High Court Questions Gold Plating of Sabarimala โIdols, โorders Further Inquiry
Sabarimala,โ Kerala – The Kerala Highโ Court hasโฃ raised concerns regarding the recent gold plating of Dwarapalaka idolsโ at the Sabarimala temple, orderingโฃ a thorough โinvestigation into the matter. The court questioned whyโ idols already coated with โgold โwere sent for additionalโ plating, suspecting โคpotential irregularities in โthe โขhandling of temple โขfunds and gold reserves.
The inquiry stems from allegations that a groupโ may have attemptedโข too โฃexploit the gold plating process, potentially substituting base metals for gold withinโค the โcoating.โ Court documents reference the possibility of “coated coppers of gold” being used, and the courtโ directed further inquiries โฃto determine if gold from the temple’s โstrong room was compromised. The court emphasized the need to ascertain the authenticity of the gold โused and the โrationale behind re-plating alreadyโฃ gold-covered idols.
Historically, gold plating at Sabarimala โis โa traditional practice โintended to โprotect the sculptures from Kerala’s harsh climate – rain and wind – and ensure the continuity of โขworship. However, the โคcourtโฃ distinguished thisโข traditional practice from the application of “Goldplaating,” describing it as a very thinโฃ layer of gold.
The case also references a 1999 directive โwhere Unnikrishnan was entrusted with the Devaswom Board’s gold. Theโ court has scheduledโ aโค further hearing โon the matter for the 17th โขof this month,seeking clarification on the entire process and accountability for any discrepancies.โ Devaswom Vigilance and security officials reportedly failed to detect any irregularities during the initial โคplating process.