Every time I visited the temple of Jagannath in Puri, Orissa, my aunts would tell me of huge treasures buried somewhere deep under the temple, protected by serpents. We believed it, as much as we believe Hogwarts, a fascinating and fantastic tale that did not have to be true.

But now, a vast treasure has been discovered in the vaults of the Padmanabha-swami temple in Kerala, and I have started to wonder if there is more to the tales of my aunts.