Report: Why So Many Old Notes In Tirumala Temple?

The Tirumala Temple is regarded as the most sacred place of pilgrimage for the Hindu community. In accordance with this, several millions of pilgrims, visit the famous Balaji Temple in Tirumala every year. But now something interesting is being observed with regard to the Hundi prospect at Tirumala.

Demonetised currency notes are reportedly turning up in hundi collections at the Tirumala Venkateswara Temple, according to claims circulating on social media.

The posts allege that devotees are depositing old Rs. 500 and Rs. 1000 notes, which were withdrawn from circulation during the 2016 demonetisation drive, into the sacred offering boxes at the hilltop shrine in Andhra Pradesh.

The viral claims further allege that temple authorities discovered nearly Rs. 2 crore worth of such invalidated notes during just two days of hundi counting, creating significant confusion among the staff responsible for handling the collections.

However, these claims carry serious credibility concerns. The Reserve Bank of India officially invalidated the old Rs. 500 and Rs. 1000 series notes in November 2016, making them illegal tender. Nearly a decade after demonetisation, the widespread circulation of such notes in usable quantities is considered virtually impossible.

The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams, the trust that manages one of the world’s most visited and wealthiest religious institutions, has not issued any official statement confirming the presence of demonetised notes in recent hundi collections.