A gold crown donated to Lord Venkateswara Swamy by an elderly couple was allegedly pledged by the temple committee without the donor’s knowledge, triggering outrage among devotees in Vijayawada.
The incident occurred at Sri Kalyana Venkateswara Swamy Devasthanam in Gudivada. Elderly couple Maturi Subbarao and Lakshmi Kumari donated a 461-gram gold crown in January 2025. The crown, specially designed with symbolic representations of the seven sacred hills of Tirumala, is estimated to be worth over ₹1 crore in the market.
However, temple committee members allegedly pledged the crown at a finance shop for ₹38 lakh. Donors stated the crown itself was nearly worth ₹70 lakh. The Arya Vysya Kalyana Mandir Committee manages the temple. Allegations surfaced that Chairman Mohan Rao and other members were involved in mortgaging the ornament.
“The crown was donated in the presence of devotees during a grand ceremony and meant solely for adorning the deity. Whenever we asked about it, the authorities told us it was kept safely in a bank locker. Even during special occasions, the crown was not used for decoration, which raised our suspicion,” the couple said.
Donors alleged that no receipt was issued at donation time. “If they return my crown, I will donate it to another temple,” Subbarao stated.
Police formed special teams to investigate. Inspector Haneesh said, “We are verifying records of other donations and their whereabouts.”
This alleged misuse of sacred offerings violates devotees’ trust and temple sanctity under Sanatana Dharma.
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