Dharashiv (Maharashtra)): The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has approved the melting of ornaments and converting them into gold bars, offered by devotees at Tulja Bhavani Temple. Dr Sachin Ombase, the district collector and custodian of the temple trust, said that gold ornaments weighing around 200 kg will be melted.
"The gold ornaments offered by the devotees at the Tulja Bhavani Temple will be melted after the Navratri festival. The RBI has given permission for this. The process will be completed soon," said the collector. So far, devotees offered 207 kg of gold and 2,570 kg of silver since 2009. As per the estimate from administrative sources, around 111 kg of pure gold will be obtained after melting 207kg of ornaments. Whereas the temple has 47 kg of processed pure gold. After the addition of 111 kg, the temple will have 158 kg of pure gold.
In the past several years, devotees donated a large amount of gold and silver ornaments to Tulja Bhavani Temple. After melting gold ornaments, they will be converted into gold blocks and kept in the bank as gold bonds. Sources in the temple administration estimated that after melting 207 kg of gold ornaments, 50 to 60 per cent pure gold will be obtained. Officials from the Tulja Bhavani Temple will be visiting the Siddhivinayak Temple in Mumbai to learn how to melt gold and silver.
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