The officials and priests of Lord Hanuman temple at Rajampeta in Annamayya district were in for a surprise when they found a raw diamond weighing 1.396 carats during the counting of hundi collections on Friday. The diamond was dropped into the hundi by an anonymous devotee, along with a letter, and an estimation slip.
The letter stated that the devotee had had the diamond for the last few years, and after confirming its authenticity, he had decided to offer it to the deity. He had also requested that the diamond be used in making ornaments for the deity.
Endowments Department Inspector Janardhan, temple Executive Officer Kondareddi and other officials handed over the diamond to the chief priest.
Local merchants in Rajampeta said that the market value of the diamond would be anywhere between ₹70 lakh and ₹2 crore.
The temple officials said that the diamond would be sent to the higher authorities for testing.
