Mangaluru: Eight years after demonetisation, temples still receive Rs 500 & Rs 1000 notes in donation box

Eight years after India demonetized Rs 500 and Rs 1000 currency notes, temples in Karnataka continue to receive these invalid notes in their donation boxes.

Prominent temples such as Nanjanagudu, Chamundi Hill, Kukke Subrahmanya, and Kateel have reported finding demonetized notes in their collection boxes (hundi).

Since the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the government have not issued clear guidelines on handling these notes, temple committees have kept these notes.

On November 8, 2016, the Narendra Modi-led government declared Rs 500 and Rs1000 notes invalid as legal tender to curb black money. Citizens were given a limited window until November 25, 2016, to exchange these notes at banks, including temple collections. However, even after this deadline, demonetized notes continue to appear in temple donations, posing a challenge for temple administrations.

For instance, Kukke Subrahmanya Temple alone holds over Rs 40 lakh worth of demonetized notes. Similarly, Kateel Sri Durgaparameshwari Temple reportedly has Rs 19 lakh worth of such notes in its custody.

This is not an isolated issue in these temples. Other major temples across Karnataka face similar challenges. However, the frequency of receiving old notes is higher in temples visited by tourists and pilgrims from outside the state.

According to sources at Kukke Subrahmanya Temple, they also recently received Rs 2000 notes, which were withdrawn from circulation as of September 30, 2023. So far, 98 such notes have been found in their collections.

While some temples, like Kadri Sri Manjunatha Temple, have reported minimal instances of invalid notes, larger establishments with higher tourist footfall, such as Kukke Subrahmanya and Kateel, continue to encounter this problem.