Elderly Ashwatthamma seeks alms, collects in lakhs, donates to temples
Udupi, Feb 04, 2021: While politicians and donors take pride in raising huge cutouts and banners for the donations they make to the temples or society, here is a classical example where an elderly woman raises money by seeking alms to make donations for temples.
We have seen people begging and cheating in the name of God. But Ashwatthamma, a senior citizen of Gangolli in Udupi district grabbed the attention when she donated ₹1 lakh to Sri Guru Narasimha Temple at Saligrama.
She seeks alms, but not for her. She accumulates this money and donates it to Anna Danam at the temples.
The donation she made at Saligrama is just one. In the last few years, she has donated not less than ₹ 5.5 lakh.
While some are ‘allergic,’ to donation, many opt to take more publicity for the small donations they make. Very few believe in ‘when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.’
Ashwatthamma is religiously following this and set an example to the people on how a true devotee donates.
Many people among us might have seen her walking on the roads.
Ashwatthamma is an elderly woman, a great devotee of Lord Ayyappa. She is dressed in black and wears the holy beads around her neck. Her hair might have turned white but she is still young in her determination to make donations.
“I go to people with one line ‘Bhavati Biksham Dehi,’ and collect money from ₹1 to ₹1,000. I collect this money and donate it for Annadanam at temples” Ashwatthamma says with a smile of satisfaction.
Ashwathamma is a classical example of savings too. She not only collects money by seeking alms but also multiplies them through pigmy.
“I put these money in pigmy. When it turns to ₹ 1 lakh then I donate it to temples,” an innocent Ashwatthamma says.
She hails from Kanchugodu near Gangolli and donated ₹1.5 lakh to the local temple there. She collected ₹1 lakh for Annadanam at Pampa (Sabarimala), and ₹30,000 Pandala. Recently she donated ₹1.5 lakh to Polali Sri Raja Rajeshwari Temple.
Ashwatthamma has prayed to the God to solve the COVID crisis.
A great devotee of Lord Ayyappa, Ashwatthamma seems to have the same innocence as Sabari. She has lost her husband and son. The only family members are her grandchildren.
None of her pains stop her from doing this religious works. After donating lakhs to the temples, Ashwatthamma again goes to people with the line ‘Bhavati Biksham Dehi…………’
