Pathanamthitta (Kerala) | The gold-clad copper plates of the 'Dwarapalaka' (guardian deity) idols at Sabarimala temple, which had been sent to Chennai for repair, were brought back to the hill shrine on Sunday, the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) said.

The return comes amid controversy after the Kerala High Court found that the plates had been removed and transported without its permission.

The court also flagged discrepancies in their recorded weight and ordered a vigilance probe.

According to TDB officials, the plates were brought back from Chennai on Sunday after completing the work and will be reinstalled with the consent of the tantri following the rituals.

TDB officials said they would soon inform the High Court of their return.

The court had recently noted that while records showed the plates weighed 42.8 kg when removed in 2019 for fresh gold-plating, they weighed only 38.258 kg when produced before the company assigned to carry out the work.

The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) has initiated a preliminary investigation into the incident, officials said.