Mysuru: At a time when many incidents are reported where thieves target temples brazenly looting hundis, jewellery and other valuables of Gods and Goddesses, here comes a news where a beggar woman has donated Rs. 2.5 lakh to Prasanna Anjaneyaswamy Temple at Vontikoppal in city.

The woman is 85-year-old M.V. Seethalakshmi who is usually seen begging at the entrance of the Prasanna Anjaneyaswamy Temple. Working as a domestic help, she managed to save the money and as age caught up with her, she took to begging as she was unable to do household work. She has donated the money to the Temple Trust and as a mark of gratitude, the Temple authorities have erected a board in front of the temple along with her photograph, telling people of her noble deed.

Seethalakshmi has told the Temple management to keep the money donated by her in a fixed deposit and use the interest to distribute prasadam to the devotees on Hanuma Jayanti day, said C. Nagaraju, the Dharmadarshi of the Temple. After hearing about her generous contribution, devotees to the Temple greet her and even seek her blessings.

The frail octogenarian originally hails from Tamil Nadu and has been living in the city since many years. She is living with her brother and sister-in-law at Yadavagiri Railway Quarters and does not depend on them for her livelihood. She comes to the Temple regularly in the mornings and begs till the mahamangalarathi and returns home after the prasadam distribution.

Very recently, she had donated Rs. 30,000 to the Temple and was even felicitated during Ganesha festival by MLA Vasu. Last week she took the Temple Trust Chairman Basavaraj to the bank and donated Rs. 2 lakh. In all, Seethalakshmi has donated over Rs. 2.5 lakh to the Temple.

A few years ago, she met with an accident and she does not want to stay at home. She goes to the Temple in the morning and comes home late evening, her brother said.

Seethalakshmi said that whatever the devotees gave her in the form of alms, she would collect and deposit in the bank. “The Temple has been very kind to me and they take care of me well. Rajeshwari, who works in the Temple, helps me take bath,” she said without forgetting to add that she feared that somebody would con her and take away her money.

Basavaraj said that Seethalakshmi sits at her usual place every day and she has been begging from the Temple premises since many years. “She is different from other beggars and never demands money. She accepts whatever devotees give her and she does not mind going hungry. She is generous when comes to contributing to the Temple and after we have displayed her photograph publicising her generous contributions, people are donating more to the Temple,” he said.