Sree Padmanabha Temple’s Wealth; rumours baseless

Written and posted by Suresh Kumar BR

Photo Courtesy www.indianetzone.com

There are rumours that goes around stating that this money does not belong to the erstwhile Travancore state or the temple. Some of them even raised their views on how, this much wealth was amassed.  We should be grateful to the rulers of erstwhile Travancore, that they saved the country’s wealth inside the country, unlike some of the present political class who loots and save the wealth outside in Swiss Banks.

Did the people, who doubt about the authenticity of the wealth of Travancore, believe that Travancore did not have any wealth?  Did they believe that the Travancore was Below the Poverty Line? Did they believe that the wealth could be amassed only and through the trade of spices?  Yes, I agree that the spices trade was just one of the reasons which got revenue for the state. After the turbulent times of the Ettu Veetil Pillamar, Marthanda Varma gained control of the State ruled it with authority, yet benevolent and the rest is history.   .

Let me cite you a small example of how wealth is gathered or amassed. Just think of a middle class family or an upper middle class family, with one daughter, a working father and a working mother.  In 20 years, they are able to buy or amass 100 sovereigns gold for their daughter’s future.  For getting this, they need to spend Rupees 8000 to 9000 a month, for 20 years as per todays Gold price. This does not mean that they do not have anything else to eat or that they cannot live, and would be begging.  A middle class nuclear family will have enough or more than enough wealth for their daily living, while accumulating this, and/or after the accumulation.  Apart from this proposed gold, most of them would have a house which they would later give to their daughter.  In many cases, they will have an additional house too, as is the practice in Trivandurm.  This is the case of a middle class or an upper middle class nuclear family. 

The wealth, of Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temple where the inventory was recently taken,  was the whole wealth of the princely state, which was ruled by a series of Kings, starting from Marthanda Varma. This is not just 100 years (to be precise, 291 years till now).  It began from the time of Marthanda Varma, when he ruled Venad Swaroopam, in 1729.  The Kingdom of Travancore was dedicated to the Lord Sree Padmanabhaswamy in 1750 January 3 and after the Maharajah, took the title of Padmanabha Dasa ruled the kingdom as the servant of that deity.  He submitted all the wealth of the country to Sree Padmanabhan. You could say, that the temple was the Vault of the treasury department. Even the British Empire saluted the ruler with its 19 Gun Salute which was continued even after independence until 1970, when Privy Purse was abolished by our then Prime Minister Smt. Indira Gandhi.  Reminding you again that it was in 1750, that Marthanda Varma did this and it shows that he was a great visionary. If you remember our old history books, it says that Travancore was one of the most wealthiest states in the south with a powerful army too. From that time onwards the following rulers ruled;

Marthanda Varma	1729-1758	29 years of rule
Dharma Raja	1758-1798	40 years of rule
Balarama Varma	1798-1810	12 years of rule
Maharani Gowri Lakshmi Bayi	1810-1815	5 years of rule
Maharani Gowri Parvati Bayi	1815-1829	14 years of rule
Swathi Thirunal	1829-1846	17 years of rule
Uthram Thirunal	1846-1860	14 years of rule
Ayilyam Thirunal	1860-1880	20 years of rule
Visakham Thirunal	1880-1885	5 years of rule
Moolam Thirunal	1885-1924	39 years of rule
Maharani Sethu Lakshmi Bayi	1924-1931	7 years of rule
Chithira Thirunal	1931-1949	18 years of rule
Total	1729 - 1949	229 Years of rule

A total of 229 years of rule.  It has been 62 years after 1949, which is all together 291 years.  The empire existed from Kanyakumari in the south to Kodungallore, Chalakkudy and the Annamalai Hills on the western Ghats. It is almost the 3/4 th of the present Kerala, and the Nagarcoil and Kanyakumari of the present Tamil Nadu.  It was a pretty big empire and to have such wealth in the vaults is justifiable.   Furthermore, the taxes paid by other princely states to Travacore rulers, mostly in the form of Gold Coins, Jewellery, Gold, diamonds etc. also added to the wealth. 

COMPARED TO THE MORDERN POLITICIANS, the rulers of erstwhile Travancore, saved wealth in the country unlike the present day politicians who LOOT AND SAVE the wealth outside the country in Swiss Banks and other heavens.