Stealing money from temples is almost as old as temples themselves.
For thousands of years, people have donated money, gold and silver to places of worship. Sadly, some of the people trusted to protect these gifts have been tempted to keep a little for themselves. Everyone seems to know it happens — the devotees, the temple managers and, if you believe, even God. Small amounts are quietly taken over time, and many temple thefts are found to be “inside jobs”, carried out by people who work there.
That is why many weren’t shocked by reports of missing money and valuables at Ayodhya temple. In just 11 months, the temple reportedly received donations worth ₹83 crore, along with gold, silver ornaments and even silver bricks. That’s an enormous amount of wealth. The more treasure there is, the harder it can be for some people to resist temptation.
Sometimes jewellery disappears. Sometimes money from donation boxes goes missing. Sometimes funds meant for festivals are used for something else. The people responsible may convince themselves they deserve it because they spend their lives serving the temple. But the law doesn’t see it that way. Investigators usually find that missing money didn’t vanish by magic – it was taken by people on the inside.
Gods don’t need gold. People do. And for some, having the key to the donation box can feel like finding heaven on Earth.
Disclaimer
Views expressed above are the author’s own.
