Hindu Temple Strikes Gold

Debate emerges over what to do with $22 billion worth of treasures found in secret vaults in southern India.

Approximately $22 billion in gold, diamonds, and jewels have been discovered in a Hindu temple in southern India. The temple’s treasures were hidden in a series of secret vaults in Thiruvananthapuram, owned by descendents of the royal family of Travancore. The vaults were locked for over 150 years before a seven-member delegation opened the chambers following a petition by a local lawyer. Officials discovered roughly 1,000 kilograms of gold coins, an 18-foot solid-gold ornament, and a gold statue of the Hindu god Vishnu, with another vault still unlocked. Debates are already brewing over whether the new-found wealth should be invested in the temple or in the coastal state of Kerala.