‘System failure’ if missing Sabarimala gold crown is not at Aranmula, says TDB Chief

Thiruvananthapuram: Travancore Devaswom Board president K Jayakumar has responded to the incident in which a 55.72-sovereign gold crown kept in the strong room at Sabarimala Sannidhanam was found missing.

Jayakumar said he came to know about the missing crown through the media. He said he was not yet clear from the report whether the crown was supposed to be kept at Sabarimala or taken to Aranmula. If the crown has indeed been lost, it would cause another shock, he said. Jayakumar added that he had not studied the matter yet and would respond after examining it by the evening.

He said that if the crown was stolen, it would certainly be a very serious issue. If the gold crown is not in the Sabarimala strong room, it should be at Aranmula. It should not have gone anywhere else. If the Tantri had said that it was needed for daily rituals, it should have remained at Sabarimala.
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The disappearance of the gold crown came to light during the inventory conducted by Justice K.T. Shankaran. If the crown is not at Aranmula, it would amount to a failure of the system at Sabarimala, Jayakumar said.

Strict protocols must be followed while handling valuables such as gold, he said. However, this incident does not mean that there are no safeguards in place within the Devaswom Board.

“Gold is taken out and kept back in many temples. There are standards for that. Only an investigation can establish who took the crown from Sabarimala and how it was taken,” he said.

When asked whether he was concerned about reports of thefts emerging one after another from Sabarimala, Jayakumar said he was not worried about “gold theft” because the Board itself was not taking the gold.

“But I am concerned about the failure of the system there. What happens if this continues? Questions will certainly arise as to whether Sabarimala is incapable of safeguarding the articles that devotees bring with faith,” he said.
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He added that the procedures at Sabarimala must be made foolproof.

“There is judicial monitoring, a Special Commissioner, vigilance and Devaswom Board vigilance. Despite all this, such incidents are happening, which is certainly worrying,” Jayakumar said.

The missing crown was donated by devotees from Tamil Nadu in 2012. 

The crown currently kept in the strong room is an imitation crown made of non-gold material, but it is of the same size and shape as the original. It is also studded with white stones resembling diamonds.