Ancient treasures, sunken gold at the bottom of the ocean, coins and jewelry hidden in the ground - all this excites the hearts of people. In the history of mankind, there are many known cases of the discovery of very large and expensive treasures, but the most significant one happened quite recently - in 2011.
Treasure of Sri Padmanabhaswamy Temple
In the Indian state of Kerala, there is one of the most famous Hindu temples dedicated to the deity Vishnu. This is a thirty-meter graceful building, covered with beautiful carvings, and decorated with frescoes inside. The modern building of the temple was built in the middle of the 18th century by one of the rulers of Travancore.
Before that, the abode of Vishnu stood at this place for many centuries.
For a long time, the existence of treasures in the building's cache was not even suspected - the discovery was made by accident. The temple was in poor condition, requiring repairs and better maintenance, which residents of the city of Thiruvananthapuram complained to the government about. As a result, the sanctuary became a state property, and its restoration began, during which ancient storerooms were found, into which no one entered for more than a century and a half.
Scientists suggest that the rulers of Travancore for many centuries put their treasures in the storerooms of the temple. The treasure included many gold and silver items, coins, precious stones, the total amount of which was 6% of the entire gold fund in India. The treasure is estimated at $ 22 billion, although sometimes they talk about more impressive amounts - $ 25 billion. This is the most expensive found treasure in the world.
The most magnificent piece found in the pantry was a statue of Vishnu, cast in gold and adorned with diamonds, over a meter in height.
Other large treasures
Before the discovery of the treasure of the temple of Sri Padmanabhaswamy, the most expensive treasure was considered to be the treasure that sank several centuries ago and was found by Odyssey Marine Exploration in 2007. The treasure weighed about 17 tons - mostly coins made from gold about four hundred years ago. Each coin has a value of one thousand dollars, and the entire treasure was valued at $ 500 million.
The third largest treasure is found on a sunken Spanish galleon near Florida in 1622. Its cost is $ 400 million.
Perhaps the most expensive treasure in history is yet to be found. Many archaeologists and treasure hunters dream of discovering the treasures of the Templars, among which may be the Holy Grail and the treasures of King Solomon, the tomb of Genghis Khan with enormous riches captured in Ancient Russia, China and India, the treasure of a pirate nicknamed Blackbeard, as well as the Ark of the Covenant - it is assumed that it also contains gold.
