Posted by Gopal Unnikrishna
The history of the temple can be traced back as far down to 9th century as evidenced by Vaishnavaite saint Nammalvar"s devotional songs called "Malainattu Thiruppatikal" which eulogize the Vishnu temples of Kerala wherein Sree Padmanabhaswami temple is praised as one of the most sacred Vishnu temples of Kerala. The devotion of the royal family to the temple was extraordinary, amounting to almost total surrender. Maharaja Anizham Thirunal Marthandavarma the maker of modern Travancore, extended the small principlity he inherited that consisted of only areas from Kanyakumari in the south to Attingal in the north in to what is now known as the Travacore area or the erstwhile princely state of that name, by conquering and annexing all the feudatories beyond Attingal and up to Alangad and to the very borders of old Cochin kingdom, finally defeating even the great Samuthiri of Kozhikode. At the end of all his conquests and the consolidation of all the territories in to a viable new greater princely state, the Maharaja performed 'Thrippadidanam",the ultimate act of devotion to his deity by surrendering the whole state at the feet of Lord Padmnabhaswami and vowed to rule the state only as a trustee and servant of the lord, and then on assuming the title of Sree Padmanabhadasa ( servant of the Lord). 
The Sree Padmanabha Temple in Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala, India, traditionally regarded as the family temple of the erstwhile royal family of the State of Travancore and administered by the royalty, at once emerged as the wealthiest temple in the world when its long-closed vaults ,barring one that couldn't be opened , were accessed and the contents enlisted in compliance of a directive by the Supreme Court of India. The directive of the court was in pursuance of a suit filed by a member of a priestly family associated with the temple, praying for state take over of the temple from the royalty in the wake of his dissatisfaction with the temple administration. This gargantuan wealth consisting of precious stones, gold, silver and also ornaments , statues and other exquisite artifacts in high-pristine gold studded with gems, have aroused sheer ecstasy among devotees, It is speculated, perhaps not widely off the mark, that this temple treasure is worth 1.5 to 2 lakh crores of rupees and that if the antique value of most of it is taken in to account the value might rise to mind boggling astronomical figures. Unfortunately and expectedly such hitherto unheard of wealth has aroused envious angst and greed among certain other sections of people. This section mainly consisting of atheists and leftists would rather have this incomparable temple heritage be confiscated and amalgamated to the state exchequer so that they can lay their hands on it with the help of the wily politicians among them.
The royal family of Travancore ( Thiruvithammcode) is believed to be the successors of famed Cheraman Perumals who were headquartered at Kodungalloor ( the ancient Mahodayapura).. Chera kingdom under the Perumals got dismembered in early 12th century which led to the formation of many feudatories and to their ascendency as local rulers. The southern section known as Venad together with nearby Aynad was soon constituted as the early Travancore principality by the Venad kings whose family deity it was, Lord Vishnu in the form of Sree Padmanabhaswami.
Though the state was symbolically surrendered to the deity, the administration of the state and the temple was maintained scrupulously separate . Even in earlier days the temple affairs were managed by a group called "Ettarayogam" ( group of eight and half) consisting of eight Brahmin houses and the Maharaja, latter being the half unit or vote. The treasury of the temple and the exchequer of the state were never allowed to be mixed up or overlapped. Management and revenue records of the temple were known as "Mathilakam Records" and have been published over the time ,one volume having been published by the famed Malayalam poet ,the great Ulloor S. Parameswara Iyer when he was the Dewan Peshkar of the state.
It is quite clear that the wealth now uncovered in the vaults of the temple represents the offerings of the devotees , among them other rajas and dignatories, over the ages, and the conquest booties gifted to the deity by successive maharajas all of which accumulated in to great wealth rightly belonging to the temple. It is in fact the personal property of Lord Padmanabhaswami who according to Indian laws is to be deemed as a juristic person with all the rights and privileges of an individual. The latest and the most famous case where the argument based on juristic nature and attribute of divinity or diety is the Ayodhya Ramajanmabhoomi verdict accepted and relied in the verdict by the three men bench of the Allahabad High Court wherein that was the only argument accepted by the court (See: http://jeeyu.blogspot.com/2010/12/blog-post.html). There is no way the state can claim it or come in to the picture except as provider of adequate security, considering the wealth as matter of great pride to the state. No amount of gratitude and praise for the royal family of Travancore is adequate, who most faithfully and zealously guarded this wealth over the ages. Their flag while in power, red with a silver, dextrally-coiled, sacred conch shell can now truly be imagined to be flying and fluttering in the high winds of grandeur and they deserve a 21 gun salute as the British Empire used to honor them with.
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