A 10-day atonement ritual, which commenced on 15th July, at Ram Mandir in Ayodhya concluded on Friday (24th July) with purnahuti (final offering). The ritual was initiated in the aftermath of the donation embezzlement scam at the temple. The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust organised this event to restore the sanctity of the temple.
A special puja was reportedly performed in the temple on the last day of the ritual, in which trustees Mahant Dinendra Das and Krishna Mohan made the final offerings. This was followed by a community feast, during which local Brahmins were served food.
According to Das, the ritual witnessed the participation of 70 Vedic acharyas from Ayodhya. The ritual included Vedic chanting, havan, Rudrabhishek and Ramarcha worship. The chief priest of the temple recited the Vishnu Sahasranama throughout the period.
The atonement ritual was conducted on the instructions of the Trust’s treasurer, Swami Govind Dev Giri, as per the religious traditions followed after incidents such as theft or ritual impurity to restore the temple’s sanctity.
Donation theft at Ram Mandir
A case of embezzlement of donations at Ram Mandir was uncovered last month. The case came to light after discrepancies were found in donation records, following which the temple administration approached the police. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) was later formed by the Uttar Pradesh government.
A nine-page preliminary report prepared by the SIT found that the theft was not limited to a few incidents but became possible because of serious gaps in security, supervision and cash-handling procedures. Investigators also found repeated cases where staff hid cash inside their clothes and shoes, while some co-workers appeared to help or cover for them.
The SIT found several lapses in the way donations were handled. Staff members were not properly frisked before entering or leaving the counting room, dress code rules were ignored, and personal belongings were allowed inside. The probe into the embezzlement of donations at the temple has expanded as around 30 more employees involved in counting cash offerings are now under the scanner. Investigators are now checking the background and financial records of these workers.
About five days ago, the Supreme Court ordered the reconstitution of an SIT to probe the case after the SIT formed by the state government submitted its report. CJI Surya Kant said that the new SIT should be led by an IPS officer and that the Ram Mandir donation theft probe can reach a decisive stage.
