Tamil Nadu: Retired army man leaves Rs 4 crore property papers in temple hundi amid family dispute

CHENNAI: Officials at the Arulmigu Renugambal Amman temple in Padavedu, near Arani in Tiruvannamalai district, were in for a surprise when they found property documents worth Rs 4 crore while counting offerings from a temple hundi.

On Tuesday, June 25, during the routine bi-monthly collection, staff opened one of the 11 hundis inside the premises around 12.30 pm and discovered a bundle of original land and house ownership papers along with a handwritten note stating the assets had been donated to the temple voluntarily, The Hindu reported.

“This is the first time we are witnessing such an offering,” said M Silambarasan, the temple’s Executive Officer. “However, even if documents are dropped in a hundi, the assets will not automatically become temple property unless they are formally registered with the department.”

Preliminary inquiries revealed the donor as S Vijayan, a 65-year-old retired army personnel from Kesavapuram village. A long-time devotee, Vijayan is reportedly estranged from his wife and lives alone. His two daughters, married and living in Chennai and Vellore, have allegedly been pressuring him to transfer his property to them.

Feeling cornered, Vijayan appears to have made the offering in protest. The documents include ownership papers for a house and 10 cents of land near the temple.

Temple officials said that while the declaration expresses his wish to donate the assets, legal ownership will remain undecided until senior HR&CE department officials take a call. The documents will remain under departmental custody until then.

Speaking to temple authorities, Vijayan confirmed his decision, saying he had been humiliated by his children and was determined to transfer the assets to the temple.

“I will follow through and register my assets to the temple properly. I’ve made up my mind and won’t go back on my word,” he said.