Mystery Behind Most Richest Padmanabhaswamy Temple

It's one of the richest Hindu temples in India. Dedicated to Lord Vishnu, the Padmanabhaswamy temple finds its first mention in the ancient texts of the Tamil literature. Located in Thiruvananthapuram, this Lord Vishnu’s temple is run by a trust spearheaded by the Royal family of Travancore, making it one of the rarest temples in Kerala to be managed by a royal lineage.

Replica of the famous Sri Adikesavaperumal temple in Thiruvattar, the Padmanabhaswamy temple has a secret associated with it. This temple has six vaults built under its sanctorum. From these, five of the vaults have been opened, but there is this one secret vault that still remains unopened till date. It is believed that opening of this vault could make the Lord extremely angry and annoyed.

The sixth hidden vault of this temple is believed to store many hidden treasures. Though many assume that it was and it will never be opened, records have cited that the hidden vault was indeed opened on many instances in the past – twice in 1990 and five times in 2002.

Numerous superstitions and myths surround the secret vault. Many staunch believers feel that anybody who tries to open this secret vault will face a curse or vengeance. History shows many tales and sagas to vouch this ideology.

The Supreme Court ruled out one of its first petition to assess the wealth of the temple under the leadership of advocate TP Sunder Rajan, who had filed a writ petition in a Kerala court. Advocate Sunder Rajan passed away in July 2011. His unexpected death was treated by many as a divine revenge. Many seniors and older devotees of the area also believe that opening of the secret vault of the Padmanabhaswamy temple will invoke massive floods in the area. This ideology is based on the Ocean theory. Apparently, a century ago, when this same region was encountering a dreaded famine, the Padmanabhaswamy temple’s officials had tried to break open the vault. But they stopped when they heard something that sounded like rushing water. The story went on to suggest that the vault was connected to the Arabian Sea and thus opening up the chamber would cause the entire region to get flooded.

It is also believed that the door of this chamber is protected by the Snake-God and thus can be opened only by sadhus who can chant the 'Garuda Mantra'. But there is no sadhu in India who can chant this mantra. Many officials of the Padmanabhaswamy temple also believe that this hidden chamber should not be opened using man-made techniques as it could lead to major catastrophes. Many Hindu mythological experts have also validated this ideology.