Thar donated by Mahindra to Kerala temple fetches Rs 43 lakh in auction

As many as 14 people had taken part in the re-auction and after several rounds, it was eventually won by Vignesh Vijayakumar, an NRI businessman based in Dubai, who was represented by his father Vijaykumar.

Thrissur (Kerala): A Thar jeep donated by Anand Mahindra to the Guruvayur Temple in Kerala's Thrissur fetched Rs 43 lakhs in an auction on Monday. Vignesh Vijayakumar, an NRI businessman based in Dubai, who is a native of Angadippuram, won the auction, closing it for Rs 43 lakhs. In addition, Vignesh will have to pay 12 per cent GST for the vehicle before taking its possession.

As many as 14 people had taken part in the re-auction and after several rounds, it was eventually won by Vignesh , who was represented by his father Vijaykumar. This vehicle was first auctioned out for Rs 15.10 lakhs with just one person participating in the auction. An NRI businessman, Amal Muhammad was the lone participant and winner at that time.

However, a Hindu organisation approached the court against the auction, alleging that auction was not conducted properly and in a haste. Court then ordered for a re-auction. This time the Guruvayur Devaswom gave good publicity for the auction and managed to fetch Rs 43 lakhs for the vehicle.