Ayodhya Ram temple gets donations worth Rs 11 crore in 11 days, 25 lakh devotees pay visit after consecration

The Ram temple, where the consecration ceremony was held on January 22, has received more than Rs 11 crore as donation after the temple was thrown open to devotees. According to the Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra, around 25 lakh devotees have visited the Ram Janmabhoomi in the 11 days, about Rs 8 crore has been deposited in the donation boxes in the last 10 days, and around Rs 3.50 crore was received online.

Prakash Gupta, office in-charge of the temple trust, more than 2 lakh devotees are reaching the Ram temple every day to have darshan of Ram Lalla.

He added that in the temple's sanctum sanctorum, where the deity is seated, four big size donation boxes have been kept near the 'darshan path' in front of the sanctum sanctorum, in which the devotees donate the amount.

A team of 14 people, which includes 11 bank employees and three from the temple trust, counts the offerings in four donation boxes. Gupta said that from depositing the donation amount to counting it, everything is done under the surveillance of CCTV cameras.

Income tax relief on temple donations

Individuals who have contributed to the Ayodhya Ram Mandir Trust, officially known as the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, or those who plan to make donations in the near future, are eligible to claim a deduction under Section 80G of the Income Tax Act, 1961.

Section 80G of the Income Tax Act in India is a provision that allows individuals and organisations to claim tax deductions on donations made to eligible charitable institutions and funds.

Individuals can contribute to Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust through various means such as cheques, UPI, and Internet Banking.

The donation can be made online by visiting the official website at https://srjbtkshetra.org/ and clicking on 'Donate' under the 'Donation' tab and log in using the mobile number. After that, individuals can authenticate using the OTP received and choose a bank account (SBI, PNB, or BoB) for donation.

To claim the deduction under Section 80G, individuals must retain the donation receipt.

When submitting the income tax return (ITR), individuals have the option to declare deductions under the applicable section by inputting the donation amount and necessary information in the designated area of the form. It is important to retain the donation receipts and relevant documents as proof of support.

In certain instances, the income tax department may request these documents for verification or auditing purposes at a later stage.

Also read: Ayodhya Ram Mandir donations: How to make online contributions and avail of tax deduction?