Devotee drops Rs 100 crore cheque in temple donation box, had only Rs 22 in bank account

In a bizzare incident, temple authorities in Andhra Pradesh found a cheque worth Rs 100 crore without a date in the Hundi, the donations offering box, deposited by a devout individual. As per a TOI report, the incident raised suspicions, prompting authorities to investigate the matter further. Upon reaching out to the concerned bank, they were met with an even more astonishing revelation – the devotee's account had just Rs 22 in it.

The management of Sri Varaha Lakshmi Nrisimha Swamy Temple, popularly known as Simhachalam Temple or Appanna Temple, located in Simhachalam, was taken aback when the uncanny discovery was made during the counting of Hundi offerings.

The cheque, belonging to a devotee named Boddepalli Radha Krishna (Account No. 8313295434) and issued by Kotak Mahendra Bank, had found its way into the Hundi. The cheque became a social media sensation soon after its exposure.


Ramana Murthy, the Assistant Executive Officer (AEO) of Simhachalam Temple, shared insights into the peculiar incident. "We noticed that there was no date on the cheque and some corrections on it. We enquired and came to know that the devotee had an account in the Kotak Mahindra Bank branch in MVP Colony. He had only Rs 22 in his account. We do not know about the devotee’s psychological state of mind and his concept. We don’t know the devotee," said Ramana Murthy.

Addressing concerns about the incident potentially leading to a cheque bounce case, temple authorities clarified that as the devotee had not borrowed any funds from the temple, this situation wouldn't fall under that category. The intention appears to be a heartfelt offering to the deity.

The temple authorities elaborated, "We can’t put the date on the cheque. Generally, devotees would drop cheques by signing them with mentioning the date."

During the recent Hundi Counting, the Simhachalam Temple collected a total of Rs 1.79 crore over the span of 16 days. This amount included Rs 10 lakh in coins. Additionally, offerings in the form of 79.980 grams of gold and 10.1 kg of silver were presented by devotees.