This temple possesses a treasure of trillions of dollars that no one has discovered

Webster's dictionary defines ‘rich’ as “having abundant possessions and especially material wealth”. Now multiply that by the highest number you can think of and we have Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. How else do you plan to describe the world’s richest temple?

The 8th century Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple is one of the 108 temples in India dedicated to Lord Vishnu. In this temple, you will find Lord Vishnu reclining on the hooded serpent Anantha.

It was during the time of King Marthanda Varma that this temple saw a major renovation. What we see today is the result of the meticulous renovation work on the ancient temple. The devout King Marthanda Varma took it upon himself and the royal family to look after the temple and the people of the state/kingdom. This was followed by the tradition of Thripadidanam, the donation to the temple and its deity. The last Maharaja of Travancore Maharaja Sree Padmanabha Dasa Sree Chithira Thirunal Bala Rama Varma, in 1965, formed the Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temple Trust to continue religious offerings and donations.

To this day, the temple is run by a trust headed by the royal family. The donation is not confined to those residing in the state, it can be from anywhere and anyone. Though entry to the temple is only allowed to the Hindus. And it is because of this donation that we are here discussing this.

Back in June 2011, as a result of a petition filed in the court seeking transparency in the management of the temple and the subsequent investigation of the temple complex, six subterranean vaults were found inside the Padmanabhaswamy temple. They were subsequently named vaults A, B, C, D, E, and F. Out of the six, they managed to open five, from which came out items like gold coins, statues, jewelries, precious stones, crowns and even thrones made of gold! The collection turned out to be the largest ever recorded collection of items of gold and precious stones.

It must have been a mammoth task to inventory whatever they could. Several guesses were made by people from all over the world because the full detail of the inventory was never revealed. Sad day for the curious cats!

Out of the six vaults, only five were opened after a lot of struggle with the mega locks which successfully kept the vaults hidden away from the world. Vault A had most of the treasures out of the five open vaults. When all the items were combined, it was a mind-boggling amount of gold and other precious items. Some of the findings were: 4-foot high and 3-foot wide solid pure-golden idol of Mahavishnu studded with diamonds and precious stones; solid gold throne which was meant to accommodate a 18-foot idol of the deity; thousands of pure gold chains, one of which was 18-foot long; sacks full of gold coins from Roman Empire and the medieval period. And believe me, this is not even the tip of the iceberg. It is not possible to give an exact number, such was the amount of treasures that came out from the vaults that were opened.

A public interest petition was filed in the Supreme Court of India for proper assessment of the wealth and maybe a change of management. However, in 2020, the royal family won the fight and they remain the sole authority over the management of the temple and everything that comes with it.

Now, the unopened one–Vault B–brings us to the next part of our story. As per various news reports, Vault B could never be opened, no matter how hard they tried. On top of that, the temple management committee were reluctant to even do something about it, not because of the hard work, but because it is believed that the Vault B is guarded by some supernatural powers. It was also said that anybody who attempts to open the mysterious vault will be inviting some serious troubles.

Nobody knows where these stories came from but it is also believed that whatever is behind the door of Vault B, it is guarded by venomous snakes, vampires and supernatural powers. So Indiana Jones!

As it is a common practice with unknown things and entities, stories get created, mostly outlandish and some downright creative. One such creative story about the mysterious Vault B is that somehow the mysterious vault opens out to the Arabian Sea. This version of the story exists because, apparently, some temple authorities tried to open the vault’s door when all of a sudden they heard sounds of waves crashing. They obviously retreated and gave up.

Venomous snakes or the rough waters of the Arabian Sea, this we have no way of knowing. What we know as of now is that the temple’s treasure has been there for several thousands of years. Right from the kingdoms such as the Cheras, the Pandyas, the Pallavas, the Cholas, and many more, they all have been donating generously to Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple. How much wealth is too much wealth? And all of these have been going on for thousands of years. It’s safe to say that the wealth and mysteries of Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple is unfathomable.

Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/travel...

12 Most Amazing Treasures That Have Been Found Recently

Treasure can take on many forms. It can be large or small. It can be ancient or brand new. It can be money, art, jewelry, or simply a precious item that was considered lost years ago, and then turns up in the last place you’d ever expect to find it. We all enjoy a ‘good luck’ story of incredible treasure being found, and we’ve gathered plenty of them together for you in this video!

Why No One's Allowed To Explore The Antarctic

The world’s coldest continent is also one of the most mysterious places on Earth. It’s as unique as it as secretive, and unlike most of the world, you can’t just hop on a flight and tick it off the bucket list. Unless you’re an elite scientist or an emperor penguin, in an effort to protect the area’s biodiversity, regular folk are forbidden to explore the antarctic. Even if you could, good luck overcoming the frostbite-inducing temperatures of nearly -130 degrees Fahrenheit (-90 C). But where did these heavy restrictions come from? It all started when American Navy officer Admiral Byrd put forth plans for a special treaty, one which declared that Antarctica should remain a completely demilitarised zone and devoid of ownership by any one nation...

