Indian court orders curator for Hindu temple treasures
- July 07, 2011 11:28
A treasure with an estimated value of more than $20 billion that was discovered in the vaults of a Hindu temple last week will have a court-ordered curator.
India's Supreme Court has ordered that a curator oversee the immense trove of diamonds, emeralds, gold and silver coins, and figurines representing centuries of trade and worship.
Armed police are guarding the Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple, which was the royal chapel for the former rulers of Travancore in Kerala.
Photographs and video of the find have been ordered, and video surveillance will be installed while an inventory is made.
A question of ownership remains as some argue that the riches belong to the people and should be used for the public good while others say the wealth belongs to the temple, which is the property of a private family.
100x100_c.jpg "‘The Surf Riders of Hawaii’ by A.R. Gurrey Jr., the earliest and most important book pertaining to the sport of surfing, circa 1910-1914, one of eight known survivors or an unknown original number. Handmade with eight gelatin silver period photos of surfers in Hawaii, adorned with hand calligraphy and including poetry and prose by Lord Byron and Gurrey")
100x100_c.jpg "Sheila Isham Tui II, 1972 Acrylic on canvas 42 x 52 in. (106.7 x 132.1 cm)")
100x100_c.jpg "Boba Fett L-slot rocket-firing prototype action figure, predecessor to the Boba Fett figure in Kenner’s popular 1979 Star Wars toy line, 3.75in tall, AFA-graded 80+ NM (archival case). Encapsulated with notarized CIB COA. Sold for a world-record price of $236,000 against an estimate of $100,000-$200,000")
![Peter Paul Rubens (Flemish, 1577–1640), After Titian (Tiziano Vecelli) (Italian [Venetian], c. 1488–1576), Rape of Europa, 1628–29. Oil on canvas, 71 7/8 x 79 3/8 in.](/images/c/e2/2e/Jan20_Rape_of_Europa100x100_c.jpg "Peter Paul Rubens (Flemish, 1577–1640), After Titian (Tiziano Vecelli) (Italian [Venetian], c. 1488–1576), Rape of Europa, 1628–29. Oil on canvas, 71 7/8 x 79 3/8 in.")
