Vast Temple Treasure Unearthed in India

One of the classic powers attributed to grimoire spirits is the ability to find lost or hidden treasure. In the modern age this is naturally a more difficult power to take advantage of, as most of the world's valuables can now be kept track of unlike in the medieval period in which such items were much more commonly misplaced. Still, treasures likely do remain in archaeological sites around the world that have yet to be found. Recent excavations in India have uncovered a series of vaults beneath an ancient temple in which an astonishing cache of precious metals and jewels dating back to the sixteenth century was stored.

Onlookers and devotees thronged the shrine in the bustling center of Thiruvananthapuram, the capital of India's southern Kerala state, as officials said treasure worth more than $20 billion had been found -- more than India's education budget.

Sacks filled with diamonds were piled next to tonnes of gold coins and jewelry, media reported, in the vaults of the 16th century Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple, the royal chapel of the former rulers of Travancore, now part of Kerala state.

"The current market value of the articles found so far by the committee members would be roughly 900 billion rupees ($20.2 billion)," one temple official who was not authorized to speak to the media told Reuters.

It is not uncommon for temples in India to amass wealth, though if the reports are accurate the Kerala find is one of the largest in history. Seekers commonly make substantial donations to temples or spiritual gurus, which can add up to astronomical sums. In addition, gurus who become known worldwide can multiply their earnings many times.

Several temples in India have billions of dollars worth of wealth as devotees donate gold and other precious objects as gifts to spiritual or religious institutions that run hospitals, schools and colleges.

The Tirumala temple in eastern Andhra Pradesh state is reported to have 3,000 kg (6,600 lb) of gold, a third of which it deposited with the State Bank of India last year, while spiritual guru Sai Baba, who died in April, left behind an estimated $9 billion estate.

Yoga guru Baba Ramdev, who staged a fast against corruption last month that lead to protests against the government, has built a $40 million-a-year global empire through yoga and various spiritual products and services.

Probably due to various cultural factors, Western mystics have a much harder time making a living at spiritual pursuits. Even those who succeed rarely come close to acquiring the level of resources that Indian gurus seem to be able to obtain from their followers. I suppose that's one more reason treasure-hunting grimoire spirits are worth experimenting with.