The Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), the authority which manages the administration of around 1,248 temples in Kerala has taken new decision on the gold that devotees has offered in various temples. The TDB is planning to deposit all gold offerings with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) under the Gold Monetisation Scheme. As per reports, the board has taken an ‘in-principle decision’ and it was estimating the value of gold across the temple the board administers.
Initial estimates show that TDB could deposit as much as 1,200 kg of gold with the RBI, which will give two per cent annual interest rate on the value of gold deposited. However, ornaments used for temple rituals, poojas and daily worship, besides those having antique value, will not be touched. This was said by N.Vasu the president of the TDB.
TDB will follow the footsteps of the Tirupati Tirumala Devasthanam (TTD), the administrator of the world’s richest Sri Balaji Temple, and the Guruvayur Devaswom Board that runs the Sri Krishna temple in Guruvayur.
The Guruvayur Devaswom Board had deposited 400 kg of gold with the RBI in 2009 through the Mumbai branch of the State Bank of India for seven years. Last year, the Guruvayur board decided to deposit another 350 kg of gold received during 2009-2019 as offerings from devotees. The TTD deposited 2,780 kg of gold in August 2017 that would fetch 2.5 per cent interest for 12 years.The Somnath Temple Trust, too, has deposited six kg of gold with the RBI.
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