Thiruvananthapuram: The Supreme Court
appointed Committee on scientific documentation of treasures,
locked up in the vaults of the famed Sree Padmanabhaswamy
temple here, will commence its work in mid-February.
After a joint meeting with the oversight committee
here on Sunday, documentation panel co-ordinator and noted
conservationist Dr M V Nair said that the work would start
either on February 17 or 18.
The state-run electronic equipment manufacturer
Keltron would supply devices and gadgets required for
documenting and evaluating the rare treasures, running into an
estimated Rs one lakh crore.
"Today's meeting reviewed the progress made by Keltron
in providing the equipment for the work. We are satisfied with
the work done by Keltron. We expect to start the work by
February 17 or 18," Nair told reporters.
Nair, who replaced retired bureaucrat C V Ananda Bose
as head of the panel, had earlier said the latest technology
and international procedures would be applied in carrying out
the work entrusted with the experts committee.
The panel's job would include categorisation of the
invaluable objects found in the 'kallaras' (vaults) of the
sprawling temple into three--- those required for daily pujas
and rituals of the temple, those not required for daily use
and those which could be exhibited in a museum.
An inventory committee, also constituted by the Apex
Court, had opened five underground vaults of the temple in
July last year and had found an amazing array of glittering
articles, including gold and precious stones stashed in them.
The inventory was ordered by the court based on
litigation initiated by former IPS officer T P Sundara Rajan,
who died last year.
Sundar Rajan had pleaded for the state takeover of
the temple from a trust controlled by the Travancore royal
family, which, Nair said, was important for secured
preservation of the priceless wealth.
PTI
First Published: Sunday, January 22, 2012, 21:10