Thiruvananthapuram, June 27
Four of the six underground inner chambers at the Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple here, where priceless jewels and articles of rare antiquity are believed to have been stored, were opened this morning in the presence of two former judges of Kerala High Court.

The cellars, remaining closed for several decades, were ordered to be opened by the apex court to prepare an inventory while considering a private petition recently.

The examination was conducted but the media was kept away as its result was meant to be informed only to the Supreme Court.

The apex court had appointed Justices M N Krishnan and C S Rajan as observers.

Additional Chief Secretary K Jayakumar, temple executive officer Harikumar, petitioner T P Sundararajan and a representative from the Archaeology Department and two representatives of Travancore King Marthandavarma were also present while the chambers were opened.

“We will open four of the six chambers today and prepare a detailed inventory of all assets within it. We will convene a meeting on Friday to discuss the details of the process,” Justice Krishnan said. — PTI

* SC called for inventory of assets on a private petition, which sought greater transparency

* Four of the six chambers opened in presence of two former HC judges

* Report of assets to be submitted to SC soon, details not to be shared with media till then

* This famous temple is known for its architectural elegance and has the main deity Padmanabhaswamy, a form of Vishnu, in a reclining pose