The Hindu : National : Alms-seeker makes big donation to temple

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Sep 01, 2006

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National

Alms-seeker makes big donation to temple

M.V. Subramanyam

Donates over 30 years of earnings of Rs. 3.50 lakhs to temple

KADAPA: The frail septuagenarian woman seeks alms for a living, but is a philanthropist in her own right. She has contributed her three-decade earnings of Rs. 3.50 lakhs to Lord Venkateswara.

Lakshmamma (75) had been seeking alms at the entrance of Sri Lakshmi Venkateswara temple at Devunikadapa for the last three decades ever since her estrangement with her husband. She contributed the money to the temple for improving amenities to devotees.

She donated the money for constructing a polished stone platform near the `gali gopuram,' erecting door frames at the main entrance, south and north entrance, laying of piped fencing for queue complex and fencing for a well on the temple premises. She was living in Kadiri of Anantapur district until her husband deserted her. Left to fend for herself, she took to seeking alms near the Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple in Kadiri. She donated all her earnings to the temple and organised discourses on `Ramayanam' for three months. She later moved to Kadapa and began seeking alms near the Venkateswara Swamy temple.

Lakshmamma recalls she went without food for a fortnight on coming to Kadapa. A devotee Rajanna offered her work as a maidservant in their house at Yerramukkapalle here. She worked in their house for some time but went back to the temple for seeking alms. She slept near the temple and the temple prasadam was her food.

Felicitated by people

She sweeps the temple premises daily before priests and devotees turn up. As she is bed-ridden with a leg fracture she has been staying in the temple choultry. On coming to know about Lakshmamma's contribution, people of Yerramukkapalle profusely praised her. She was presented a shawl and garlanded. Over half-a-dozen new sarees were given to her.

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