Man who got Sree Padmanabha Swamy temple riches revealed dies

Advocate TP Sunderarajan, the 1964-batch IPS officer whose legal intervention led to the stock-taking of Sree Padmanabha Swamy temple's colossal assets, died on Sunday, spurring talks of "divine retribution" among the believers.


The 70-year-old passed away at about 12.45am at his brother's home around 30 metres from the shrine's west entrance. A family source said Sunderarajan, who was otherwise in good health, was uneasy and feverish for the last two days. On Saturday evening, he complained of wheezing and said he would not last until Sunday morning. He refused to take any medicine or go to a hospital. "At about 12.45am on Sunday, he said he wanted to go to the toilet, but collapsed before he could step in," a family source said.

While some said his sudden death was divine retribution, others asserted he was not put through any suffering of old age. Stories of how tragedy had befallen those who entered the shrine, too, did the rounds during the day, but these could not be confirmed.

Sunderarajan's health, who was behind the legal intervention for the stock-taking of Kerala's Sree Padmanabha Swamy temple's assets, deteriorated on Saturday evening. He had said he would not last until Sunday morning. His family members chose to dismiss his apprehensions; apparently he had said the same thing earlier as well.

Sunderarajan also told a person close to him that he wanted to die before sunrise as otherwise the sun would pass from 'Uttarayana' (north) to Dakshinayana (south). According to Hindu texts, 'Uttarayana' is an auspicious time to leave the body.

By about 8.30am, Sunderarajan's wheezing increased but he refused to take any medicine or go to a hospital. If he is relatives are to be believed, he never took medicines all his life. A home blood glucose test showed his level had dropped to 34. Intravenous glucose failed to revive the dipping sugar level.

Sunderarajan had resigned from the Intelligence Bureau in 1974 to care for his ailing father T K Padmanabha Iyer who had lost his eyesight following a bout of diabetes. While in IB, he was a part of the inner security ring of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, said a family member.

Sunderarajan was a bachelor living with his brother's family. The mortal remains were consigned to flames later in the day.