The gold-clad copper plates of the Dwarapalaka (guardian) idols at Sabarimala temple, which had been sent to Chennai for repair, were brought back on Sunday, the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) said.
A controversy was triggered earlier after the Kerala High Court found that the plates had been removed and transported without its permission. The court had also flagged discrepancies in the idols’ recorded weight and ordered a Vigilance probe. The court noted that while records showed the plates weighed 42.8 kg when removed in 2019 for fresh gold-plating, they weighed only 38.258 kg when produced before the company slated to carry out the work. The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) has initiated a preliminary investigation into the incident, officials said.
According to TDB officials, the plates were brought back from Chennai on Sunday after repairs and would be reinstalled with the consent of the Tantri and the High Court would soon be intimated.
Published – September 21, 2025 09:37 pm IST
