Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala Government
has made it clear to a court here that it is not mulling the
takeover of the magnificent Sri Padmanabhaswamy temple here
which is under the trusteeship of the Travancore Royal house.
rday following a private petition, seeking the state-take
over of the grand temple, its invaluable jewels and movable
properties.
The petition also sought the officials of the present
administration to be restrained from entering the inner
chambers of the complex, where rare jewels, gold vessels and
other precious items are believed to be kept.
In the statement filed before the Principal Sub-Court
here, the Government said it did not have any plan to take the
reins of the temple, since there have been no complaints
against the present set-up.
Following construction of the complex by Marthanda Varma
Maharaja in 1729 in place of a small, ancient temple, the
capital of Travancore princely state was shifted to here.
While all other major temples in Travancore region were
handed over to the state-controlled Travancore Devaswom Board
in 1948, Sri Padmanabhaswamy temple was retained under its
control since the presiding Lord of the shrine is the family
deity of the royal house.
PTI
