What was once a quiet question about fading gold cladding on the dwarapalaka idols at Sabarimala has exploded into a full-blown controversy that is testing faith, accountability and public trust.
At the heart of this saga are gold-plated copper coverings on the guardian deity sculptures and panels that were part of a decades-old restoration project. Records indicate that these valuable coverings, originally installed years ago with gold donated by devotees, were removed and sent out of Kerala for replating without proper judicial permission — a step that should have raised eyebrows at every administrative level.
When the Kerala High Court intervened, it ordered the immediate seizure of all relevant records and halted the repair work altogether. The court’s concern was not merely procedural. It was about transparency and accountability in handling temple assets that devotees entrusted to the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB).
As the judicial probe deepened, a Special Investigation Team (SIT) was formed. The SIT’s investigations have now led to the arrest of the temple’s chief priest, Kandararu Rajeevaru, who is accused of conspiring with a sponsor, Unnikrishnan Potty, over questionable permissions that facilitated the removal and replating of the gold-clad panels outside temple premises.
The controversy only widened when it emerged that some portions of the gold — reportedly about 475 grams — have not been returned to the temple, even though Potty’s initial investment was minuscule by comparison. This has fuelled troubling speculation about where the rest of the gold went and how assets dear to millions of devotees were handled with such apparent laxity.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has now joined the probe, registering a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), a step that underscores the seriousness and potential financial crime dimension of this affair.
On the ground, the impact is visible. Devotee organisations have criticised the way basic pilgrimage arrangements were deprioritised amid the gold row, highlighting poor infrastructure even as the controversy snowballed. Calls for stricter oversight have led the TDB to tighten vigilance over assistant priests and their appointments, recognising that lack of supervision contributed to the conditions that allowed such irregularities to fester.
Political heat has also entered the fray. The BJP in Kerala has called the episode “a grave act of sacrilege” and demanded a CBI probe, even as opposition leaders suggest that powerful political figures have not been adequately scrutinised in the investigation. Meanwhile, traditional custodians such as the Thazhamon tantric family — custodians of temple rituals for generations — are under pressure, with some voices calling for their removal from priestly duties in the wake of the scandal.
What has happened at Sabarimala is not just about a few kilograms of gold or a lapse in procedure. It cuts much deeper. A temple like Sabarimala is more than a religious site; it is a social institution woven into the lives and beliefs of millions. When its sacred objects become subjects of suspicion, the damage is not merely administrative — it is moral.
What the Sabarimala gold controversy exposes is not only the possibility of theft or mismanagement, but a broader absence of systematic inventory, clear accountability frameworks, and respect for the trust that devotees place in institutions managing sacred wealth. For a shrine that draws millions every season, and for a government whose secular mandate includes preserving social harmony, the urgency of a transparent, impartial and comprehensive investigation cannot be overstated.
If justice is to be served and trust restored, answers will have to be more than legalistic. They will have to restore confidence that sacred assets are handled with integrity commensurate with the devotion they inspire.