Audit Reveals Major Irregularities in Kerala’s Guruvayur Temple Treasury: Gold Crown Replaced with Silver, 530 Kg Ivory Missing

Digital Desk

A recent audit has uncovered serious irregularities in the management of gold, silver, and other valuables at Guruvayur Temple, one of Kerala’s most prominent Krishna temples. The findings are detailed in the 2019–20 and 2020–21 reports from the state audit department.

Gold and Silver Items Misused

The audit reports reveal widespread misappropriation of items used in temple rituals:

A gold crown was replaced with a silver one.
A 2.65 kg silver vessel was returned weighing only 750 grams.
A silver pot lost 1.19 kg in weight over 10 months.
Other silver items, such as lamps, were also returned underweight.

The discrepancies were discovered by examining the double-locked register used to track items handed over to and returned by the Guruvayur Devaswom Board, which manages the temple.

Over 530 Kg of Ivory Unaccounted For

A major concern involves the mishandling of ivory at the Punnathur Kotta Elephant Sanctuary, run by the Devaswom:

522.86 kg of ivory, harvested from temple elephants in 2019, was never handed over to the Forest Department as required by law.
Between April and November 2019, the ivory was either removed or remained undocumented.
No seizure memos or receipts were found, violating wildlife regulations.

Despite repeated directives, the Devaswom failed to report or hand over the ivory, the audit states.

Devotee Offerings Also Missing

The audit also noted the disappearance of 17 sacks of Manjadi Kuru (red sandalwood seeds), which had been offered by devotees during 2019–20:

Though auctioned for ₹100/kg, the buyer never collected them.
CCTV footage later showed health department workers removing the sacks by tractor.
Officials claimed they were relocated due to space constraints, but no records confirmed their final location or re-auction.

Devaswom President Responds

Guruvayur Devaswom President V.K. Vijayan addressed the controversy, stating:

“These issues occurred before the current board's tenure. The matter is already in court, and the board has submitted its response.”

On the missing ivory, he added:

“Since 2022, six temple elephants have died, and postmortems were conducted in the presence of Forest Department officials. The ivory was never handed over to the Devaswom — only the postmortem reports were received.”

He emphasized that the allegations refer to events prior to 2022.