Sabarimala Gold Sheets Taken to Actor Jayaram’s Chennai Home in 2019: Devaswom Board Calls It a Serious Criminal Offence
Thiruvananthapuram: The controversy surrounding the Sabarimala gold-plating project has deepened after revelations that gold-plated cladding from the Dwarapalaka (guardian idol) was taken to actor Jayaram’s residence in Chennai in 2019 for a private ritual.
According to reports, fourteen gold sheets handed over by the Travancore Devaswom Board to Unnikrishnan Potti for plating were later brought to Jayaram’s home after being coated with gold in Chennai. At the residence, the claddings were worshipped in the form of the Dwarapalaka idol before being taken back. Photographs of the ceremony, showing Potti’s wife and son participating, have now surfaced.
Reacting to the development, Travancore Devaswom Board president P. S. Prasanth termed Potti’s actions a serious criminal offence. “It is a grave violation to hand over sacred objects from Sabarimala to private individuals. If the gold-plated sheets were indeed kept in Unnikrishnan Potti’s custody, it was a mistake. The entire chain of events from 1998, when the gold plating was first offered, up to 2025 must be thoroughly investigated. Even if lapses occurred on my part, they should be examined,” Prasanth said.
He added that the Board never permitted Potti to personally transport the sheets, despite his request. “The gold sheets were sent only due to the authenticity of Smart Creations, the firm entrusted with the plating work,” Prasanth clarified.
Meanwhile, K. B. Pradeep Kumar, the legal counsel for Smart Creations, distanced the company from the controversy. “We only accept copper plates for electroplating, not already-plated materials. In 2019, the Dwarapalaka cladding was brought for plating, but it is unclear whether it was directly brought by Unnikrishnan Potti. We have no direct dealings with him apart from what is reported in the media,” he said.
He further stated that Smart Creations had carried out the gold-plating of other copper structures, including the main temple doors of Sabarimala, strictly following protocol.
The revelations have raised fresh questions about how sacred temple materials were allowed to leave Sabarimala’s custody and be taken to private premises for rituals, potentially violating temple tradition and legal norms.