Keep The Shine On
- July 1, 1949: Princely states Travancore and Cochin merge to form a precursor to the state of Kerala. Since 1947, Padmanabhaswamy temple has been run by a trust controlled by royal family descendants
- December 2009: Retired IPS officer Sundararajan files petition questioning the royal family’s rights on the shrine; demands that the temple be handed over to the government
- Jan 31, 2011: Kerala High Court directs government to form a trust to take control of the temple, its assets and management
- May 2, 2011: The royal family objects. Supreme Court stays HC order, appoints a seven-member panel to do an audit of the temple’s treasures
- June 27, 2011: Stocktaking begins, five underground vaults yield treasure worth an
estimated Rs 1 lakh crore - July 4, 2011: Attempts to open sixth and last vault, Chamber B, believed to contain the most...
