Gold Plates Donated By Vijay Mallya To Sabrimala Secretly Replaced With Copper? Temple Board Seeks Probe

Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) president PS Prasanth announced on Friday that the board will approach the Kerala High Court seeking a detailed investigation into the gold plating of the Dwarapalaka (guardian

deity) idols at Sabarimala temple, covering the period from 1998 to 2025. The controversy centers on the gold plates donated by liquor baron Vijay Mallya in 1998, which were allegedly replaced with copper plates over time.On the Sabarimala gold row, Pandalam Kottaram Nirvahaka Sangham secretary M R Suresh Varma told ANI, "There should be a thorough investigation into how the gold plates submitted to Sabarimala by Vijay Mallya in 1998 turned into copper plates. An investigation should also be conducted by the sponsored selection for this important job to determine if they are capable both financially and professionally. The employees are responsible for this, especially in assigning the job to that vendor. They should be identified and punished according to the law to satisfy the devotees of Lord Ayyappa."Varma further noted that in 2019, Madras-based Smart Creations, which took up the task of plating the idols, was required to certify the gold thickness and clarify why the plating had turned black within six years. He added that Sri Unnikrishnan Potti should be thoroughly questioned and that any losses prior to 2019, the year the initial maintenance work was carried out, must also be scrutinised.He added, "In 2019, Madras-based Smart Creations, which was interested in covering gold plates, needed to certify the gold thickness and explain why it turned black in six years... Sri Unnikrishnan Potti should also be thoroughly questioned to uncover the truth. It should also be verified if any losses occurred prior to 2019, as that was when the initial maintenance work was carried out."

TDB to move Kerala HC

Addressing queries about records from 1998, Prasanth said the works were then under the Public Works Department, and documentation became systematic only 10-15 years ago. "How it was handled before that is unknown to me, but it will be investigated," he added.On allegations involving sponsor Unnikrishnan Potty, against whom the High Court ordered a probe last week, Prasanth said, "He had earlier raised allegations against TDB. Now he is in the dock. We had sidelined him from the beginning".Prasanth also clarified that the 2019 TDB order did not specify that Potty would handle the gold plates when given for re-plating. "The order stated that the plates should be re-plated under the leadership of the Thiruvabharanam commissioner, with the sponsorship and responsibility of Potty. How this was implemented needs to be investigated," he said.He added that TDB vigilance is conducting a detailed probe and expressed confidence that the truth would emerge. Meanwhile, the TDB Vigilance wing decided to interrogate Potty on Saturday.(With PTI inputs)