iPhone for deity? Tamil Nadu temple refuses to return Apple device dropped in ‘hundi’

A devotee who accidentally dropped the iPhone into the hundi (donation box) was told that anything dropped into the donation box “belongs to the deity."

A Tamil Nadu temple reportedly rejected a devotee's request to return his iPhone after he accidentally dropped the Apple device into the “hundi” (donation box) at the temple.

The iPhone 16 Pro Max (Used only for representation/HT Photo)

Temple authorities claimed that anything dropped into the donation box “belongs to the deity", The Times of India reported.

What happened?

According to the report, Dinesh, a resident of Vinayagapuram, came to the Arulmigu Kandaswamy at Thiruporur near Chennai to collect his iPhone but returned empty-handed on Friday.

Last month, Dinesh had gone there with his family, and after worshipping the deity, went to drop some money into the hundi. While taking out 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 a “property” of the deity.

Additionally, as per the tradition, the hundi is opened only once in two months, they reasoned.

On Friday, when the temple authorities eventually opened the box, Dinesh rushed there to retrieve his iPhone, only for the authorities to maintain their stance. However, he was given the option to take the SIM card to download any important data from the phone.

Dinesh, who had already purchased a new SIM card, left it to the authorities to return his device.

“We are not clear whether he (Dinesh) dropped it (iPhone) as an offering and later changed his mind, because the hundi is well protected by an iron fence,” temple's executive officer said.

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iPhone for deity? Tamil Nadu temple refuses to return Apple device dropped in ‘hundi’