It’s the thought that counts! Chennai woman gave Ayodhya Ram Temple ₹4 crore cheque, had ₹3 in account
It is the thought that counts! Chennai woman gave Ayodhya Ram Temple ₹4 crore cheque. There was just ₹3 in her account
A donation intended to improve facilities for staff at Ayodhya's Ram Temple has turned into an unusual banking episode after a ₹4 crore cheque issued by a Chennai woman was returned unpaid. The account linked to the cheque reportedly held only ₹3 when the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust presented it for payment, according to India Today report.
The donor from Chennai had reportedly made the large contribution with a specific condition. She wanted the Trust to provide a written assurance that the money would be spent exclusively on facilities for temple employees.
The Ayodhya Ram Mandir Trust did not provide such an undertaking, according to reports, and the matter is now being discussed with the donor.
The woman also made a separate contribution of ₹10,000 to the temple.
Bank seeks explanation over ₹4 crore cheque
The bank is reportedly preparing to contact the donor to seek an explanation for the issuance of a cheque of such a substantial value when the account did not contain sufficient funds.
The Ayodhya Ram Mandir Trust has not issued an official statement on the matter. Rather than immediately escalating the issue, officials are understood to be trying to settle the matter through discussions with the donor from Chennai.
The episode is notable given the scale of contributions received by the temple, which has become one of the country's most prominent religious donation centres.
Ayodhya temple receives crores in donations
The Ayodhya Ram Mandir Trust receives an estimated ₹3 crore to ₹4 crore every month, with devotees contributing through cash, digital payments and cheques. Cheques account for roughly ₹1 crore to ₹1.5 crore of the monthly donations.
The Trust has dealt with returned cheques on a much larger scale in the past. During the 2020 Nidhi Samarpan Abhiyan, the fundraising drive for the temple's construction, about ₹3,500 crore was collected within 45 days.
Cheques totalling nearly ₹100 crore were initially returned during that campaign, although most were recovered after being deposited again. Around ₹22 crore was reportedly still awaiting recovery.
The latest incident comes amid continued scrutiny of the temple's finances. In June, reports emerged concerning the alleged theft and misappropriation of donations made at the temple.
For the moment, the ₹4 crore contribution remains unresolved, with the Trust seeking to clarify the donor's intentions and determine how the matter can be settled.
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