Incredible Recent Discoveries in Antarctica!

The Moon rotates around the Earth at about the same speed, as it does around its axis, that’s why we can only see one side of it. It means that 41% of its surface hasn’t been explored yet! This fact surprises many people, as we are used to thinking that we know everything about all things in the world. While even our own planet remains a mystery to us.

Yes, Giant Swords Existed, BUT...

You can find some astonishingly huge swords in museums, and even a few that look like they came straight out of Monster Hunter or some other fantasy game. Were they made for exceptionally tall and strong warriors, or did they serve another purpose, outside of the battlefield?

Let's delve into a few examples to get an idea of just how humongous the biggest ones are. This video also contains a brief look at the historical origin of the greatsword / zweihander / montante / spadone, and what distinguishes it from a longsword.

"That Event Changed the World Forever!" | Top 10 Events That Reshaped History

The way we think about history influences how we think about the present and how we see the world, as well as how we think about reality and our own futures. Engaging and understanding the world around us requires a thorough awareness of how history impacts the present and future. We tried to compile an objective list that covers the most significant and impactful events in world history, the ones that affected the globe more than any other.

Some events take place over a few years, while others span decades. Some had a limited impact on a particular country or continent, while others expanded across the globe and touched every continent. However, we have managed to compile a list of the most significant events in world history.

Tallest Statue Size Comparison (3d animation)

What is the biggest biggest statue in size? Ever wondered how tall statue of liberty is? Or what about statue of unity ? Well! Let’s take a look at some of the biggest statues arround the world ranked by their size.

Celebrities Who Look Eerily Similar To People From The Past

Some celebrities look like people from the past and few of them are mind-melting. Time travel or reincarnation are concepts that belong more in the world of science fiction, philosophy or religious beliefs. However, after seeing photos of few celebrities compared to people from the past, one may start to question whether this is a pure coincidence or perhaps something else is at play.

Nevertheless, check the following video for examples of these historical doppelgangers and see if this will change your mind with regard to time-travel or reincarnation.

2000 Year Old Bible Revealed Lost Chapter With Terrifying Knowledge About The Human Race

Few historical writings arouse as much curiosity as the Book of Enoch, which has been described as "forbidden from the Bible" for unveiling profound truths about the mysteries of creation.

It's a book filled with sensual fallen angels, violent giants, strange cosmology, and world-changing revelations. The Book of Enoch is an apocryphal Old Testament book about events that occurred a century before the birth and ministry of Jesus. Most Christian denominations do not consider this book to be divinely inspired scripture. At the end of the fourth century, the original manuscript disappeared; it was later discovered in Abyssinia, Ethiopia, in 1773. Only the Ethiopian Christian sect includes the Book of Enoch in their scriptures.

Today, we show the startling revelations from the book of Enoch that have been forbidden from the Bible.

The Strangest Pyramid Passage Ever Constructed

The Great Pyramid of Giza holds the most uniquely bizarre passageway ever constructed in an Egyptian pyramid. The ascending corridor, which famously leads to the magnificent Grand Gallery, is designed with masonry that cannot easily be explained.

Unlike every other pyramid corridor, the blocks of the ascending corridor are carved from enormous single stones called ‘girdle-stones’. These blocks are also not aligned to the passage itself, but always oriented vertically with the pyramid.

Compounding this mystery is the fact that the limestone in the ascending corridor has deteriorated more than any other section of the Great Pyramid’s interior. Is it possible to reconcile all of these anomalies? What can the historical account of the Edgar Brothers documenting the ascending corridor teach us today?

10 Believed Extinct Animals Still Alive

In this video we are discussing the Top 10 Believed Extinct Animals Still Alive! Over 5 billion animals have gone extinct since time began, but some animals such as the woolly mammoth and the Tasmanian tiger may still be around with us today!

How 4 Million Fossils Are Extracted From Tar At La Brea Tar Pits

Excavators at the La Brea Tar Pits & Museum work to dig up fossils of mammoths, dire wolves, giant sloths and more out of the ground. They clean and piece together the bones, and prepare them for research and museum collections. With 4 million specimens already in scientists' hands, why keep excavating after more than 100 years?

The La Brea Tar Pits is one of the only paleontological sites on Earth that has preserved an entire ecosystem over time, from plants to camels to bugs. And every new fossil not only helps tell the story of the Los Angeles Basin over 50,000 years but also gives us clues about how current species, including humans, could weather climate change in the future.

We went to the La Brea Tar Pits to see how specimens are discovered, cleaned, and pieced together to build a record of the last 50,000 years.

