activists in Kerala have demanded the treasure be handed to a national trust to help the poor. Kerala’s top elected official, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, however, assured the people that the wealth would remain with the temple.
“It is the property of the temple. The government will protect the wealth at the temple.”
Chandy said the government would bear the cost of stepping up security at the temple and ensure that worshippers were not inconvenienced.
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Comments (80)
Captain Crunch
Posted on July 3, 2011 at 7:14pmNow we can better understand the other reason the Taliban blew up those religious statutes carved in the side of that cliff several years back. They weren’t only trying to rid their land of idols, they were looking for hidden stash. But according to the natives in Detroit, Obama already took the stash.
Report Post »ares338
Posted on July 3, 2011 at 7:10pmMaybe they will give tech support jobs back to actual English speaking individuals.
Report Post »KickinBack
Posted on July 3, 2011 at 7:04pmAny stones, with the three white stripes??
Report Post »Cover your heart INDY!
YOU CALL HIM DOCTA JONES!
dizzyinthedark
Posted on July 3, 2011 at 6:55pmNo doubt they will keep their treasure just where they found it calling ‘sacred’ never to be touched. Fine by me–keep buying American and bring the jobs homes.
Report Post »Bernard
Posted on July 4, 2011 at 2:21pmdizzyinthedark:
You mean just like the wealth of the Vatican who also hold their wealth as “sacred”?
Report Post »RepubliCorp
Posted on July 3, 2011 at 6:39pmJust great, Now I have to hear Obama rant about rich temples
Report Post »Bernard
Posted on July 4, 2011 at 2:04pmlol
Report Post »Bernard
Posted on July 3, 2011 at 6:17pmFact: I have read too many comments that “now India can pay back borrowed money”. The fact of the matter is that India, before she opened her economy was the largest recipient of foreign aid. But the Indian government paid back these debts in a timely manner and never defaulted on her loans.
Report Post »These comments are ridiculous. It would be like holding the Vatican to pay for Italy’s debt from the Marshall Plan.
As for the British empire the British seldom if ever pilfered India’s sacred sites. Actually the opposite was the truth. The British were the ones who restored many abandoned temples (Kajuraho, Ellora, Ajanta) and other ancient sites and were responsible in rediscovering that Buddhism originated from India and not China and restored most of the Buddhist sacred cities such as Sanchi, Sarnath, Bodhgaya, etc.
Finally even though the Tirupathi temple at present is only 500 years ago the Sanctum Sanatorium of these temples are thousands of years old. It usually took several dynasties to create such massive temples of which the Meenakshi Temple’s architecture is one of the most graceful and largest of them all.
There are many such city temples in southern India. Other southern temples like the Brihadisvara Temple of Tanjore, the Chitambaram temple are but a handful of many such South Indian temples with its own secrets be they treasures or martial arts.
amr789
Posted on July 3, 2011 at 8:38pmThank you for your comment. I was unaware of the history but I was annoyed by all the “now India can pay us back” comments. It‘s sad that people have become so angry and cynical that they can’t even say anything positive about a story like this. While it is true that we have had some issues with India, I think that it is wonderful that such an amazing discovery was made.
Report Post »kam123
Posted on July 3, 2011 at 6:17pmRedistribute! Redistribute!
Report Post »chershaw8
Posted on July 3, 2011 at 6:02pmDamn, just in time for the government to confiscate it. Government
Report Post »‘protection’ my a……!
babylonvi
Posted on July 3, 2011 at 5:44pmNot only will they not need any US assistance,, we can pull our funds out of Asia and let the rich Indians provide foreign aid and humanitarian assistance.
Report Post »OnToppaThat
Posted on July 3, 2011 at 5:40pmI discovered 2 pennies on the ground in a convenience store parking lot yesterday. Both were ‘tails up”, so I left them. Some people have all the luck.
Report Post »JGraham III
Posted on July 3, 2011 at 5:39pmGeorge Sauros will become a high priest and the news of it will be broken on the Huffington Post’s new make yer own religion section…the potus will be one of the first converts.
Report Post »Flotilla Hunter
Posted on July 3, 2011 at 5:34pmThe dodd-Frank act will make purchasing silver and gold over the counter illegal July 15 2011.So hurry.
Report Post »Bernard
Posted on July 3, 2011 at 5:31pmIt is no wonder that the Tirupathi Temple would have such a treasure since that temple ranks second in the world in contributions from devotees. roughly around 100 thousand devotees per day visit that temple, offering gold, money etc. The only other religious building that gets more than this temple is the Vatican.
Report Post »Such treasures were common place before the arrival of the Muslims. Once the Muslims discovered that many northern temples similar to the Tirupathi temple in Southern India hoarded vast treasures.
Remember that the world famous Hope Diamond was stolen by a Frenchman from one of these temples dedicated to Goddess Durga.
I have no doubt that such temples, especially in Southern India that did not feel the brunt of Muslim incursions, may have similar hidden treasures.
