In a curious incident at the Arulmigu Kandaswamy temple in Thiruporur near Chennai, a devotee’s iPhone accidentally dropped into the temple’s hundi (donation box) was claimed as the deity’s property. The temple authorities refused to return the phone, citing age-old traditions.
The devotee, Dinesh from Vinayagapuram, explained that while attempting to place currency notes in the hundi during a visit a month ago, his phone slipped from his pocket and fell inside. As the hundi was placed at a height and protected by an iron fence, retrieval was impossible. Panicked, Dinesh immediately reported the incident to the temple authorities.
However, the temple’s executive officer, Kumaravel, stated that anything placed in the hundi is considered an offering to the deity and cannot be returned. While the authorities allowed Dinesh to recover the SIM card and download his phone’s data, they maintained the phone would remain with the temple.
Dinesh lodged a complaint with the HR and CE department, hoping for a resolution. When the hundi was opened after its two-month cycle on Friday, Dinesh’s phone was retrieved, but the temple held firm on its stance. Kumaravel added, “We cannot determine if it was intentionally offered and later regretted.”
This unusual incident has sparked discussions about the rigid application of temple traditions in modern contexts.
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