HC order on royal temple: Palace trust to seek legal options

The grand temple, famed for its boat-shaped granite tower, columns of exquisitely carved stone pillars and rows of dangling brass lamps, has been under the upkeep of the royal house for centuries since.

"On getting the copy of the High Court order, we will examine the legal possibilities of filing an appeal against yesterday's High Court order," a Palace official told PTI. The trust sources say that bringing the temple under the government control will infringe the covenant entered into by the state and the royal family when the princely rule came to an end in 1947.

While all other major temples in south Kerala were brought under control of the Travancore Devaswom Board, Sree Padmanabha temple alone was allowed to retain a special trust as the preseiding deity of the temple is said to be the family deity of the royal family, sources said.

Trust sources held that there was no ground for the state take-over of the shrine since there was no mishap, as happened in Sabarimala recently, or proven charges of corruption in running of the temple affairs.

A Division Bench of the court had yesterday directed the government to form a trust for managing the temple in three months as the royal family had no hereditary rights over the temple, based on a private petition seeking a direction in this regard. The court also asked the government to prepare an inventory of the temple's properties.

According to historians, the present temple was built in 18th century during the reign of King Marthanda Varma. The temple is also the first Hindu shrine in Kerala to open doors for all castes through the Temple Entry Proclamation in 1936.