Swami Shankar Das aka ‘Fakkad Baba’ ― a monk who has been living in a cave for the last 50 years and more ― has made headlines after he donated ₹1 crore to the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) for the construction of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. The 83 year-old monk had received contributions from other devotees that added up to the amount that he then donated.
“I’ve been living in a 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. Initially, Das wanted his donation to be anonymous but when the photograph was clicked with him holding the cheque, he was alright with the story becoming an inspiration for others to donate for the cause, according to Hindustan Times.
The VHP handed this over to the Jharkhand wing of RSS, who then thanked Swami Shankar Das and accepted the donation.
In Uttarakhand, donations of ₹5 crores have been collected so far. The country’s young and old alike are contributing to the construction of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. A 10-year-old girl in Nainital donated ₹2,500 for the temple from her piggy bank savings.