The sacred Sabarimala Ayyappa Temple in Kerala has again become the focus of a political and religious firestorm. What began as a routine vigilance inspection has now turned into a huge controversy surrounding missing gold and suspected mismanagement in temple affairs. The controversy has evoked wide attention, setting off protests, FIRs, and acrimonious exchanges between the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), the government of Kerala, and political parties.
What is the Controversy?
The controversy is over 30.3 kg of gold and 1,900 kg of copper, which were given to the temple in 1998 for ornamentation of the sanctum sanctorum and wooden carvings. While a recent Kerala High Court review showed inconsistencies in the weight of gold plating on Dwarapalaka idols and other boards, suspicion of theft and corruption has been raised.
TDB president PS Prasanth has confirmed that nine officials’ lapses were detected, of which deputy Devaswom commissioner B Murari Babu was actioned immediately. Other officials such as TDB secretary Jayashree, executive officer Sudheesh, administrative officer Sreekumar, and former Thiruvabharanam commissioner KS Baiju can also be actioned.
Prasanth clarified that the present board was not involved with the missing gold and insisted that the issue should not impact arrangements for this year’s Sabarimala pilgrim season, which is likely to witness approximately 60 lakh pilgrims. He also stressed procedural oversights in the handover of gold plates to sponsor Unnikrishnan Potti, going against a 2019 directive for monitoring by the Thiruvabharanam commissioner.
What is the Vijay Mallya Link?
These gold and copper were gifted by industrialist Vijay Mallya in 1998. These precious metals were utilised to make copper panels plated with gold, which were then installed to cover Dwarapalaka idols and other auspicious panels.
As per forensic audits, the plating weighed 4.54 kg lesser after restoration work in 2019, giving rise to fears of misappropriation of some gold. The Kerala High Court cited serious procedural lapses, such as referring the idols to a Chennai-based jewellery company, Smart Creations, rather than restoring them under official supervision at the temple.
Speculation is that the missing gold was sold as “divine trophies” to affluent people, and fake records were kept to mask the losses. With the High Court now intervening and directing a Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe, all eyes are on whether the probe will uncover who is responsible for one of Kerala’s largest temple management scandals.
Congress Stand
The Congress party has accused the Kerala government and TDB of attempting to cover up the incident. Congress general secretary KC Venugopal called for a court-supervised CBI investigation, saying that all those guilty of the suspected theft should face justice.
Congress leaders have raised an eyebrow over temple management and government officials’ handling of restoration and movement of gold-plated idols, accusing them of procedural laxity and lack of transparency.
BJP Stand
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has also jumped into the debate, with BJP leader V Muraleedharan accusing the Communist Party of India (Marxist)-governed Kerala state of smothering popular protests against the alleged theft of gold.
Muraleedharan blamed the government for suppressing devotees and activists seeking answers for the incident through force. He indicated that the BJP would continue to hold the issue in the public domain, insisting on recovering all stolen gold and subjecting the perpetrators to severe legal action. He again criticized the alleged deployment of muscle power against protesters in a march to the Devaswom Minister’s office in Kottayam.
FIRs Filed
The Kerala state crime branch has registered two FIRs relating to the suspected misappropriation of gold at Sabarimala:
Irregularities in the gold-cladded panels of the Dwarapalaka idols.
Alleged misappropriation of gold from the side frames and lintel of the Sabarimala sreekovil (sanctum sanctorum).
Unnikrishnan Potti, who turned from a priest to a businessman, is the key accused along with a few TDB officials. The cases have been transferred to the SIT constituted by the Kerala High Court, which will now investigate all dimensions of the alleged fraud.
The investigations will look into illegal gold extraction, smuggling, and falsification of records to determine the extent of misappropriation and involve all the actors who will be held accountable. Recent court findings indicate that up to 474.9 grams of gold were directly delivered to Potti with no matching figures in TDB accounts.
Sofia Babu Chacko is a journalist with over five years of experience covering Indian politics, crime, human rights, gender issues, and stories about marginalized communities. She believes that every voice matters, and journalism has a vital role to play in amplifying those voices. Sofia is committed to creating impact and shedding light on stories that truly matter. Beyond her work in the newsroom, she is also a music enthusiast who enjoys singing.
