A 65-year-old retired army veteran donates property worth ₹4 crore to temple in Tamil Nadu’s Tiruvannamalai district as felt neglected by his daughters, with whom he had disputes over inheritance. The family is now taking legal help to reclaim the property.

S Vijayan, a resident of Kesavapuram village near Arani town, a few days back visited the Arulmigu Renugambal Amman temple in Tamil Nadu’s Tiruvannamalai district and donated property documents – one worth ₹3 crore and another worth ₹1 crore.

It is a regular tradition to count the money donated by devotees every two months, HR&CE officials said. The temple has a total of 11 donation boxes (hundis). During a routine inspection, officials opened the one placed in front of the sanctum sanctorum and were astonished to discover, amid the usual coins and currency notes, original property documents tucked inside.

Temple authorities said that the two property documents found in the hundi are for 10 cents of land and a single-storey house near the temple.

army veteran donates

The officials also found a handwritten note along with the documents.

M Silambarasan, the temple’s Executive Officer, told Hindu, This is the first time something like this has happened here,” but explained simply placing property documents in a donation box doesn’t legally transfer ownership to the temple. The devotee must officially register the donation with the department for the temple.

Following this, Vijayan said,“I will officially register my properties in the temple’s name as per the law after speaking with the temple officials. I won’t take back my decision. My children insulted me even for my daily needs.”

Vijayan army veteran donates has reportedly been a devoted follower of Renugambal Amman since his youth. During their inquiry, temple authorities learned that he had been living in isolation for nearly a decade following a fallout with his wife. Over the years, he received no support from his family, and in recent months, his daughters had allegedly been urging him to hand over his properties to them.