A fresh controversy has erupted at Mumbai's famous Siddhivinayak Ganpati temple, with a trustee alleging that roughly Rs 18 crore was siphoned off from the donation box every year. The trustee claims that certain temple staff members were involved in the alleged racket, and has raised the possibility that the trail could lead to people in more senior positions. The allegations have triggered growing calls for an impartial probe into the temple's finances.
What the trustee's letter says
The matter came to light after it emerged that a trustee of the temple had written to Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde roughly 10 days ago, urging a fair investigation into the temple's financial affairs. Once the letter became public, it set off a wave of debate. According to the letter, nine temple employees have already been arrested on charges of stealing money from the donation box, and the alleged scheme is said to have run for a considerable stretch of time.
The Wednesday count that raised eyebrows
At Siddhivinayak, the donation box is traditionally opened and counted every Wednesday. The trustee says that while the accused staff members were still in their posts, the weekly collection averaged around Rs 50 lakh. But in the three weeks right after those employees were removed, the weekly offerings jumped to nearly Rs 1.5 crore each week. That sharp rise is what has fuelled suspicion, since such a jump looks far too large to be a coincidence. Based on this pattern, the trustee estimates that if the alleged skimming had continued unchecked, the temple could have lost close to Rs 18 crore a year. The letter also argues that the probe should not stop at junior staff and must examine whether people at a more senior level were involved.
A temple that draws crores in offerings
Located in Mumbai's Prabhadevi area, the Siddhivinayak temple is counted among the country's most revered Ganpati shrines. It is popularly known as the temple of 'Navsala Pavnara Ganpati', believed to grant the wishes of devotees who visit. Thousands of people throng the temple every day, ranging from politicians and film personalities to industrialists and ordinary devotees, all of whom contribute to its donation box. That scale of devotion is precisely why the box collects crores of rupees each week, and it is also why allegations of financial irregularities have left devotees uneasy.
The demand came from within the trust itself
What stands out most in this case is that the call for a probe has not come from any political rival or outside party, but from a trustee within the temple's own management. The trustee insists that an independent and unbiased inquiry is essential to establish whether the donation money was actually being misappropriated, and if so, who exactly should be held responsible.
