'Treasure trove must be kept within the temple premises'

Outspoken Congress leader Shashi Tharoor defended the Travancore royals, saying they are 'safe-keepers of the colossal wealth'

Outspoken Congress leader Shashi Tharoor defended the Travancore royals, saying they are 'safe-keepers of the colossal wealth'

The outspoken Member of Parliament fromu00a0 Thiruvananthapuram, Shashi Tharoor believes that the treasure trove found in the Kerala's Padmanabhaswamy temple must be kept within its premises and that the Travancore royals were the safe keepers of the massive wealth.


In safe custody: Tharoor said that the royals of Travancoreu00a0 were the
safe keepers of the massive wealth. Pic/Satish Badigeru00a0

Excerpts from the interview:
Since you represent the Thiruvananthapuram constituency what is your opinion about the SC's direction on the treasure issue, when the Travancore royal family is also cooperating with this decision?
I met the Royal family this morning, and I applaud them for having saved such a large amount of wealth since the time of colonial rule. The Maharaja of Travancore was the ruler on behalf of the lord.


Fortune: A treasure estimated to be worth over Rs 90,000 crore has
been found from the cellars of Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple in Kerala

There is a belief among the Hindu proponents, about the awakening of a bad omen, since the treasure was brought out from inside temple premises. Is that why the authorities were against opening the vault?
There is no question as such; the only concern is that by opening the closed vault number six, the temple infrastructure should not be damaged. We are in fact waiting for the judgment, which is expected to come very soon.

This time again your tweet has been in the news. Any special take on this?
I was objecting to those who are anxious to be generous towards other people's money. It's easy to do charity when it is not coming from your own pocket.

Are you open to the idea about handing over the temple management authority to the State or Central government? Or are there plans to make it an archive for the public?
Maharajas have considered themselves to be the custodians of the temple. It would do a serious damage if people try to lay their hands on something that is basically not theirs. It is not a bad idea to preserve this rich history in the form of archives.

So do you think Thiruvananthapuram is edging closer to Tirupati in terms of the richest holy place?
I would still rate the Vatican City, for their great work in architecture. Their value is more in comparison to this.

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