These southern Temples are vast in size.With their one thousand pillared halls they are so big that they are termed “city temples” because it takes a population of about 10 to 30 thousand people for maintenance etc.
Where has the North has “temple cities’ where predominant building is the temple. Cities like Bubaneshwar had five thousand temples now reduced to five hundred temples. I would not be surprised if more such discoveries are made in these “city temples’ of southern India.
101
Posted on July 3, 2011 at 5:29pmBuy Gold it’s the only real money…the Feds take perfectly good paper and ink and make it worthless!
Report Post »TRUK62
Posted on July 3, 2011 at 5:25pmGood, now they can pay what they owe us! Well, at least the treasure will cover a small portion of what they owe us. But hey! It’s a start!
Never happen in 11.2 billion years. Nobody thinks they have to pay us back for loans, bail outs and all the other B.S. foreign aid we’ve dished out to the world over the years. As a matter of fact, most countries hate us for all we do for them. We continue to give money to appease the unappeaseable and never seem to learn the lessons of history. We the people know the lesson but our leadership never learns the lessons of history. They just tell us we are ignorant to the complexities of world leadership. What they don‘t understand is that we don’t want to be the leaders of the world. Nobody should be the leader of the world. Just kick ass when necessary.
Report Post »S Chopra
Posted on July 3, 2011 at 8:29pmWrong Country. All your aid goes to India’s Enemy and US “Ally” Pakistan. Remember 1971, US fifth fleet was going to go attack India on behalf of Pakistan.
Report Post »rjtaurus605
Posted on July 4, 2011 at 10:45pmPay us back? why should they? only in a country like the U.S. can we elect a president so foolish as to deny the drilling for oil on our own land, borrow $700billion from China and lend it to Brazil, so they can drill for oil in their country and sell it to us for their profit!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Every country knows our government will not require anyone to pay us back!
Report Post »Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
Posted on July 3, 2011 at 5:25pmI read about this earlier today, just the historical value of the artifacts should be incredible. I hope no one makes off with any of them for their own personal collections.
Report Post »http://artinphoenix.com/gallery/grimm
STRINGS
Posted on July 3, 2011 at 5:24pmHey one more question, does this mean the Indian people wont have to take low paying jobs shipped overseas talking to me on the phone anymore seeing their rich now?
Report Post »clingingtogodandguns
Posted on July 3, 2011 at 5:23pmThat‘s it I’m going out and buy a metal detector so i can get rich like all the retired in Florida.There’s gold in them beaches.
Report Post »STRINGS
Posted on July 3, 2011 at 5:26pmI wonder if the metal detector they used in India said “Made in China” on it?
Report Post »a true texan
Posted on July 3, 2011 at 6:21pmI have walked many a beach and have never found anything. However last week while in Florida a couple found one gold hoop earring studded w/diamonds and a gold ring…w/o a detector.
Report Post »six52
Posted on July 3, 2011 at 7:33pmTT….What on earf do that means?
Report Post »STRINGS
Posted on July 3, 2011 at 5:14pmwas this clip by “Goldline” lol
Report Post »Want our country back
Posted on July 3, 2011 at 5:11pmGreat, they owe us about $11.2 billion ….. call it even now
Report Post »quicker
Posted on July 3, 2011 at 5:10pmWell I guess they don`t need a bailout.
Report Post »quicker
Posted on July 3, 2011 at 5:11pmSorry for the double post.
Report Post »jc1776
Posted on July 3, 2011 at 5:08pmThe liberals are working day & night on how to tax the treasure from under the temple as we speak.
Report Post »Bum thrower
Posted on July 3, 2011 at 11:33pm‘Temple tax’ for “windfall contributions; “Tax all the rich M*****-F******!!! I want my “free stuff” Vote ‘democrat and get your share’………………………LOL
Report Post »TheGreyPiper
Posted on July 3, 2011 at 5:07pmDid “X” mark the spot?
Report Post »quicker
Posted on July 3, 2011 at 5:05pmWell they sure don`t need any bailout
Report Post »shadisadie
Posted on July 4, 2011 at 3:10pmand why should they? they have the second fastest growing economy in the world
Report Post »Dustyluv
Posted on July 3, 2011 at 5:03pmOops…the price of gold will go down now….
Report Post »sissykatz
Posted on July 3, 2011 at 5:23pmWill they pay us back????? Yeah right……… Boy what a find…….
Report Post »Bearfoot
Posted on July 3, 2011 at 5:39pmOh, what a target for thieves.
Report Post »chris3
Posted on July 3, 2011 at 8:39pmlara are there?
Report Post »Finger Follie
Posted on July 4, 2011 at 10:43amDid anyone catch the part where the temple was taken over by the government via the supreme court. It was privately controlled before that. Confiscation of wealth. Just wait until it happens here to the rich or big companies… oh wait…
Report Post »nysparkie
Posted on July 5, 2011 at 10:42amOh that’s where I left that. I will have contact someone about getting it ALL back. (Sighhhh)
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