The Special Investigation Team (SIT) investigating the loss of gold in Sabarimala Temple conducted some detailed scientific tests in the morning of Monday, removing several gold-plated plates in the outer section of the sreekovil (sanctum sanctorum) to conduct a test. It was inspected at 1:15 pm under the instructions of the Kerala High Court after the deva anujna ceremony and the temple closing after the uchcha puja. The authorities reported that the process went on until 3 pm, then the temple was opened to normal rituals.
Deputy SP S. Sasidharan together with his investigation team has been camped at Sabarimala since Sunday to monitor the process. With police officers, a 20-member group of forensic specialists, chemical and technical analysts, was added to the SIT. The whole exercise had been well videotaped and photographed to ensure the transparency.
The team needed to reach the places they were surveying and to do this, sculptors of the Travancore Devaswom Board helped the team extract gold-covered plates off side pillars, the pedestals of the dwarapalakas (guardian idols), and the sreekovil door frames safely. These plates were moved into another room and their weights were noted and samples of materials were taken to be tested in the forensic laboratory. It is confirmed that the plates will be replaced again as the analysis is going to be conducted.
The SIT had previously approached the Kerala High Court to allow them to perform scientific tests on the dwarapalaka plates following the worries about the amount of gold that was allegedly lost during the 2019 electroplating procedure. The court, in turn, ordered the investigators to weigh the plates belonging to the dwarapalakas and the side pillars, determine the degree of purity and quality of the metal gold cladding, measure the surface area, and collect samples of copper on the plates and door frames.
Each of the samples will be subjected to efficient scientific tests such as electrical conductivity, spectroscopic analysis, and microstructure analysis.
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