The Great sabarimala Betrayal: When gold, Power, and politics Joined Hands Against Devotees
The sabarimala gold theft is not a scandal — it is an institutional betrayal of millions who walk barefoot into the forest believing their offerings are sacred. The theft didn’t happen at midnight by outsiders. It was carried out by insiders — the very officials sworn to protect the sanctity of the temple.
THE HYPOCRISY OF “DEVOTEE MANAGEMENT”
Authorities preach discipline, dress codes, crowd control, and strict rituals to devotees. But behind the sanctum, the same system:
replaces gold with bronze
hides missing metal for months or years
protects insiders instead of pilgrims
uses secrecy as a shield against accountability
The system expects devotees to be pure — but excuses itself from purity.
THE POLITICAL SILENCE IS NOT ACCIDENTAL
All political parties — Left, Congress, bjp — are competing for Hindu trust in Kerala. None wants to be the first to escalate the scandal, because the TDB is a political asset.
The silence is a strategy:
Expose too much → lose Hindu votes
Expose too little → lose credibility
So they choose a middle path: “We will investigate.”
Investigations into temple corruption rarely lead to convictions.
THE HIDDEN LOSERS
Devotees: Their donations and faith were literally looted.
Artisans & heritage conservators: The original gold work may be permanently lost.
Local communities: Loss of trust hurts the pilgrimage economy.
Truth: For every kg discovered missing, several more kilos may never be discovered at all.
THE UNCOMFORTABLE TRUTH
Temples in india handle gold and cash equivalent to banks, but operate with transparency equivalent to a private club.
Millions of pilgrims walk with devotion; a handful walk away with wealth.
The sabarimala scandal is not about thieves.
It is about a system designed to make theft invisible.
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“Devotion Looted: The gold Behind Sabarimala’s Scandal”
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