New evidence points to post-2019 tampering

A detailed image-analysis by the Travancore Devaswom Board's vigilance wing indicates material differences between the present gold-plated sheets and those existing before mid-2019, supporting claims that alteration took place after July 2019, when the panel donor, Unnikrishnan Potti, assumed custodianship of the layer.

- HD Bureau

Investigators compared archival photographs of the dwarapalaka idol panels prior to 2019 with current high-resolution images. The vigilance report notes that the grain structure, reflectivity and layering patterns differ markedly. The older images show a uniform gold lamination consistent with