The political and religious storm surrounding the gold artefacts of the Sabarimala Ayyappa Temple escalated sharply today, with the Kerala Devaswom minister alleging a "larger conspiracy" behind the six-year disappearance of a Dwarapalaka idol pedestal (peedam).
The development comes as the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) is set to submit a crucial report on the recovery to the Kerala High Court today.
The TDB Vigilance wing recovered the gold-plated additional pedestal on Saturday from the residence of a relative of Unnikrishnan Potti, the sponsor who had originally flagged the artefact as missing in 2019. The pedestal has since been returned to the Sabarimala shrine.
Commenting on the recovery, Minister for Co-operation, Ports & Devaswoms VN Vasavan strongly dismissed the explanations offered by the sponsor's family.
"For over four years, the pedestal was hidden, and only later was it declared missing. Such a move deceives the public and raises suspicion of a conspiracy," Minister Vasavan stated.
He emphasised that the sequence of events was highly unreliable and suggested that a political motive could be at play, echoing earlier concerns about attempts to damage the temple's image.
The relative from whose home the pedestal was recovered, Mini Devi, who is sister of the sponsor Potti, claimed the item had been with a craftsman named Vasudevan for repair work but was never returned to the temple.
However, this explanation was contradicted by other reports, including admissions from Potti's worker who confirmed keeping it in custody before it was shifted to the relative's house.
TDB President PS Prasanth launched a direct attack on the sponsor, Unnikrishnan Potti, accusing him of a deliberate campaign to defame the temple administration.
"By alleging that the pedestal was missing, he painted the board as thieves. Why did he make such a false claim just before the Ayyappa Sangamam? We suspect an attempt to tarnish the event," Prasanth said.
Former TDB President A Padmakumar supported the call for a deeper probe to unearth the true motive. "Neither Potti nor Vasudevan stood to gain from hiding the pedestal. The motive behind this act must be uncovered," he stated.
The controversy first surfaced in 2019 when Potti, who sponsored the gold-plating of the Dwarapalaka idols and pedestals, alleged the disappearance of the additional peedam. His revelation prompted the Kerala High Court to direct the TDB's vigilance wing to investigate the disappearance alongside another major issue, the reported unexplained reduction in the weight of the main gold-clad copper plates of the Dwarapalaka idols.
The detailed TDB Vigilance report is scheduled for submission to the High Court's Devaswom Bench later today. Minister Vasavan reiterated that all further action regarding the recovery and the suspected conspiracy would be entirely contingent on the High Court's directions.
The court's scrutiny is focused on ensuring transparency and accountability in the management of the temple's valuable assets.
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