It may seem like the plot of an old Eastern fable, or the latest chapter in the saga of Indiana Jones, but the incredible good fortune recently discovered in a temple in India, called "the mother of all treasures," is real and has rapidly captured the front pages of many international newspapers.
Last week a group of seven archaeologists has unearthed in the underground secrets of the Hindu temple Sri Padmanabhaswamy in Thiruvananthapuram, capital of the state of Kerala, a fabulous treasure from 900 billion rupees. In the secret chambers of the temple, the researchers found bags filled with diamonds, emeralds, rubies, sapphires, pearls and hundreds of thousands of gold coins and silver.
The vast wealth was kept in the royal chapel of the ancient rulers of the princely state of Travancore and was crammed into six underground, many of which have never been visited in the last 150 years. Among the relics unearthed, there were dozens of statues and crowns of gold and silver, beautiful necklaces used by the rulers of Travancore in religious ceremonies and a thousand pounds of gold coins that date back to the East India Company.
A part of the treasure would be gathered by combining the offerings of the faithful during the past centuries have given to Vishnu, the Hindu male deity to whom is dedicated the temple which dates back to the sixteenth century, while the rest of the wealth derives from the ivory trade , spices and sandalwood.
Now India has opened a lively debate on the fate of the extraordinary treasure. Some say that could be used to repay the entire debt of the state of Kerala. Others want it to be invested in the renovation of the temple, or brought in one of the most important museums of the Indian state: "The riches belong to the temple and will be kept where they were found - told the Times of India, the Governor of the State of Kerala. This treasure has a historical and religious significance."
Last week a group of seven archaeologists has unearthed in the underground secrets of the Hindu temple Sri Padmanabhaswamy in Thiruvananthapuram, capital of the state of Kerala, a fabulous treasure from 900 billion rupees. In the secret chambers of the temple, the researchers found bags filled with diamonds, emeralds, rubies, sapphires, pearls and hundreds of thousands of gold coins and silver.
The vast wealth was kept in the royal chapel of the ancient rulers of the princely state of Travancore and was crammed into six underground, many of which have never been visited in the last 150 years. Among the relics unearthed, there were dozens of statues and crowns of gold and silver, beautiful necklaces used by the rulers of Travancore in religious ceremonies and a thousand pounds of gold coins that date back to the East India Company.
A part of the treasure would be gathered by combining the offerings of the faithful during the past centuries have given to Vishnu, the Hindu male deity to whom is dedicated the temple which dates back to the sixteenth century, while the rest of the wealth derives from the ivory trade , spices and sandalwood.
Now India has opened a lively debate on the fate of the extraordinary treasure. Some say that could be used to repay the entire debt of the state of Kerala. Others want it to be invested in the renovation of the temple, or brought in one of the most important museums of the Indian state: "The riches belong to the temple and will be kept where they were found - told the Times of India, the Governor of the State of Kerala. This treasure has a historical and religious significance."
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