At the Arulmigu Kandaswamy Thiruppurur temple, the employee took out the mobile from the donation box. (circled in red)
In the Tamil film ‘Palayathamman’, a woman accidentally drops her child in a temple ‘hundi’ (donation box) and the child becomes ‘temple property’. A similar incident took place at the Arulmigu Kandaswamy temple in Thiruppur near Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
Dinesh, a resident of Vinayagapuram, had come to visit the temple with his family in November. As he took the offering out of his pocket, his iPhone fell into the donation box. After that, he contacted the temple administration and asked to return the cell phone.
The temple administration said the donation box was opened once in two months. After that, Dinesh returned empty-handed from the temple. The temple’s donation box was opened on December 20. A motive was found there. The temple administration informed Dinesh about it.
The administration told him that the mobile would not be returned, because according to tradition, whatever arrived in the donation box went to the account of the temple deity. You can take your SIM card and data from your phone. However, Dinesh’s request is to return the mobile.
The minister said – The thing in the donation box belongs to God, that’s the rule. Tamil Nadu Minister PK Shekhar Babu said – According to the rules, the offering in the donation box goes to the account of the temple deity. According to the rules, the temple administration does not allow the devotee to return his offering.
In 2023, a woman’s gold chain fell into the donation box, the temple administration gave a new notice. According to an official, this is not the first case where a valuable item has fallen into the donation box. In May 2023, S. Sangeetha, resident of Alappuzha, Kerala, visited the Sri Dhanadayuthapani Swamy Temple. Sangeeta was removing the Tulsi rosary from her neck when her 14 gram gold chain went into the donation box.
Sangeeta had informed the temple administration about it. Considering Sangeeta’s financial situation, CCTV checks of the temple were carried out. After that, the temple administration bought him a new chain of the same weight. The old one was not returned.
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Tax exemption on donations to an organization like Ram Mandir: No exemption on cash donations above Rs 2000, save tax on donations like this
People can also enjoy income tax exemption if they contribute to the Ram temple in Ayodhya or any similar trust or religious institution. It is written on the website of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust that this place has historical importance. 50 per cent of the voluntary donation made towards renovation and repair of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra temple falls within the exemption under section 80G(2)(b) of the Income Tax Act 1961. …