Evolution of the Alphabet | Earliest Forms to Modern Latin Script

BY THE ARCHAEOLOGIST EDITOR GROUP

The history of written communication is a captivating tale that stretches back thousands of years. One of its most fascinating narratives is the evolution of the alphabet, a set of characters representing the individual phonemes of a language. This article will trace the progression from the earliest forms of alphabets to the modern Latin script most familiar to Western readers.

Proto-writing and Pictograms

Before the invention of the alphabet, ancient civilizations like the Sumerians utilized pictograms—simple drawings used to represent objects or concepts. Over time, as the need for more nuanced communication grew, these pictures evolved into more abstract symbols that represented not just objects but sounds and syllables.

Cuneiform and Hieroglyphs

The Sumerians, who lived in ancient Mesopotamia around 3500 BCE, developed cuneiform, one of the earliest known writing systems. These wedge-shaped inscriptions were made on clay tablets and represented words or syllables. Meanwhile, in ancient Egypt, hieroglyphs, a combination of logographic and alphabetic elements, were used for religious texts, monumental inscriptions, and other official documents.

The Phoenician Alphabet

Around 1200 BCE, the Phoenicians, a maritime trading culture from the Levant, simplified these systems to create one of the earliest alphabets. Their script had about 22 characters, all consonants, and was written from right to left. It became widely adopted due to their extensive trading networks.

Greek Adaptation

As the Phoenician script spread, it was adopted and adapted by various cultures. The Greeks were one of the most significant adopters. They not only borrowed letters but also introduced vowels into the system, an essential step towards creating a true alphabet where every sound, both consonant and vowel, was represented by a distinct character.

The Roman/Latin Script

The Romans were next in line to adapt the script. They borrowed heavily from the Greek alphabet (which was in use in parts of Italy) and added some Etruscan characters. The result was the Latin script, which became the foundation of the Western writing systems we recognize today. The Romans popularized this script throughout their vast empire, from the British Isles to North Africa.

Medieval and Modern Developments

With the fall of the Roman Empire, various regions in Europe began to adapt the Latin script to fit their languages. Letters were added, removed, or modified over time. The Carolingian minuscule, a clear and legible script, was developed during the reign of Charlemagne and became the standard for writing in medieval Europe.

The invention of the printing press by Johannes Gutenberg in the 15th century further standardized the Latin script. The typefaces designed for early printing presses are the ancestors of modern fonts.

The journey from pictograms to the modern Latin script is a testament to human ingenuity and the ever-present need to communicate more effectively. While the characters have evolved and multiplied, the essence remains the same: to represent the sounds of our speech in visual form. The alphabet, as a reflection of our linguistic evolution, showcases the dynamic nature of culture and communication.

Spartan Black Broth | Melas Zomos

If you've ever wanted to be a Spartan warrior, then making a bowl of Melas Zomos is just a part of the process. Today, we cover each step in making both Melas Zomos and in making a Spartan warrior. Enjoy!

How to make 2,000-year-old-bread

In AD 79, a baker put his loaf of bread into the oven. Nearly 2,000 years later it was found during excavations in Herculaneum. The British Museum asked Giorgio Locatelli to recreate the recipe as part of his culinary investigations for the cinema production 'Pompeii Live from the British Museum'.

‘Siberian unicorn’ walked Earth with humans

An extinct giant rhinoceros, sometimes described as a “Siberian unicorn,” lived on the planet much longer than scientists previously thought, new research shows.

A study published on 2018 in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution says that the shaggy creature once roamed among humans, surviving in Eastern Europe and western Asia until at least 39,000 years ago, around the same time of Neanderthals and early modern humans.

The report’s authors have not responded to a request for comment.

The latest findings used radiocarbon dating and genetic analysis on 23 specimens of the rhinoceros to reveal the life of the mysterious 3.8-ton Elasmotherium sibiricum, which was previously thought to have become extinct about 200,000 years ago.

They suggest that the “Siberian unicorn,” which would have lived in modern-day Russia and had range that extended to areas in Mongolia, northern China and Kazakhstan, went extinct due to environmental changes that affected the sort of grasses and herbs it used to eat, the study’s authors wrote in the Conversation.

The animal, whose horn could be up to a meter long, found it hard to shift away from a grass diet, the authors wrote.

“Relatives such as the woolly rhino had always eaten a more balanced array of plants, and were much less impacted by a change in habitat,” they wrote.

They added that humans were not the cause of its extinction.

“In addition to this, the persistently restricted geographical range of Elasmotherium (also probably linked to its specialized habitat), as well as the low population size and slow reproductive rate associated with its large body size, would have predisposed it to extinction in the face of environmental change,” the authors wrote in the study.

The scientists say the loss of the Siberian unicorn provides a useful case study “displaying the poor resilience of rhinos to environmental change.”

Source: https://edition.cnn.com/2018/11/27/europe/...