Mangaluru: 80-Year-Old Beggar Donates Rs 1 Lakh To Temple's Annadana Programme

An 80-year-old Ashwathamma donated ₹1 lakh that she earned by begging for alms in the annadana programme at Shri Khsethra Rajarajeshwari temple in Managaluru's Bantwal Taluk. The octogenarian hails from Kanchigodu village in Gangolli in the Udupi district and has been begging near various temples during festivals for 18 years. Moreover, she had made several donations to many temples across the district, up to Rs 6 lakhs in the past. She is an ardent devotee of Ayappa's mudradharane and has also offered 'annadana' to more than one lakh devotees at various places in Sabarimala.

Donated To Orphanages In Past

The Times of India reported that she had donated ₹1 lakh to Sri Gurunarasimha Temple in Saligrama, ₹1.5 lakh to Ayyappa devotees at Polali Sri Akhileshwara, and had also offered 'annadana' at a temple in Gangolli. She had also made donations to several orphanages in the Udupi and Dakshina Karnataka regions of Karnataka. She was forced to beg after her husband's demise almost 18 years ago. Another setback that followed her was the demise of her children. After that, she uses only part of her earnings for her personal uses, and the rest is deposited in a bank through a daily deposit collector. The money is later used for donations to temples and orphanages.

'Nobody Should Remain Hungry'

P Jayamma, the executive officer of Shree Kshethra Rajarajeshwari temple, said that Ashwathamma expressed her desire to donate the money through a restaurant owner near the temple. He added that it was a goodwill gesture that the old lady did not use the money she collected through begging. The octogenarian said that she was only returning the money that the society had given her and that her only wish was that nobody should remain hungry.

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