A Lucky Streak: Winning the Lottery Was Just the Start for This Man

Most people would describe winning the lottery as the luckiest thing to ever happen in their lives. In fact, most people will never get this lucky. Well, today’s lottery winner isn’t like most people. This is why we’re dedicating an entire story to him.

Usually, becoming a lotto winner is the end of the road. Not for this guy! For him, winning the lottery was just the beginning of a lucky streak that does sound stranger than fiction.

A Streak of Luck Begins

Introducing Rathnakaran Pillai from Kerala. He’s 66, and he likes the lottery. He loves it so much that he plays often, and his efforts eventually paid off.

In January 2019, Rathnakaran won Rs 6 crore from a Christmas lottery draw or approximately 842,000 dollars. Yep, the sum is massive and life-changing. But what Rathnakaran decided to do with his money proved to be even more life-changing in the grand scheme of things.

Many go down a slippery path after winning quick cash, but our Kerala man adopted a rational approach. He wasn’t interested in luxurious properties or yachts. Our man decided to invest some of the money in the purchase of land.

His goal was to start growing vegetables and maybe run a little business of his own.

Lady Luck Strikes Again

A few months after winning the lottery, Rathnakaran discovered the plot that he liked. It was covered in fertile soil, and it was located very close to his home. The plot seemed like the perfect investment, which is why our lotto winner went ahead and bought it.

The fact that the land was located close to an old Krishna temple didn’t make Rathnakaran think about what could potentially be hiding underneath the soil.

Shortly after buying the land, Rathnakaran began preparing for growing his veggies. He was tilling the soil when he came across a clay pot that had been hidden underneath the surface. Imagine Rathnakaran’s surprise when he opened the pot to reveal its contents – a collection of thousands of ancient copper coins.

Yes, our lotto winner has a treasure buried on the property that he bought with his lottery money. What are the odds of this happening???

A Treasure Gets Evaluated

Just like any other human being with a bit of conscience, Rathnakaran informed the police about the fortune that he found.

Experts took a closer look at the coins. The set consisted of 2,595 coins dating back to the times of Travancore- Sree Mulam Thirunal Rama Varma and Sree Chithira Thirunal Bala Rama Varma. These two maharajas reigned in the period from 1885 to 1924 and from 1924 to 1949, respectively.

The State Archaeology Department in Kerala is still working on determining the exact value of the treasure. For the time being, the coins need to be cleaned and restored by professionals. Since they’re made of copper, most of the coins turned green with age and oxidation. After the initial work is done, an expert panel will be assembled to take a closer look at the treasure and determine both its historical and monetary values.

According to historians, Travancore maharajas used their ancient coinage system called fanam before the introduction of the rupees in India. The coins were available in three varieties – silver, gold, and copper.

The Rathnakaran treasure is entirely made up of four different kinds of copper coins. These have specific denominations, and some of them are potentially over 100 years old.

According to the lotto winner, the owner of the treasure could have been an old healer who lived close to the Krishna temple. At the time being, however, this is pure speculation, and there’s no confirmation of Rathnakaran’s theory.

What Would Happen to the Treasure Next?

That’s the one question you’re most interested in, aren’t you? Don’t worry; we’re also curious to find out what would happen to the over 20 kilograms of ancient coins.

The Kerala Treasure Trove Act was enforced in 1968, and it’s the one legal document that will affect our honest and noble lotto winner.

According to the act, the finder of any treasure that either has a high appraisal value or historical significance is obliged to turn it over to local authorities or a national treasury. So as you can see, keeping the treasure would be against the law.

A failure to notify the authorities about the treasure comes with sanctions, and such a transgression will also lead to the loss of the land where the treasure was found. Based on this information, we can conclude that Rathnakaran did the right thing.

There is a bit of silver lining for such an honest person in this situation.

Official authorities announced that once the value of the treasure gets established, Rathnakaran will be provided with just compensation for alerting the authorities and turning the historical artifacts over.

“I never thought about its value or how much I will get when I unearthed it. I’m just happy to have found this ancient trove from my land. I have handed it over to the government, and now it is in their safe custody,”

Rathnakaran Pillai said in a media interview.

So as you can see, Rathnakaran hasn’t profited from his incredible finding. The story, however, is unbelievable. We can confidently conclude that Rathnakaran is the luckiest man in India, and we can’t wait to find out what his next discovery would be.