Shocking truth behind ‘silver’ offerings at Vaishno Devi Temple: Not just fake - potentially harmful

What many devotees see as a precious offering at the Vaishno Devi Temple is now sparking some uncomfortable questions—and it’s not just about money anymore, but health too.

A recent investigation has brought out something quite surprising. A big portion of the “silver” being offered at the shrine isn’t actually silver. Instead, it’s mixed with cheaper metals, including cadmium - a toxic material that can be risky, especially for the people handling it.

So, what exactly happened?

This all came to light when the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board sent nearly 20 tonnes of collected offerings to a government mint. The idea was simple: melt it down and recover the silver.

But what they found was far from what anyone expected.

Tests showed that only about 5–6% of the metal was actually silver. The rest was mostly cadmium and iron. That’s a huge difference from what devotees believed they were offering.

And it shows in the numbers. Silver is expensive, while cadmium costs very little. So the overall value of these offerings dropped sharply - from what was once expected to be worth hundreds of crores to just a small fraction of that.

In one example, about 70 kg of offerings gave only 3 kg of real silver. On top of that, it took officials months to separate the usable metal, which says a lot about how widespread the issue might be.

Why this isn’t just about money

The bigger worry here is safety.

Cadmium isn’t something harmless. It’s used in industrial work but is tightly restricted in everyday products under rules set by the Bureau of Indian Standards—and for good reason.

It’s toxic.

When heated, like during the melting process, cadmium releases fumes that can harm the lungs, damage kidneys, and even raise cancer risk over time. People working directly with it face the highest danger, especially without proper protection.

In fact, mint officials were initially reluctant to even handle the material because of these risks. They only went ahead after putting safety measures in place and using special equipment to deal with it.

The larger concern

There’s also the environmental side to think about. Metals like cadmium don’t just vanish - they can pollute the air and water if not handled properly. So the impact could go beyond just workers.

At the end of the day, this raises some pretty serious questions. Are devotees unknowingly being misled about what they’re buying and offering? And more importantly, could this be putting people’s health at risk?

It’s a bit of a wake-up call. Even in places rooted in faith, there’s clearly a need for more awareness - and maybe stricter checks - around what’s being sold and offered.