Kerala’s Temple Fortress

And now the Padmanabha Temple has a Superintendent of Police all to itself to guard its wealth

KOCHI ~ The Kerala government has decided to create a new post of the rank of Superintendent of Police exclusively for the protection of the treasure found in the Sri Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Thiruvananthapuram. The move was probably prompted by the fact that the current city police commissioner, Manoj Abraham, cannot enter the temple since he is a Christian.

The recent discovery of a treasure worth approximately Rs 1,00,000 crore in the temple vaults has turned into a security nightmare for the state government. Since the first week of July, the temple has virtually turned into a garrison, with 200 machine gun-wielding police commandos posted around it on 24-hour surveillance duty. Now, the state police has submitted a report recommending a further Rs 10 crore expenditure to procure state-of-the-art equipment to protect the treasure.

The proposal suggests installing close circuit cameras around the temple complex to monitor the premises as well as specially designed sensors that can capture the smallest movement within a radius of 300 metres. It also recommends installing modern equipment to enable scanning of material taken into the temple, biometric sensors, laser sensors and two armoured vehicles. “We are looking into various state-of-the-art security arrangements that should be made on the temple premises,” Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said, adding that his government was committed to guarding the temple wealth.

Technological support apart, the police face the challenge of going about their duties without breaking the temple’s customs. Women cops, for instance, can only enter the temple in saris, hampering their movement. “How can one be expected to wear a sari in a high security zone such as this?” complains a woman constable posted at the temple.