The government is ready to exhibit the treasures found in the Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple in a museum if the Supreme Court gives the nod, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said on Wednesday.
This kind of treasure trove was “nowhere” in the world and its preservation was an example of the “conviction and trust” of the ruling family of erstwhile Travancore, Mr. Chandy said while intervening during the reply to a question in the House.
Protection
The treasures found in the temple belonged to the princely State of Travancore before Independence and the government wanted to display it for the public visiting from all over the world, Mr. Chandy said.
Stating that the government did not approve of ridiculing the family on the alleged smuggling of valuables from the temple, the Chief Minister said the government would do everything possible to protect the treasures.
Minister for Health and Devaswoms V.S. Sivakumar, replying to the main question by K. Radhakrishnan [CPI(M)] and others, said the government would make its stand clear on the temple at the Supreme Court when the case would come up on August 6.
The Cabinet would decide on the stand and it would be submitted to the apex court, he said in response to the query on the High Court directive to set up a trust or a legal authority to manage the affairs of temple.
The Devaswom Minister said the government was not in receipt of the report of the amicus curiae submitted to the Supreme Court about the alleged smuggling of temple treasures. The government had provided a Rs.34-crore security system in the temple as directed by the Supreme Court and had posted 240 police personnel to ensure fool-proof security to the temple, he told the members.
The government would take a decision on a comprehensive law to manage the temple after the Supreme Court verdict on the matter, he said.
