Proposed: From Majesty to the Indigent
The pot of gold at the end of the proverbial rainbow - or is it the proverbial pot of gold at the end of the rainbow? - hasn't much on the fabulous wealth discovered a few days ago at a temple in the southern state of Kerala in India. The Sree Padmanabhaswamy Hindu temple in Thiruvananthapuram, capital of Kerala, was well endowed hundreds of years ago by the immense riches of the princely few in a land of numberless people living in endemic poverty.
Sacks brimming with diamonds and other precious stones, along with gold and silver bullion dating to the 17th Century, along with works of art and jewellery intricately entwined and inlaid with thousands of diamonds, rubies and emeralds have been discovered in a series of vaults built deep within the inner bowels of the temple. An excavation team has been working to uncover the vast riches and to audit them.
Wealthy devotees of the temple and the royal family whose personal temple it represented, stated their fealty to their lords and overseers as loyal and devout Hindus over a period of centuries. Gifts that were carefully stored within six stone vaults, three of which are reputed not to have been opened and examined since 1872.
Now, religious officials, archaeologists and the current maharajah's majordomo, the temple's caretaker, are taking pains to uncover and to categorize the treasures. Considered to be of huge intrinsic value, and related historical values as well; thousands of kilograms of gold coins recovered from those vaults; gold ropes, idols festooned with gold chains, and encrusted with diamonds, emeralds and rubies.
Several vaults have yet to be opened and the treasures they contain assessed. But experts seem to feel that the entire treasure when it is unearthed will prove to be in the realm of $20-billion in value, aside from their cultural-historical-artistic-religious significance. And, in a land where hundreds of millions of people remain excruciatingly poor, suffering ill health, the disposal of such wealth to help alleviate social and economic ills might seem a fitting use.
But Oommen Chandy, the chief minister of the state stated that the treasure is destined to remain in the temple. That there will be no debate about selling it off. "The wealth of the temple will rest with the temple", he proclaimed.
Why?
Sacks brimming with diamonds and other precious stones, along with gold and silver bullion dating to the 17th Century, along with works of art and jewellery intricately entwined and inlaid with thousands of diamonds, rubies and emeralds have been discovered in a series of vaults built deep within the inner bowels of the temple. An excavation team has been working to uncover the vast riches and to audit them.
Wealthy devotees of the temple and the royal family whose personal temple it represented, stated their fealty to their lords and overseers as loyal and devout Hindus over a period of centuries. Gifts that were carefully stored within six stone vaults, three of which are reputed not to have been opened and examined since 1872.
Now, religious officials, archaeologists and the current maharajah's majordomo, the temple's caretaker, are taking pains to uncover and to categorize the treasures. Considered to be of huge intrinsic value, and related historical values as well; thousands of kilograms of gold coins recovered from those vaults; gold ropes, idols festooned with gold chains, and encrusted with diamonds, emeralds and rubies.
Several vaults have yet to be opened and the treasures they contain assessed. But experts seem to feel that the entire treasure when it is unearthed will prove to be in the realm of $20-billion in value, aside from their cultural-historical-artistic-religious significance. And, in a land where hundreds of millions of people remain excruciatingly poor, suffering ill health, the disposal of such wealth to help alleviate social and economic ills might seem a fitting use.
But Oommen Chandy, the chief minister of the state stated that the treasure is destined to remain in the temple. That there will be no debate about selling it off. "The wealth of the temple will rest with the temple", he proclaimed.
Why?
Labels: Economy, Health, Human Relations, India
posted by Pieface @ 6:38 PM
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