MH-SAIBABA-DONATIONS

Saibaba temple gets Rs 5.9 cr donation on samadhi centenary
festival
    Shirdi (Maha), Oct 21 (PTI) The Saibaba temple here in
Maharashtra has received donations worth Rs 5.97 crore during
the conclusion of the Saibaba samadhi centenary festival.
    Devotees from the country and abroad donated Rs 2.52
crore in donation boxes kept in the temple premises during the
three-day concluding festival from October 17 to 19, Shri
Saibaba Sansthan Trust's Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Rubal
Agrawal told reporters here Saturday.
    Besides, the donation counters in the temple, located
at Shirdi town in Maharashtra's Ahmednagar district, received
Rs 1.46 crore cash, she said.
    The temple also received Rs 1.41 crore through online
donations, debit cards, cheques and demand drafts, she said.
    In addition to this, devotees also donated gold and
silver items worth Rs 28.24 lakh and foreign currencies worth
Rs 24.55 lakh, Agrawal said.
    Apart from these donations, the temple trust earned Rs
78 lakh through paid darshan and online passes and Rs 28.51
lakh through distribution of 'laddoos' (ball-shaped sweets),
she said.
    Nearly three lakh devotees from across the country and
abroad visited the shrine during the three-day festival which
concluded Friday, she added.
    Saibaba, a widely revered saint, is believed to have
taken samadhi in Shirdi on October 15, 1918. PTI COR
GK GK