India, a land full of different traditions and beliefs. A land where everyone has a story to tell. A land with mysteries of its own. How often do we stumble upon such tales? Were those stories from Grandma, or were they things we read or saw? The answers can be countless and often too hard to believe. But just because it's hard to believe doesn't mean it's not true. One such mystery is the Padmanabhaswamy temple in Kerala. Through uprisings and natural phenomena, it has stood the test of time and continues to awe many.
The Padmanabhaswamy temple on the south coast of Thiruvananthapuram is dedicated to Lord Vishnu. It is known to be India's richest temple, with a blend of Kerala and Dravidian architecture. It was built in the 18th century by the Royal Family of Travancore, although some historians believe that it dates back to the 8th century. This temple has six vaults underground named from the alphabets A to F, of which five have been opened. The sheer architecture is not the only thing that draws people to this place, but also the vaults full of jewels, gemstones, statues made of gold, precious metals, and much more, worth over INR 1 trillion. In 2011, IPS Sunder Rajan rolled out a petition to the supreme court asking to assess the temple's wealth. A team of seven was appointed by the court to record this treasure. It was a rather daunting task to open all the chambers and take into account the complexities of them. Vault B was the only one that wouldn't open. Mr. Rajan, head of this team, attempted many times to open the door but failed to get even a tiny crack in it. Although the door has been associated with many myths and dark stories, the team still made efforts to open it without concern for them. Unfortunately, the sudden demise of Mr. Sunder Rajan during the operation led to the beliefs being true.
The Travancore family believes vault B can never be opened again by human intrusion because it contains so much wealth that it could feed the nations for over a thousand years. Only the oldest member of the family knows what lies behind the door, but his lips are sealed forever. The enormous doors of this vault have two snakes carved on them and are said to guard the door. It is said that these doors can only be opened when the garud mantra is chanted with complete faith and confidence. According to believers, if the doors are opened without a cause or by any means that exclude the power of devotion, a curse is cast upon the entire nation. The door's secrets have long eluded priests, monks, archaeologists, researchers, and others, but all their efforts were fruitless. The attempts to open vault B have all led to the same conclusion; it can’t be opened and will result in death. This ancient temple is considered divine and legendary owing to its shrouded mystery.
However, there are reports that two more vaults have been discovered. An investigation is now underway. Through long legal battles, the Travancore family inherited the temple's wealth. Many secrets surround the Padmanabhaswamy Temple, the most common being what lies behind Vault B. As people say, some things are better kept a mystery, it seems that the temple will be that for us.
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