Many people donate money into the donation box when they visit temples to help purchase oil for the temple. However, a man in Tamil Nadu, India recently accidentally dropped his iPhone into the donation box while making a contribution, but to his surprise, the temple authorities refused to return it, claiming it had become the property of God.
According to a report by “The Times of India,” the incident took place last month at a temple in Thiruporur, Tamil Nadu. A man named Dinesh visited the temple with his family.
As Dinesh was placing money into the donation box, his iPhone slipped out of his pocket and fell into the box. He then approached the temple staff to retrieve his phone.
However, Dinesh was informed by the temple authorities that the contents of the donation box belong to the deities, and they could not return his lost phone. Traditionally, the donation box is only opened once every two months.
Dinesh subsequently filed a complaint with the authorities, requesting them to inform the temple about the opening time of the donation box. When the temple opened the box on December 20, Dinesh hurried to the temple, but the authorities still refused to return his phone.
However, the temple allowed him to retrieve the SIM card from the phone and make copies of important data.
PK Sekar Babu, the Minister of Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments, stated to the media that any item placed in the donation box of a temple, whether intentionally or accidentally, becomes the property of God. As per regulations, the temple is not permitted to return the offerings to the devotees.
Nevertheless, Babu added that he would discuss the matter with relevant department officials to explore possible compensation solutions.
A similar incident occurred at a temple in Kerala. In May 2023, a female devotee accidentally dropped her gold necklace into the donation box at the temple, which was confirmed by reviewing the surveillance footage. Considering the poor financial condition of the woman, the temple authorities purchased an equivalent gold necklace at their own expense and returned it to her.