Sabarimala gold row: SJR Kumar accuses TDB chief of idol theft, slams Kerala govt’s temple fund grab

KOCHI: On the Sabarimala gold row, Sabarimala Karma Samithi convener S J R Kumar accused the current Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) president of involvement in the unauthorised removal of gold-plated idols in September, demanding probes into board members and slamming the Kerala government for a politically motivated global Ayyappa meet with “non-believer” DMK chief minister.

Kumar said, “I have a video report by the current Devaswom Board president, who is putting the blame on the employees of those days. The whole thing started when the court came to notice that the gold-plated idols of the Dwarapalakas had been removed. The special commissioner reported to the high court that these idols had been removed without his permission. This happened in September, under the leadership of the current Devaswom Board president. He is equally involved in this”.

“All Devaswom Board people are really in the dark, and enquiries should be held against them. The government is comprised of non-believers, and they attempted to organise a global Ayyappa meet. It was a political move. They claim to want to promote Sabarimala, but their intentions became clear when they invited the DMK CM of Tamil Nadu. We know that DMK is a party of non-believers”, he said.

#WATCH | Kochi, Kerala | On Sabarimala gold row, Sabarimala Karma Samithi Convenor SJR Kumar says, “I have a video report by the current Devaswom Board President, who is putting the blame on the employees of those days… The whole thing started when it came to the court’s notice… pic.twitter.com/r8zr4AbYRY

— ANI (@ANI) October 3, 2025

S J R Kumar accused the Kerala government of targeting Hindu temples for financial gain, alleging they invited Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin, whose son Udhayanidhi Stalin called for eradicating Sanatana Dharma, to a global Ayyappa meet, revealing their intent to exploit temple funds amid Kerala’s economic ruin.

“Moreover, they have defamed every god of Hindus and also the Sanatana Dharma. They questioned the existence of Sanatana Dharma. The son of the Tamil Nadu CM Udayanidhi Stalin said that Sanatana Dharma should not be on the face of the earth. And his father was invited. The government’s intention is very clear. From the government’s activities from 2016 to date, it is clear that their intention was to extract money from everywhere. They have been looting money from the common people. They have shattered the economy of Kerala, and now they are trying to grab money from the temples. It cannot be allowed,” he said.

Kumar urged the court to order a CBI probe into the Sabarimala gold row and called for central government intervention. “I request the court to initiate a CBI probe. It is time for the Central government also to get involved in this and save Sabarimala,” he added.

The Dwarapalaka idols at the Sabarimala temple had gold-plated copper plates, originally installed in 1999, with the intention of keeping them there for the next 40 years. However, defects were seen in the plates after just a few years. In 2019, the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) removed the plates for repairing.

Historical records indicate that the 1998 gold cladding, completed in 1999, was undertaken under the leadership of Chennai-based jeweller Nagarajan of JNR Jewellery, with the expertise of 53 Tamil Nadu artisans. The process involved layering gold beaten into thin foils and bonding them onto copper plates with mercury.

In 2019, during repairs, Devaswom records listed the removed panels as copper sheets. When the replated panels were returned, records showed a reduction of 4.41 kg. Unnikrishnan Potty testified that the sheets given to him were copper-based with residual gold, which had been later replated at a Chennai firm. (ANI)