Padmanabhaswamy temple row: Will implement SC decision on opening vault 'B', says Kerala govt

Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala government on Monday made it clear that it would implement whatever decision the Supreme Court took on opening vault ‘B’ of the Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple. Devaswom minister Kadakkampally Surendran held talks with the members of the erstwhile Travancore royal family here to hear their views on the matter. [caption id=“attachment_3344896” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] The Padmanabhaswamy temple in Kerala. Reuters[/caption] He later told reporters that the royal family was against the opening of the vault as according to them, there were “ritualistic restrictions” on the opening of the “sacred” vault, which had never been opened before. However, the government has made it clear that whatever decision the apex court takes on the matter, it would be implemented. The Supreme Court-appointed amicus curiae (an impartial adviser to a court of law in a particular case) in the matter, Gopal Subramaniam, is also expected to meet the members of the royal family soon. Meanwhile, Aditya Varma, a member of the royal family, said the discussion they had with the minister was “private” in nature. “If the apex orders to open the vault B, we will obey it,” he told PTI. Varma added that in 2002, when an attempt was made to open the vault, the thantri (the traditional chief priest) of the temple had conducted a ‘deva prashnam’ (astrological examination of the temple affairs) and held that it should not be opened, he said. The sprawling Padmanabhaswamy temple, an architectural splendour in granite, was rebuilt in its present form in the 18th century by the Travancore royals, who ruled southern Kerala and some adjoining parts of Tamil Nadu before the integration of the princely state with the Indian Union in 1947. Even after the country achieved independence, the Padmanabhaswamy temple continued to be governed by a trust controlled by the erstwhile royal family, for whom Lord Padmanabha (Vishnu) is the family deity.