As the Kerala High Court-appointed special investigation team investigates the alleged gold theft at the Sabarimala temple, another famous temple, Guruvayur Sri Krishna Temple, is under the radar.
Government audits of the Guruvayur Devaswom for 2019–20 and 2020–21 found that the temple management did not properly check or record valuables like gold and silver.
The reports also said there were big differences between the temple’s income and spending and that records were poorly kept.
The audit said that after July 2012, the Guruvayur Devaswom’s decisions were not open for inspection. In 2015, the management decided that its decisions did not have to be submitted for audit.
For the year 2019–20, auditors found large differences between the budgeted and actual revenue and expenditure under several categories, including income from investments, donations, capital receipts, and taxes.
They also said that physical checking of valuables was not being done properly.
According to the Guruvayur Devaswom Rules, 1980, the administrator must keep a register of all temple valuables, and the management committee must check these items every year and send a report to the Devaswom Commissioner.
But, as the audit said, this has never been done since the rules came into force.
When officials asked for documents about the valuables in 2019, the Devaswom did not provide them. The audit also found that the Devaswom did not have a proper accounting system as required by law.
Receipts were not given for items offered by devotees, except for gold and silver.
The 2020–21 audit found that the Devaswom’s expenditure was about Rs. 25 crore more than its total income from all establishments, including resthouses.
The temple’s spending was three times its income, something that had not happened since 2016–17. While the auditors said the Covid pandemic affected income, they also said the Devaswom must improve its financial and regulatory systems to ensure transparency.
What is behind Sabarimala’s gold mystery?
The Guruvayur findings come at a time when Sabarimala temple is facing a major controversy over missing gold.
The issue started on September 10, when the Special Commissioner of Sabarimala told the Kerala High Court that gold cladding from the Dwarapalakas and Peedams, placed on either side of the sanctum, had been removed for renovation without informing him.
The High Court began suo motu proceedings after finding differences in the weight of items returned after a similar renovation in 2019.
On October 6, the court ordered a detailed probe after learning that the Travancore Devaswom Board had listed the items handed over for repair in 2019 as “copper plates”, even though 1.5 kg of gold had been used for cladding in 1999.
The court asked why the TDB recorded gold as copper, why valuable items were given to an unreliable “sponsor”, and why there were no proper records of offerings.
It has now formed a Special Investigation Team and appointed former judge K.T. Sankaran to review all valuables in the temple.
Dubious repairs
United Breweries Group chairman Vijay Mallya had donated gold in 1998 to cover parts of the Sannidhanam, including the Sreekovil entrance, roof, and Dwarapalakas.
The company confirmed that 30.291 kg of gold was used, with 1.564 kg used for the Dwarapalakas.
In 2019, these gold-clad plates were given to a Bengaluru-based Malayali businessman, Unnikrishnan Potti, who said he would sponsor new gold plating and send the items to Chennai-based Smart Creations for the work.
This was a violation of TDB rules, which say such repairs should be done inside the temple premises.
The TDB’s records, however, called the items “copper plates”. The records said 12 copper plates weighing 42.8 kg were removed, even though the UB Group had confirmed gold cladding.
When the items were returned, they weighed 38.258 kg, which is 4.541 kg less than before, but no one questioned it.
Still, in 2025, Unnikrishnan was again given the idols for renovation until the High Court stopped the process. The court asked why repairs were needed again when the 2019 plating had a 40-year warranty.
Later, the Chief Vigilance & Security Officer found that the so-called missing items were kept at the house of Unnikrishnan’s sister, Mini, who said her brother had placed them there himself.
Unnikrishnan had first claimed that the Peedams he sponsored had gone missing but later said they were copper, not gold. Media reports showed he displayed the gold claddings at fundraising events in Chennai and Bengaluru before sending them for plating.
Actor Jayaram, who attended one such event, said he went as a devotee and that “those who have committed any wrongdoing against Lord Ayyappa will face consequences.”
On October 23, the SIT arrested former Sabarimala administrative officer Murari Babu. He had recorded the gold-plated panels of the Dwarapalaka idols and door frames as copper in both 2019 and 2025.
Investigators believe this was part of a plan to steal the gold that was donated by Mallya in 1998–99.