A shocking discovery has emerged from the holy Trikuta hills. The Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board recently sent nearly 20 tonnes of accumulated silver offerings to a government mint for standard melting and storage. When assayers tested the metal, they found a disturbing truth. The offerings contained as little as 5% to 6% actual silver. The rest was cheap iron and highly toxic cadmium.
This isn’t just a financial scam. It’s a serious public health hazard. Silver trades at roughly Rs 2,75,000 per kg. Cadmium, which looks nearly identical to silver, fetches just Rs 400-500 per kg. The Shrine Board had expected to recover nearly 20 tonnes of silver worth about Rs 500-550 crore. However, the actual value of the real silver content is barely Rs 30 crore. Cadmium is strictly restricted by the Bureau of Indian Standards for consumer goods because it releases carcinogenic fumes when heated. Workers at the mint initially refused to process the material due to safety risks. Prolonged exposure to cadmium can cause severe lung damage, kidney disease, fragile bones, and even increase the risk of cancer.
Where is this fake silver coming from? Authorities suspect that local jewellers and vendors operating near the Vaishno Devi pilgrimage corridor are selling these fake silver articles to unsuspecting devotees. Pilgrims buy “chattars” (small silver umbrellas) and coins as offerings, believing them to be genuine precious metals. The adulteration appears localised, as no similar contamination has been reported at other major religious institutions such as Tirupati, Siddhivinayak, Guruvayur Devaswom or Srikalahasti temples. The mint has formally flagged the issue multiple times over the past year to the Jammu & Kashmir Lieutenant Governor’s office and the shrine board. As of now, no documented action has been taken.
How can devotees protect themselves from this fraud? First, always look for the BIS Hallmark on any silver item. It includes the BIS logo, the word “SILVER”, a purity grade (like 999 or 925), and a 6-digit HUID code. You can enter this HUID code into the official BIS Care App to instantly verify the jeweller’s details and purity results. Second, only buy offering items from official Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board shops located at Katra, Adhkuwari, or Bhawan. Third, be wary of deals that seem too good. Genuine silver is priced according to daily market rates. Unusually cheap “100% silver” items are almost always fake.
This incident is a wake-up call for all religious institutions. The breach of trust is massive. Devotees who trek for miles to offer their prayers are unknowingly being poisoned and cheated. The authorities must act swiftly to investigate and prosecute the culprits. Until then, devotees must remain vigilant and insist on certified pure silver for their offerings.
Sources
Economic Times: Vaishno Devi ‘silver’ offerings scam: Mint finds toxic fake metal in donations
CNBC TV18: Most silver offerings at Vaishno Devi made of toxic metal: Report
News18: Not Silver, Vaishno Devi Shrine Offerings Made Of Cheap Metals?
NewsBytes: Mata Vaishno Devi silver offerings only 5%-6% real, cadmium found
Economic Times: Vaishno Devi offerings case exposes toxic metal in silver
