Temple boards in Kerala have received a letter from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) seeking details of the stock of gold in their possession, a temple board official said Thursday.
Speaking to IANS, a top official of the famous Guruvayoor Devasom Board said a letter has been received from the RBI seeking details of gold stocks it holds.
"I have passed on the letter to the managing committee of the temple, as all policy decisions are taken by the committee," the temple official, asking not to be identified, said.
The majority of temples in the state comes under the five different Devasom Boards, of which the Travancore Devasom Board is the biggest, with the famous Sabarimala temple falling within its jurisdiction.
Regional Director Salim Gangadharan of the RBI, speaking to IANS, confirmed that a letter has been sent, but clarified: "The RBI has no plans to buy gold, and this exercise is nothing but part of a statistical exercise."
Incidentally, in July 2011 an apex court committee stumbled upon six vaults at the Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple in the heart of the state capital. With only vault B left yet unopened, the treasure found in the five vaults has been estimated at over Rs.1 lakh crore.
