iPhone Accidentally Dropped In Temple’s Offering Box: Authorities Refuse Return, Why?

In Tamil Nadu, a man who accidentally dropped his iPhone into the hundial (offering box) at the Sri Kandaswamy temple in Thiruporur, Chengalpattu district, has been informed that he will not get his phone back. The Tamil Nadu Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) department has stated that all items placed in the offering box, even unintentionally, become temple property under the Installation, Safeguarding, and Accounting of Hundial Rules, 1975.

Temple authorities clarified that the iPhone is now considered an offering and cannot be returned. However, they mentioned that the phone’s owner, Dinesh, could retrieve data from the device if needed.

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Temple Tradition and the Hundial Rules

Speaking to reporters, PK Sekar Babu, the Minister of Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department, emphasized that any item deposited into a temple hundial is automatically accounted for as belonging to the deity. “Anything deposited into the offering box, even if done accidentally, goes into God’s account,” he explained.

Babu added that these rules are rooted in temple traditions and administrative practices, which do not allow offerings to be returned to devotees. However, he mentioned that he would consult department officials to explore the possibility of compensating the devotee for his loss.

Not an Isolated Incident

This is not the first time such an incident has occurred in Tamil Nadu. In May 2023, a devotee named S. Sangeetha from Alappuzha, Kerala, accidentally dropped her 1.75-sovereign gold chain into the hundial at the Sri Dhandayuthapani Swamy temple in Palani. The chain fell into the offering box when she removed a tulasi garland around her neck as part of her offering.

Considering Sangeetha’s financial condition and after verifying CCTV footage of the incident, the temple board of trustees’ chairman personally purchased a new gold chain of the same value and gave it to her.

Minister Inspects Temple Renovation

PK Sekar Babu made these remarks during an inspection of the ongoing construction at the Arulmigu Mariamman temple in Madhavaram and the renovation of a temple tank at the Arulmigu Kailasanathar temple in Venugopal Nagar.

The incident has sparked discussions on the rigid adherence to temple rules and how accidental offerings should be handled.

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