Devotee’s iPhone falls into temple hundi, authorities offer data transfer but keep the phone

A rare incident occurred at the Arulmigu Kandaswamy Temple in Thiruporur, near Chennai, when a devotee, Dinesh, accidentally dropped his iPhone 16 Pro Max, worth approximately Rs 1 lakh, into the temple’s donation box, or "hundi." Dinesh had visited the temple with his family last month. After completing his prayers, he went to deposit money into the hundi. While removing the cash from his pocket, his phone slipped and fell into the hundi. Dinesh realized the mistake shortly after, but did not immediately notify the temple authorities.

Once he recognized that his iPhone had fallen into the hundi, Dinesh approached the temple officials and requested the retrieval of his device. The temple authorities, however, informed him that according to temple customs, any item placed in the hundi becomes the property of the deity. “Once an offering is made in the hundi, it belongs to the deity,” said the temple executive officer. Temple officials further explained that the hundi is opened only once every two months, which meant Dinesh would have to wait for the next scheduled opening to retrieve the phone.

When the hundi was eventually opened on Friday, Dinesh rushed to the temple to recover his iPhone. However, the authorities maintained their position and refused to return the phone, citing the temple's rules regarding donations. The authorities did offer Dinesh an alternative: he could take the SIM card from the phone to download any important data. Dinesh, who had already acquired a new SIM card to replace the one inside the phone, opted to leave the device with the authorities.

In response to the situation, Dinesh lodged a formal complaint with the HR and CE (Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments) officials, requesting information on the opening schedule of the hundi and clarification of the temple's policy. The temple executive officer clarified that the incident raised some confusion regarding the nature of the phone’s placement in the hundi. "We are not clear whether he dropped it as an offering or if it was an accident," the officer said.

The temple’s policy of treating anything deposited in the hundi as an offering to the deity has drawn attention to the strict adherence to traditions. Although temple authorities maintain that this practice has been in place for a long time, the incident has prompted discussions on the handling of valuable items that are accidentally dropped into the hundi. The matter has also raised questions about the accessibility of items that are dropped by mistake but are considered offerings according to temple customs.