An early estimate placed the value at approximately 500 billion rupees (about $11 billion), but later was revised to closer to 1 trillion rupees (about $22 billion) after the final chamber was opened.

The stunning collection would “make the British crown jewels look like bargain basement trinkets,” Lalika Panicker wrote in the Hindustan Times. The treasure includes ropes of gold that weigh up to 25 pounds each, adorned with likenesses of the deity Vishnu, plus other artifacts, gold and silver bullion, offerings from worshippers, Napoleonic-era coins, and war booty collected by the royal family that once ruled this southern, coastal area of India.

The find has sparked a nationwide debate over what to do with the massive stash. Besides paying off the state’s $16 billion in government debt, other ideas proposed are establishing universities or building a subway in Kochi, Kerala’s largest city.

Who owns the $22 billion treasure is also open for debate. The current group of royals, whose ancestral family gave the gems to the temple’s deity, feels the collection should be left alone and preserved for future generations.

The state government says it has no desire to seize it but has added numerous guards and commandos to the temple’s existing security force. Ultimately, India’s Supreme Court will make the decisions.