121kg gold donation to Lord Venkateswara: Anonymous NRI devotee offers Rs 140 crore gift; equivalent to weight of ornaments adorning deity

VIJAYAWADA: A devotee of Lord Venkateswara, who wished to remain anonymous, will donate 121kg of gold worth nearly 140 crore to the TTD to show his gratitude and devotion to the Lord.

This was revealed by AP chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Tuesday during the launch of the programme ('Public, Private, People Partnership'), which is aimed at ending poverty. Naidu said the devotee prayed to Lord Venkateswara long ago for success. "Later, he went to the USA and founded an IT company. He emerged as a successful entrepreneur in due course of time. He received more than 6,000 crore by selling 60% of stakes in his company .

With the money he received, he wanted to give back not only to the society but also to Lord Venkateswara for making his wishes come true, the CM said, explaining the importance of showing gratitude and giving back to the society.

After selling off his stakes in the company, his intuition told him to donate a part of it to Lord Venkateswara, the devotee stated in the letter he addressed to the chief minister. He requested him not to reveal his identity as he wanted to stay anonymous.

"It's a coincidence that he decided to donate the gold, which is equivalent to the weight of all ornaments used to decorate the deity in the sanctum sanctorum," said Naidu.The CM cited the example to explain the importance of having gratitude towards the society and belief in God. "Irrespective of religion, belief in God will keep society in an orderly manner. Donating to a good cause for the betterment of fellow beings is equivalent to serving God," he said.