YADADRI-BHUVANAGIRI: The Yadagirigutta Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple has been hit by another controversy after gold and silver coins, locally called “dollars”, were found missing, allegedly after being sold by the temple’s publicity department.
Officials estimate the value of the missing coins at around `10 lakh. Though the disappearance is believed to have occurred over a year ago, it came to light during a recent audit.
This is not the first instance of alleged irregularities at the temple. A few months ago, theft of bags of tamarind from temple stores had triggered public outrage.
The sale of commemorative coins bearing the image of Lord Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy has been in practice for nearly two decades. After a brief suspension, the previous BRS government resumed the sale. Since then, these souvenirs have been stored and sold through the publicity department under the supervision of the Executive Officer (EO) and the direct control of the Assistant Executive Officer (AEO).
Prices of the coins are revised periodically in line with gold and silver rates. As per protocol, gold and silver offerings from devotees are sent to the government mint, which converts them into about 200 gold and 1,000 silver coins. These are kept under the EO’s custody. However, the latest audit found discrepancies, with records not matching the physical stock.
Reacting to the issue, newly appointed EO Bhavani Shankar said he had assumed charge only on Thursday. He said the audit report would be examined and action taken against those responsible. Devotees, meanwhile, blamed the incident on poor supervision in the administration of the temple.