3 weeks ago
Ayodhya Ram Mandir's Rs 3,300 crore donations fully accounted for
People from all over India gave money to help build the Ram Mandir, a big temple in Ayodhya.
Some workers who counted the money were caught on camera hiding cash in their clothes, pockets and shoes.
The police found that a few employees were stealing small amounts of the cash donations.
Opposition politicians then said a huge amount of money, possibly thousands of crores, was missing.
To check this, an outside team of accountants examined all the donations.
They found that Rs 3,300 crore was safe and fully accounted for.
The money had been moved through banks, with no cash involved in the main transfers.
Six workers who counted the money were arrested for taking cash.
The temple is still receiving donations, with about Rs 5 crore coming in every month.
So the massive 'scam' claims turned out to be much smaller than what some people said.
An independent audit by M/S V Sankar Aiyer & Co. confirmed that all Rs 3,300 crore donated by devotees to the Ram Mandir is fully accounted for, with no large-scale embezzlement.
The audited funds include Rs 1,800 crore for temple construction and Rs 400 crore for land acquisition, with all transfers made via bank-to-bank transactions and no cash involved.
Opposition parties, led by the Samajwadi Party, escalated allegations from Rs 200 crore to Rs 2,000 crore and finally Rs 20,000 crore, claims that the audit contradicts.
The Uttar Pradesh Police SIT found about 70 suspicious pilferage incidents on CCTV between 27 April and 5 June 2026, leading to the arrest of six external counting staff from Sainik Security Services.
Despite the controversy, Ram Mandir Hundi collections remained steady at a Rs 5 crore monthly average in the first quarter of FY 2026-27.
- Who
- The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, auditors M/S V Sankar Aiyer & Co., the Uttar Pradesh Police Special Investigation Team, and Opposition leaders including Akhilesh Yadav and Ramgopal Yadav.
- What
- An independent audit confirmed all Rs 3,300 crore of Ram Mandir donations are accounted for, while an SIT probe found cash pilferage by six external counting staff.
- Where
- Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, India.
- When
- Allegations surfaced in June 2026; suspicious CCTV incidents were recorded between 27 April and 5 June 2026; the audit findings were announced recently.
- Why
- To investigate claims of donation theft ('Chanda Chori') that had become a major political controversy.
Opposition parties (Samajwadi Party, Congress)
Ram Mandir Trust and BJP-led state government
Scale of alleged donation theft
Opposition parties (Samajwadi Party, Congress)
Samajwadi Party and other Opposition parties claimed unaccounted donations worth Rs 200 crore, then Rs 2,000 crore and eventually Rs 20,000 crore, alleging big names were involved.
Ram Mandir Trust and BJP-led state government
An independent audit found that only Rs 3,300 crore was collected and that it is fully accounted for; the actual theft was limited to cash pilferage by a few counting staff.
Who is responsible
Opposition parties (Samajwadi Party, Congress)
Opposition leaders accused temple priests and the BJP-backed Ram Mandir management of stealing donations and demanded judicial intervention.
Ram Mandir Trust and BJP-led state government
The SIT report implicated external counting staff appointed through a private agency and cited security lapses; no investigation has indicated any role of temple priests.
Parliament skit mocking priests
Opposition parties (Samajwadi Party, Congress)
Opposition MPs staged a skit in Parliament portraying a greedy priest collecting and stealing donations to highlight alleged corruption at the temple.
Ram Mandir Trust and BJP-led state government
Government supporters condemned the skit as blatant 'Hinduphobia' and mockery of Hindu priests, noting no evidence linked priests to the theft.
Key facts
- Total audited donations
- Rs 3,300 crore
- Temple construction allocation
- Rs 1,800 crore
- Land acquisition allocation
- Rs 400 crore
- Audit firm
- M/S V Sankar Aiyer & Co.
- Donation deposit bank
- State Bank of India (SBI)
- Suspicious CCTV incidents
- About 70 (27 April - 5 June 2026)
- Counting staff arrested
- 6
- Monthly Hundi average (Q1 FY 2026-27)
- Rs 5 crore
Sources
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