The retrieval of the treasure in the secret chambers of the 18th century-built Sree Padmanabha Swamy temple at Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala was not affected easily. The search in the secret chambers can have resemblance to the adventures of the Indiana Jones or treasure hunt in cow-boy movies.

The retrieval team members, who included two former judges of the Kerala High Court appointed as observers by the Supreme Court, first found nothing when they entered the cellar A on Wednesday but they could locate a passage leading to a secret chamber in the cellar.

They did not dare to open the chamber as it was pitch dark and there was no air circulation. They returned with a strong decision to explore the chamber next day.

The next day, the team decided to open the chamber wearing oxygen masks and when they opened the chamber, they first saw sand layers in the passageway. Exploring, some of the team members removed the sand and found some arrow marks made on stone spreading across the huge chamber.

The team members followed the arrow marks which led them to the huge treasure valued to be around Rs. 50, 000 on a minimum basis.

According to sources, the treasure included three huge glittering crowns studded with shining diamonds, a huge idol of Sree Pandmanabha Swamy, more than 1000 traditional golden necklaces, some of them extending up to 18 ft each in length and weighing more than 2 kg.