Thiruvananthapuram: Nearly seven years after the landmark Supreme Court verdict allowing entry of women of all ages into the Sabarimala temple, the shrine has once again become a flashpoint in Kerala as the state inches toward another crucial election season.
Weeks after the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government hosted the Sabarimala conclave—pitching the temple as a global pilgrimage centre and an inclusive space—it is now at the centre of another controversy, this time over alleged discrepancies in the weight of the Dwarapalaka (guardian) idols and pedestals at the temple.
The ruling LDF, which was earlier praised by community organisations like the Nair Service Society (NSS) and Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana (SNDP) Yogam for the conclave, now finds itself on the back foot, with the opposition United Democratic Front (UDF) trying to seize the opportunity. The NSS represents the state’s influential upper-caste Nair community, while the SNDP represents the OBC Ezhava community.
The latest controversy revolves around an alleged shortfall of gold at the temple, flagged by the Kerala High Court. The issue dates back to 2019, when the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), with sponsorship from Bengaluru businessman Unnikrishnan Potti, undertook gold plating of the guardian idols and pedestals.
However, vigilance officers later found a shortfall of nearly five kilograms when the items were returned, following which the high court took suo motu cognisance in September 2025. On Monday, the court ordered a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the matter.
The controversy, emerging just weeks after the government and the TDB organised a global devotee conclave for Sabarimala’s redevelopment, quickly snowballed into a political storm, with the opposition Congress and BJP targeting the ruling LDF and TDB.
Since Monday, the UDF has been continuously raising the matter in the ongoing assembly session, demanding the resignation of Devaswom Minister V.N. Vasavan, and removal of the TDB president, armed with banners reading ‘temple thieves’.
Demanding a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation, Leader of Opposition V.D. Satheesan said that Vijay Mallya’s group had donated 30 kg of gold, and that the discrepancy was found in only one item, which had taken 40 days to return after plating.
“It happened in 2019, and the government and the Devaswom Board knew this. We only learned about it after the high court’s intervention. That means they knew about the missing gold. If the sponsor was the only culprit, why didn’t they initiate criminal proceedings against him?” Satheesan said Monday.
On Sunday, Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee chief Sunny Joseph said the party would mobilise devotees against the alleged discrepancy, with protests to be attended by national leaders.
Political analyst and former journalist K.P. Sethunath told ThePrint that UDF has received a windfall and an unexpected opportunity to gain the support that the LDF secured from major Hindu outfits like NSS and SNDP after its conclave. “The UDF thinks they can stir the same fury as during the Sabarimala verdict. But it’s unclear how long they can sustain this,” he said.
Reacting to the allegations, Devaswom Minister V.N. Vasavan said the 2019 incident was being politicised to tarnish the conclave’s success.
“The real issue happened in 2019. The items were sent with Unnikrishnan Potti, who himself raised doubts about the missing gold three days before the conclave. The high court took cognisance, and subsequent probes found it at his relative’s place,” he said, welcoming the SIT probe.
Vasavan added that the conclave had been successful and that the Opposition, despite being invited, had chosen not to attend.
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The scandal
The missing gold was part of the 30 kg donated by Vijay Mallya in 1998, used to plate various temple structures.
According to the Kerala High Court’s observation, Potti had obtained permission in July 2019 to sponsor the fresh gold plating of the Dwarapalaka idols, with removal done in the presence of Devaswom officials. However, the court noted the absence of vigilance officers, as mandated under the Kerala Devaswom Rules.
The entrusted items, weighing 42.8 kg, reached Chennai’s Smart Creations after 39 days. Upon return, the combined weight was recorded at 38.258 kg, according to a mahassar (inventory record), a discrepancy not noted by the Devaswom Board.
“It is elementary that when such precious gold-cladded articles are removed for plating and returned, their weight must be documented. Failure to do so could be intentional to conceal discrepancies. This points to serious administrative lapses,” the court observed.
Meanwhile, Potti continued to deny any wrongdoing, and the items he received in 2019 were copper panels, while a probe by the vigilance office discovered gold-plated pedestals at his relative’s house last week.
Political battle
The current developments have once again put the Sabarimala temple at the forefront of Kerala’s political landscape. Following the Supreme Court verdict in 2018, the ruling LDF, which had initially supported the ruling, had faced stiff protests from sections of devotees and organisations, including the NSS and Congress. The episode had led to the LDF’s worst setback in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, losing 19 of the 20 seats it had contested.
Years after that setback, the government held the Sabarimala Global Devotee Conclave on 21 September this year, seeking to redevelop the temple into a global pilgrimage centre.
The one-day event discussed the Rs 1,300-crore redevelopment plan aimed at improving temple infrastructure and promoting an inclusive image. The conclave was endorsed by Hindu caste organisations, including the NSS and SNDP.
However, the state’s opposition UDF and BJP skipped the event, calling it an “eyewash” ahead of the polls.
“The LDF conducting a conclave is a clear sign that the party wants to regain the votes it lost in the Lok Sabha elections. There is a feeling in the party that a section of Hindu votes, especially Ezhava votes, was lost. They want to bring it back or at least prevent further erosion. One reason is that their focus on minority issues may have alienated some voters. So this event was meant to balance that, not to embrace Hindutva,” said Sethunath.
He added that the current controversy has again placed Lord Ayyappa at the centre of Kerala’s political narrative.
CPI(M) state secretariat member and MLA V. Joy told ThePrint the conclave was solely focused on the temple’s development.
“The party took a stand then, as per the Supreme Court’s verdict, as a ruling party should. But that was not the focus of the conclave,” he said.
(Edited by Sugita Katyal)
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