Thiruvananthapuram: the temple with the hidden treasure

Capital of Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram preserves in a Hindu temple one of the world's richest religious treasures ever discovered, still partially unexplored.

The centre is explored on foot; nearby beaches require a car.

The Padmanabhaswamy Temple, dedicated to the god Vishnu, hides in its underground chambers a treasure estimated in billions of dollars, discovered only in part during a judicial investigation in 2011.

A short walk away, the Napier Palace, in Indo-Saracenic style, today houses a natural history museum with a collection of historical artifacts from Kerala, including ancient manuscripts.

Continuing, you visit the city's Zoo, among the oldest in India, founded in the nineteenth century inside a historic park.

In the afternoon it is worth reaching the beach of Kovalam, a short distance from the city, with its crescent-shaped bays and a historic lighthouse on the cliff.

One of the six underground chambers of the Padmanabhaswamy Temple remains unopened to this day, by religious tradition rather than for security reasons: it is believed that opening it would bring misfortune.

The temple treasure includes gold coins, jewels and ancient statues accumulated over the centuries by local rulers as votive offerings to the deity.