Kundapur beggar donates Rs 1 lakh for meals in temples

An elderly beggarwoman not only raised Rs 1 lakh but also donated it to serve meals to devotees in Gurunarasimha Temple in Saligrama.

Ashwathamma, a resident of Kanchikodi in Gangolli in Kundapur, collects alms. So far, she has donated over Rs 5 lakh to different temples in order to help them continue serving mid-day meals to devotees visiting the temple.

She is an avid devotee of Lord Ayyappa and follows austerity by wearing the customary Ayyappa Mala for many months every year. She seeks alms at many places and donates the same to temples.

Ashwathamma reveals that her wish is to ensure the welfare of all and eradication of Covid-19 from the world. To ensure that people do not go hungry, she gives the money from begging to temples.

She said she has already donated her savings to Gurunarasimha temple in Saligrama, Polali Rajarajeshwari temple among others.

Ashwathamma begs from dawn to dusk and deposits the day’s collection in her bank account.

Every year before undertaking the pilgrimage to Sabarimala, she donates the entire savings to the temples.

Before leaving for Sabarimala, Ashwathamma will take part in the ritual at Gurunarasimha Temple in Saligrama on February 9. Temple priest Janardhan Adiga felicitated her.