A devotee in a temple in Tamil Nadu accidentally dropped his iPhone in the donation box, after which his situation became strange. The devotee appealed to return the phone, but the Hindu Religious and Charitable Department of Tamil Nadu rejected it, saying that it had now become the property of the temple.
The incident happened when a devotee Dinesh accidentally dropped his iPhone in the donation box at Sri Kandaswamy Temple, Thiruporur. As soon as he realised his mistake, he approached the temple authorities and demanded the return of the phone. The temple authorities told Dinesh that they could only get back the data of the phone, but Dinesh refused to accept it and insisted on the return of the phone.
On the issue, HR&CE Minister PK Sekhar Babu said that anything deposited in the donation box goes to the deity's account and cannot be returned as per temple practices. He said the rules do not allow devotees to return the offerings.
This is not the first such incident in the state. According to a senior official, in May 2023, a devotee from Alappuzha in Kerala accidentally dropped her gold chain in the donation box of Sri Dhandayuthapani Swamy Temple. After CCTV footage proved that the chain was accidentally dropped, the temple gave a new chain of the same value to the devotee. According to the Hundiyal Establishment, Security and Accounts Rules, 1975, any item offered in the donation box cannot be returned under any circumstances, as it now becomes the property of the temple.
PC:inkhabar