Alms-seeking elderly woman donates Rs 1 lakh to temple

She handed over the money to the temple trustees on Friday for the annadana mass feeding programme of the temple.Ashwathamma said she was returning the money shed received from the people back to society as she wanted no one to go hungry. She had generously donated to orphanages in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts, too.

An 80-year-old woman, who has been seeking alms at the entrance of temples in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts of Karnataka, has donated Rs 1 lakh to the Rajarajeshwari temple near here, temple authorities said.

Ashwathamma, who belongs to Kanchagodu village near Gangolli in Kundapur taluk of Udupi district, has been begging near various temples after the death of her husband 18 years back.

The woman used only a small portion of her savings for her personal expenses and the balance was deposited in a bank to be used for donations to temples and charity.

She had collected Rs 1 lakh through begging for about a month in front of the Rajarajeshwari temple during its annual festival and the money was donated to the temple. She handed over the money to the temple trustees on Friday for the 'annadana’ (mass feeding) programme of the temple.

Ashwathamma said she was returning the money she'd received from the people back to society as she wanted no one to go hungry. A devotee of Lord Ayyappa, she had given annadana at the Sabarimala temple in Kerala and other temples in Karnataka. She had generously donated to orphanages in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts, too.