Officials at the Arulmigu Renugambal Amman temple in Padavedu, near Arani in Tiruvannamalai district, Tamil Nadu, were in for a surprise when they found property papers worth Rs 4 crore while counting offerings from a temple hundi.
When the temple staff opened one the 11 hundis inside the premises on June 24, they discovered a bundle of original land and house ownership papers along with a handwritten note stating the assets had been donated to the temple voluntarily, The Hindu reported.
The property belonged to a 65-year-old retired army veteran, S Vijayan. He donated his property worth Rs 4 crore to the Arulmigu Renugambal Amman temple after allegedly being humiliated by his daughters over inheritance, according to a report by News18.
He made the decision after feeling ignored and hurt for years by his daughters, with whom he had fights over inheritance. The family is now trying to get the property back.
Vijayan, who hails from Kesavapuram village near Arani town, went to the temple, carrying two property documents – one worth Rs 3 crore located near the temple, while another worth Rs 1 crore.
“This is the first time something like this has happened here," said M Silambarasan, the temple’s Executive Officer. He explained that just putting the documents in the donation box doesn’t mean the temple automatically owns the property. The devotee must officially register the donation with the department for the temple to legally claim it, he told The Hindu.
Vijayan is said to be an ardent devotee of Renugambal Amman since his early days. During their investigation, the temple officials found that Vijayan had been living alone for nearly 10 years after a disagreement with his wife. He had not received any support from his family during this period. They also discovered that in recent months, his daughters had been pressuring him to give his properties to them.
Temple authorities said that the two property documents found in the hundi are for 10 cents of land and a single-storey house near the temple. They added that the documents can’t be returned to the devotee for now, as senior HR&CE officials have been informed and will decide what to do. Until then, the department will keep the documents safe.
“I will officially register my properties in the temple’s name as per the law after speaking with the temple officials. I won’t take back my decision. My children insulted me even for my daily needs," Vijayan said, News18 reported.
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