Just as priceless treasures found in caves in Kerala Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple is estimated at around Rs 90,000 crore, the discovery has prompted a debate about how to protect and preserve the real estate that has exceeded everyone’s imagination.

Opening the long-block rooms, the Supreme Court which began on June 27 has so far revealed a number of gold ornaments, gold and silver, stone studded rings, idols and statues inlaid with precious stones and jewels.

The exercise to assess the value of the items, conducted by a group of seven observers, including two former judges of the Supreme Court, continues Monday after a day of rest on Sunday.

The advent of the temple as one of the wealthiest Hindu shrines in the world has also thrown up security with police as an intermediate step implementation of two platoons of armed personnel.

According to temple sources, the Treasury has so far been estimated at around Rs 90,000 crore.

The nagging question for historians, scholars and lovers of the culture of the temple, however, is how to protect the tax because of its immense historical and cultural value.

Many of them say that the treasure symbolizes honesty and simplicity of the first king of Travancore, who has not removed a single item from the stack, whose existence was known.

While the treasures of this type for many other princely states of pre-colonial India was looted by the attackers, luxury or lost by members of the royal houses themselves, the kings of Travancore have jealously guarded the state reserves, say.

Narayanan, former President of Indian Congress History says the greatest care and thought should be given to protect the treasures.

“The state or the state can not take these assets, they are part of the funds of the temple to the monitoring system by the kings of Travancore,”.

“We have the examples before us many temples that have been supported by the government, and later sank in the mismanagement and irregularities. It should not come to this shrine as well,” he said.

“In my opinion, a museum of the temple can be set up and a few selected articles, collected in the basement can be cataloged and displayed. Other items should be kept in a safer place.”

Historian and author of MG Sasibhushan found that the rare treasures that are kept for centuries, the room is an altar, is preserved for future generations.

Parts from other princely states like Vijayanagar Empire and European countries are also present, which could be part of the donations received by the leaders of the time.

The pieces also reflect the revenue that the Royal Government, through its maritime spice trade.

While all major temples in the region was given to the Travancore Devaswom Board after the merger of the princely state with the Indian Union after 1947, was the control of the temple Padmanabhaswamy held by the royal house through a pact with the government.

Although the last ruler Royal Sree Tirunal Balarama Varma Chithirai left intact all the treasure he was done “Rajapramukh” (status equivalent to governor) after the merger.

Meanwhile, teams like community organizations such as VHP and Nair Service Society and Sree Dharma Paripalana Naryana yogam warned against any attempt by the state to take the treasure and I wanted them to be reported as assets of the temple.