A 70-year-old woman who begs outside the Jagannath Temple in Phulbani town of Odisha donated ₹1 lakh she saved over the years to the temple management committee.
According to reports, the woman named Tula Behera, a native of Phulbani, gave the temple ₹1 lakh on the occasion of Dhanu Sankranti on Friday (16 December 2022). She was felicitated by the temple administration for her gesture. A video of the temple authorities honouring her is being widely shared on Twitter.
#ଭିକାରୁଣୀଙ୍କ_ମହାନତା
ଯେଉଁ ମନ୍ଦିର ଆଗରେ ବସି ଭିକ୍ଷାବୃତ୍ତି କରୁଥିଲେ ଏଇ ବୃଦ୍ଧା, ସେଇ ମନ୍ଦିରକୁ ଦାନ କଲେ ଲକ୍ଷେ ଟଙ୍କା । ରଚିଦେଲେ ଇତିହାସ । ଜୀବନ ସାରା ସଞ୍ଚୟ କରିଥିବା ଅର୍ଥକୁ ଜଗନ୍ନାଥ ମନ୍ଦିରକୁ ଦେଇଦେଲେ #TulaBehera #Beggar #OneLakh #Donation #Phulabani pic.twitter.com/zsg7nRrDcC— ଓଟିଭି (@otvkhabar) December 16, 2022
She has been depositing some of the money she earns from begging in a post office savings account. She made the decision to contribute her funds to the renovation of the Lord Jagannath temple in the town after the officials informed her that they had reached ₹1 lakh in the account.
The lady has been begging on the streets of Phulbani for years along with her physically handicapped husband Prafulla Behera, who passed away a few years ago.
After her husband’s death, Tula continued asking for alms by sitting in front of the Jagannath and Sai temples and other shrines in Phulbani town. She has also adopted a girl who she found abandoned on the streets of Kandhamal. The two of them are now supported by the alms given to them by pilgrims who visit the Jagannath temple in Phulbani.
“I am on the last leg of my life. What will I do with the money, so I gave away all of it to the Almighty,” the woman said after making the donation.”, she was quoted saying in a report.
Initially the temple management was hesitant to accept the donation from such a poor person, but after she insisted, they agreed.
“We have decided to provide prasad to Tula for lifetime as recognition of her contribution to the temple.”, the temple management has announced.
(With inputs from OpIndia)
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