Elderly woman beggar donates Rs 1 lakh to temple in Karnataka

The woman is a devotee of the Ayyappa Swamy deity. Though struck by poverty, she said she has always kept her devotion to God and her religious consciousness alive in her.

Bantwal (Karnataka):A rare example of devotion has come to the fore in Karnataka where a poor woman, who seeks alms to sustain herself, donated her entire savings to a temple.

Ashwattamma (80), a resident of Gangolli in Kunadapur in Bantwal taluk of Dakshina Kannada district gave her hard-saved money to the deity she believes in. The elderly woman donated Rs 1 lakh for 'Annadana Seva' (daily food) of the Raja Rajeshwari Temple in Polali village. For years, she has been begging outside the same temple.

The woman is a devotee of the Ayyappa Swamy deity. Though struck by poverty, she said she has always kept her devotion to God and her religious consciousness alive in her. The woman seeks alms during the annual jathra of Polali Temple and on other occasions as well. Interestingly, this is not the first occasion when she has proved her magnanimity.

A year ago, the elderly woman donated around Rs 3.5 lakh to various temples of Udupi. While donating the amount, she requested the management of the temples to use the amount to serve food to the needy. She had donated Rs 1 lakh to Gurunarasimha temple of Saligrama in Udupi, Rs 1.5 lakh to Tannur Kanchugodu temple, and 1 lakh to Sabarimala.