Ram Lalla, the idol in the makeshift Ram Janmabhoomi temple at Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh, has turned out to be an unexpected beneficiary of the Union government’s overnight withdrawal of high-value denomination currency notes from circulation on November 8.
An unusually large numbers of devotees, who have thronged the temple town to participate in the week-long Kartik Mela that started on November 8, are offering Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 banknotes generously to the deity as they appear anxious to save lower denominations to pay for basics like food, medicine and lodging.
“In the end, the real benefit has gone to Ram Lalla,” Acharya Satyendra Das, the chief priest of the makeshift temple, told Scroll.in over the phone.
The priest said that pilgrims in the temple town, many of them who are far away from home, have been caught by surprise holding several currency notes that are no longer legal tender due to the government’s sudden decision.
“There has been total chaos here as shopkeepers have refused to accept bigger banknotes,” said the priest. “Among the worst hit are hundreds and thousands of pilgrims who have come to take part in the Kartik Mela. Since panicked shopkeepers have stopped accepting Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes, a large number of pilgrims are anxiously holding back notes of lower denominations to make daily purchases and donating larger notes to Ram Lalla."
Temples rake it in
The Kartik Mela has attracted, as it always does, lakhs of pilgrims from different parts of the country. It is one of the three major fairs of Ayodhya, the other two being Chait Mela, which is held in April, and Sawan Mela of August-September.
As the government’s decision was completely unexpected, pilgrims – many of whom are either ignorant of, or confused about, the rules related to demonetisation and the next step they would need to take – have been left looking for ways to negotiate with local shopkeepers.
“Even priests in temples and pandas [who help devotees perform bathing rituals in the river Saryu] are declining to accept Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes,” said Raghunandan Das, the mahant of another Ayodhya temple. “All this has made the banned currency so meaningless that these pilgrims are offering them to deities across Ayodhya, not just at the Ram Janmabhoomi temple.”
In fact, according to news reports, temples in Mathura, considered to be the birthplace of Lord Krishna, have also seen a sudden increase in donations. Most of these donations, in the form of larger banknotes, started pouring in soon after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the withdrawal of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes from circulation late on Tuesday.
Money-lending sadhus hit
But if the government’s decision has resulted in a windfall for temples, it has come as a massive blow to a section of sadhus said to be sitting on a good amount of cash as many ascetics do not have bank accounts.
“In Ayodhya, sadhus are either into property ownership or money-lending, and many of them do not have bank accounts,” said Acharya Satyendra Das. “In one stroke, Modi has taken away most of the cash sadhus were sitting on.”
Sadhus of bigger religious establishments in Ayodhya, like Hanumangarhi, which houses over 600 ascetics, and Chhoti Chhawani, which has over 200 of them, are known for their firmness in dealing with defaulters of loans they have disbursed. The money they deal with is mostly unaccounted for. It comes through donations and is either invested in land and real estate or disbursed as loans.
“Hoarding of cash is a common practice among sadhus,” said Satyendra Das. “As money-lending has been practiced by these ascetics for generations, few of them bother to operate through banks. Maybe they will learn to change the practice now.”