Thiruvananthapuram: New evidence has surfaced supporting the allegation that the gold-plated panels of the Dwarapalaka (guardian idols) sculptures at Sabarimala temple were replaced or tampered with in 2019.

Mathrubhumi News has accessed a document showing a major discrepancy in the recorded weight of the gold sheets before and after they were sent for re-plating.

On July 19, 2019, the panels were officially handed over to Unnikrishnan Potty and transported to Chennai for re-plating. At the time of removal from the temple, the panels reportedly weighed 42 kilograms.

However, when the same panels were weighed again at Smart Creations in Chennai on August 29, 2019, before re-plating, the weight had dropped to 38 kilograms and 258 grams, as recorded in the official mahazar by the Thiruvabharanam Commissioner.

The four-kilogram discrepancy has raised suspicions that the original gold-plated panels were replaced with copper sheets weighing less. The mahazar document suggests that what reached Chennai may not have been the same panels removed from Sabarimala.

After gold plating, the weight increased marginally by 394 grams, bringing the total to 38.653 kilograms—far below the original 42 kilograms.