Lord Balaji shrine has over Rs 4 crore in junked notes


Team Udayavani, Mar 3, 2017, 10:11 AM IST

Tirupati: The famous hill shrine of Lord Venkateswara in Tirumala is caught in a piquant situation as it has received over Rs four crore in demonetised 500 and 1,000 rupee notes from devotees in its ‘hundi’ in the last two months, past the deadline for their exchange.

The temple administration has written to the government and the Reserve Bank of India on the fate of the accumulated notes and was awaiting a response, a top official said today.

Thousands of devotees thronging the cash-rich temple from various parts of the country continued to offer the junked currency in the hundi along with valid notes even after the deadline for exchange of demonetised notes expired on December 30.

More than Rs four crore in demonetised currency had been offered in the hundi, Executive Officer of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), which administers the ancient shrine, D Sambasiva Rao said.

“We have already written to the RBI and Government of India about the demonetised notes offered by devotees as fulfillment of their vows and are awaiting a reply,” he told PTI.

It is common practice for devotees of Lord Venkateswara to keep depositing cash in tiny boxes or mud pots kept in ‘pooja rooms’ in their houses over a period, and then deposit it in the temple hundi whenever they undertake the pilgrimage to Tirumala.

Temple officials believe a large part of the demonetised currency notes offered in the hundi in the last two months might be those kept in the boxes at homes.

The hundi in the shrine annually nets more than Rs 1,000 crore besides gold and silver offerings, temple officials said.

The government has notified a law that makes holding of more than 10 scrapped notes punishable with a minimum fine of Rs 10,000.

Udayavani is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel and stay updated with the latest news.

Top News

Maharashtra Polls: Eknath Shinde targets Uddhav for `giving up’ Bal Thackeray’s principles for power

Will appear before Lokayukta for questioning in MUDA case, says CM Siddaramaiah

Lies have short life, Cong’s ‘fake’ narrative smashed: Fadnavis

Temple idols found desecrated in Hyderabad, case registered

SC junks plea against quashing of LOC issued to ex-house help of Sushant Singh Rajput

JPC chairman Jagdambika Pal to visit K’taka on Nov 7 to meet farmers protesting Waqf notices

Indian boxer Mandeep Jangra wins WBF’s world title

Related Articles More

Heroin worth Rs 3.5 crore recovered in police raid in Delhi, 2 arrested

Treated Muslims like fuel for ‘lantern’: Prashant Kishor targets Lalu, asks upper castes to stay away from Nitish

Wayanad Bypoll: Politics in country, Kerala not genuinely working for people, says Priyanka Gandhi

Malegaon blast trial: Court issues bailable warrant against Pragya Thakur

Maharashtra Polls: Eknath Shinde targets Uddhav for `giving up’ Bal Thackeray’s principles for power

MUST WATCH

Gho Pooja in Deepavali Festival

Melukote Deepavali

Ganapathi Co-operative Society Ltd

Udayavani Chinnara Banna 2024

Annapoorna Aahar | Food Places In Mysore


Latest Additions

Davanagere: Man murdered by relative for insurance money; 4 arrested within 24 hours

Heroin worth Rs 3.5 crore recovered in police raid in Delhi, 2 arrested

Govt clerk found dead in Tahsildar’s chamber, FIR filed against minister’s PA, 2 others

Treated Muslims like fuel for ‘lantern’: Prashant Kishor targets Lalu, asks upper castes to stay away from Nitish

MP Brijesh Chowta urges Kerala CM for strict action against attack on Edneer Swamiji’s vehicle

Thanks for visiting Udayavani

You seem to have an Ad Blocker on.
To continue reading, please turn it off or whitelist Udayavani.