Demonetized Notes Found Decorating Goddess Durga Idol, Sparking Outrage

On September 25, 2025, the HR&CE (Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments) department ordered an inquiry after demonetized 500, 1,000, and 2,000 rupee notes were found adorning an idol of Goddess Durga at the Patteeswaram temple near Thanjavur. The discovery was made by devotees during Navaratri Puja celebrations at the temple.

The Goddess Durga shrine is part of the Thenupuriswarar temple complex in Patteeswaram. As part of the 'Lakshmi Alangaram' ritual on the fifth day of Navaratri, the idol was decorated with currency notes. However, devotees were surprised to see the demonetized and out-of-circulation bills among the offerings.

Images of the decorated idol went viral on social media, sparking widespread outrage. Many questioned how the invalid notes had entered the temple's financial system and were used to adorn the deity, as demonetized currency should not be in circulation.

Temple officials stated that the use of the demonetized notes was a mistake, not an act of disrespect. S Sivakumar, the joint commissioner of the HR&CE department in Mayiladuthurai, explained that the priests had mistakenly included some old demonetized notes from the temple's collection in the decoration, without authorization.

In response to the incident, the temple authorities instructed the priests to remove the demonetized notes from the idol. The HR&CE department has now ordered a thorough investigation into the matter.