Gold, Greed, and a Broken Trust: The Sabarimala Scandal Deepens

A Special Investigation Team report names former Travancore Devaswom Board President P.S. Prashanth and the administrative committee as suspects in a sprawling conspiracy involving the desecration of temple icons.

The sanctity of the Sabarimala temple is facing a cold, secular reckoning. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) has submitted a report to the Kerala High Court, peeling back layers of a brazen financial and religious fraud centered on the temple’s iconic Dwarapala statues. What began as a routine maintenance project in 2019 has spiraled into a criminal case of massive proportions, implicating the very people entrusted to protect the deity’s treasures.

The scandal revolves around the Dwarapala plates, originally gold-plated in 1998. The SIT’s primary source findings suggest that the 2019 "refurbishment" was a carefully orchestrated heist. Under the guise of restoring faded plating, the statues were transported to Chennai. Behind the scenes, officials allegedly manipulated records, reclassifying the gold-layered plates as mere copper to bypass strict regulations. The gold removed during this process was never returned to the temple; instead, it was allegedly siphoned off by sponsors, leaving the statues with a cheap, thin veneer.

The Web of Accountability

The probe has now widened significantly, pulling in high-ranking figures. Among those named as suspects are former Devaswom Board President P.S. Prashanth, various board members, and even the temple Tantri, Kandararu Rajeevaru. The SIT claims this is not just a one-off theft but a long-standing conspiracy. When the thin gold plating began to peel away by 2023, revealing the base copper, the administration didn't launch an inquiry—they launched a cover-up.

The SIT report highlights a chilling pattern of deceit. In 2025, the committee allegedly bypassed the High Court and the Special Commissioner to smuggle the plates back to Chennai for a "repair" designed solely to hide the evidence of the previous theft. By fabricating a 40-year warranty certificate, the board hoped to silence questions about the deteriorating quality of the gold.

Why it Matters

This case transcends the technicalities of temple administration; it strikes at the heart of the fiduciary and spiritual trust placed in the Devaswom Board. When state-appointed bodies tasked with managing sacred assets are accused of systematic corruption—misrepresenting assets, defying judicial oversight, and conspiring to hide the theft of temple gold—it erodes the foundational belief of the millions of devotees who look toward Sabarimala.

The inclusion of the P.S. Prashanth-led committee in the SIT’s list of suspects suggests that the rot may not be limited to individual bad actors, but rather embedded in a culture of institutional impunity. If the allegations of criminal conspiracy and forgery are proven in court, it will necessitate a total overhaul of how temple wealth is managed, audited, and protected from those who view divinity as a business opportunity.