83-year-old cave-dwelling seer donates ₹1 crore for Ram temple construction

NEW DELHI: An 83-year-old seer, who lives in a cave in Rishikesh, has donated ₹1 crore towards the construction of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya.

The donation was made to the Visva Hindu Parishad (VHP), which has been collecting money for the temple construction. It has amassed collected donations of about ₹5 crore in the state.

"I've been living in the cave for over half a century. As a seer, I live on donations from the devotees visiting the cave. When I came to know about the VHP campaign, I decided to donate the amount for Ram Mandir for which we all have been dreaming for long," said Swami Shankar Das while speaking to the media.

The bank officials expressed surprise when the seer offered the cheque for ₹1 crore. Upon checking, they found that his account had the requisite balance. The officials then contacted the local RSS functionaries who reached the bank and helped Das donate the amount in the Ram Mandir Trust

Randeep Pokhriya, in-charge of VHP's Ram Mandir donation campaign in Uttarakhand, hailed Das's act and said, "More than collecting donations, the motive of the campaign is to generate a feeling of harmony and service among the Ram Bhakts like Das."

"We have so far collected donations worth about ₹5 crore which is three times the target we had in mind. However, it is not about the amount collected but the number of people coming forward through their devotion for Lord Ram to help in building his temple in Ayodhya," said Pokhriya.

He said they have been receiving donations from a cross section of society.

A 10-year-old girl in Nainital donated ₹2,500 for the temple from savings in her piggy bank.