[Watch] Did Odisha Minister Naba Das Donate Gold Pitcher Worth Rs 1 Crore To Shani Temple In Maharashtra?

Bhubaneswar: Has Odisha’s Health Minister Naba Kishore Das donated a gold pot worth Rs 1 crore to a Shani temple in Maharashtra? It can be true, if one goes by a video released in the media.

As per reports, a family from Odisha visited Shani Shingnapur temple in Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra to offer puja on the occasion of ‘Shani Amavasya’ on Saturday. Since ‘Shani Amavasya’ in Pausa month of Indian calendar occurred after 20 years, the day was considered most suspicious to appease Lord Shani by performing puja.

Lakhs of devotees from across the country thronged the Shani Shingnapur temple which is considered as one of the important Shani shrines in the country. During puja, the devotees gave away donations in kind and cash. Among them was a member of the Odia family.

“The gold pitcher donated by the Odia devotee is made of 700 gram gold and 5 kg silver. Its cost would be around Rs 1 crore,” a TV channel quoted temple sources as saying.

The gold pitcher is the costliest gift donated by any devotees to the temple so far. But the sources did not reveal the identity of the donor as he had requested the temple authorities not to disclose his name.

“The gold pitcher was placed in front of the idol of Lord Shani as per the rituals performed during ‘Sandhya Alati’ (evening prayer) on Saturday. A goldsmith, named Anand Bhalgat, has crafted the pitcher. Hymns in the name of Lord Shani have been inscribed on its surface. The pot, which would contain around 9 litre of oil, is the costliest donation to the temple till date,” the channel quoted president of Shingnapur Devasthan Bhagwat Bankar as saying.