A man’s visit to a temple in India cost him his phone when he accidentally dropped his iPhone into the temple’s donation box. When the man asked temple authorities to return his phone, they refused. According to rules under The Tamil Nadu Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Act, anything dropped in the box automatically goes into “God’s account.”

Dinesh, from Vinayagapuram, India, was offered his SIM card and data back but not his iPhone, which he accidentally dropped in the temple’s donation box.

On 21 December 2024, various Indian news outlets reported a peculiar incident. A devotee by the name Dinesh was offering a donation at the Arulmigu Kandaswamy Temple in Thiruporur, Tamil Nadu, India, when he accidentally dropped his iPhone into the temple’s donation box.

When Dinesh approached the temple administration to return his phone, he was shocked to learn that anything dropped in the donation box, even accidentally, belonged to God. As a result, the Tamil Nadu Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department refused to return his phone.

When temple officials found the phone after the box was opened, they contacted Dinesh, allowing him to retrieve his data, but refused to hand back his iPhone.

The incident also drew a reaction from a Minister of the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department. Commenting on the incident, P.K. Sekar Babu stated that anything that lands in the offering box, irrespective of the devotee’s intention, belongs to the deity of that temple.

The Installation, Safeguarding, and Accounting of Hundial Rules, 1975, regulates the handling of donation boxes in temples.

iPhone accidentally fell into the temple’s hundi..

The temple administration refused to return it the owner, saying it belonged to the temple.pic.twitter.com/4VgfcRk0Ib

— Vije (@vijeshetty) December 20, 2024

As per the Hundial Rules in India, any donations dropped in the collection box (hundial) unconditionally belong to the temple, and the owner has no right to reclaim them, even if the donation was unintentional.

However, Dinesh may receive compensation from the temple, as seen in a similar case in May 2023. A woman accidentally dropped her gold chain in the Sri Dhandayuthapani Swamy Temple in Tamil Nadu, India. While she didn’t receive her original chain back, the temple chairman compensated her with a new gold chain of equal value.

The incident and the donation box rules shocked many people and sparked conversations online about religious authorities enforcing such rules.

Some citizens pointed out that the temple authorities are short-sighted, as such behavior could harm the temple’s donation collection in the long run. However, others argue that faith has a strong grip on devotees, and such incidents fail to change perspective. Devotees will continue to visit the temple and donate.