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Almost 50 days after the first reports came out about the amazing treasures found at the secret cellars of the Sri Padmanabhaswamy temple in Thiruvananthapuram, the CPI(M) on Monday expressed its formal opinion on those valuables worth over100,000 crore: For the Marxists, the temple treasures are State asset and it should be handled “democratically”.
After a State committee meeting of the CPI(M), Kerala party secretary Pinarayi Vijayan said that the administration of the shrine should be handed over to a State-run board to be constituted one the lines of the one at Thirupathy. The erstwhile Travancore royal family, traditional trustees of the shrine, should have representation in it, he said.
Though the temple affairs need not be of any serious concern to the organisation of atheists, the issue of Sri Padmanabhaswamy shrine’s treasures was being discussed in the CPI(M) ever since the news about the findings had come out in the first week of August. It had even led to confrontations between two sections in the party.
“This (treasure) might contain kanikka (offerings) given by devotees. There could be articles collected forcibly from smaller kingdoms during annexure campaigns. It could also contain valuables collected from the people in many ways. In that sense, it is national property,” Pinarayi told the mediapersons in Thiruvananthapuram.
Asked whether this meant that his earlier statement that the treasures belonged to the temple was no more valid, he said, “This is the party’s position. Any other opinion expressed by anyone does not constitute the CPI(M)’s stand on the temple treasure,” he said. He also said that the State committee had discussed the matter in detail.
Pinarayi said that there were three important factors to be considered in the matter of the temple treasures. The temple treasures should be protected, they should be properly measured and valued and there should be an effective system for the supervision and administration of the temple and its assets, he said.
On the party’s opinion on the most discussed aspect of what should be done with the treasures, he said the final decision should be based on the verdict of the Supreme Court. He said the idols and the ornaments to be put on them should be kept within the temple securely and as per the customs and traditions, Pinarayi said.
The CPI(M) secretary said that the apex court’s observation on the question of opening Vault B, second of the six secret vaults and the deva prasnam (astrological examination — to know the deity’s will on it) was important (the court had criticised the examination). Superstitions should be discouraged and the utilisation of funds in the temple should be democratic, he said.
When asked about Opposition leader and CPI(M) central committee member VS Achuthanandan’s reported move to interfere in the issue of the treasure legally, Pinarayi said that the party had now taken a formal stand and legal options would be examined as and when they were necessity.
After a State committee meeting of the CPI(M), Kerala party secretary Pinarayi Vijayan said that the administration of the shrine should be handed over to a State-run board to be constituted one the lines of the one at Thirupathy. The erstwhile Travancore royal family, traditional trustees of the shrine, should have representation in it, he said.
Though the temple affairs need not be of any serious concern to the organisation of atheists, the issue of Sri Padmanabhaswamy shrine’s treasures was being discussed in the CPI(M) ever since the news about the findings had come out in the first week of August. It had even led to confrontations between two sections in the party.
“This (treasure) might contain kanikka (offerings) given by devotees. There could be articles collected forcibly from smaller kingdoms during annexure campaigns. It could also contain valuables collected from the people in many ways. In that sense, it is national property,” Pinarayi told the mediapersons in Thiruvananthapuram.
Asked whether this meant that his earlier statement that the treasures belonged to the temple was no more valid, he said, “This is the party’s position. Any other opinion expressed by anyone does not constitute the CPI(M)’s stand on the temple treasure,” he said. He also said that the State committee had discussed the matter in detail.
Pinarayi said that there were three important factors to be considered in the matter of the temple treasures. The temple treasures should be protected, they should be properly measured and valued and there should be an effective system for the supervision and administration of the temple and its assets, he said.
On the party’s opinion on the most discussed aspect of what should be done with the treasures, he said the final decision should be based on the verdict of the Supreme Court. He said the idols and the ornaments to be put on them should be kept within the temple securely and as per the customs and traditions, Pinarayi said.
The CPI(M) secretary said that the apex court’s observation on the question of opening Vault B, second of the six secret vaults and the deva prasnam (astrological examination — to know the deity’s will on it) was important (the court had criticised the examination). Superstitions should be discouraged and the utilisation of funds in the temple should be democratic, he said.
When asked about Opposition leader and CPI(M) central committee member VS Achuthanandan’s reported move to interfere in the issue of the treasure legally, Pinarayi said that the party had now taken a formal stand and legal options would be examined as and when they were necessity.
