Temple in Tamil Nadu Keeps iPhone Dropped in Hundi, Refuses to Return

Tamil Nadu Keeps iPhone: A devotee, Dinesh, had accidentally dropped his iPhone into the hundial (offering box) of the Arulmighu Kandaswamy temple in Tiruporur, and expected the temple administration to return it to him, only to be disappointed when the latter refused, citing tradition.

What happened?

Dinesh, a devotee from Vinayagapuram, had to return home empty-handed on Friday as the temple authorities said anything dropped into the hundi belongs to the deity. However, they offered to give him the SIM card and let him download data from the phone.

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Last month, Dinesh went there with his family and, after worshipping the deity, dropped some money into the hundi. While taking notes from his shirt's pocket, the Apple device fell into the box. He approached temple officials but was told that once an offering is placed in the hundi, it becomes the deity's " property.”

Besides, according to tradition, the hundi is opened only once in two months. Dinesh complained with the HR and CE (Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments) officials, requesting to be informed when the hundi would be opened. When the temple authorities eventually opened the hundi on Friday, Dinesh rushed to retrieve his phone, only to be told that the device would remain in the temple's custody.

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Temple executive officer Kumaravel said the tradition of treating anything dropped in the hundi as belonging to the temple and deity would be followed and that the phone would be kept in the temple's custody. "We are not clear whether he dropped it as an offering and later changed his mind, because the hundi is well protected with an iron fence," Kumaravel said.

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