The donation boxes at the shrine of Hazrat Shahjalal (R) in Sylhet were opened for the fourth time on Saturday to count the offerings deposited by devotees.
The boxes were last opened on 15 August, when Tk70,88,672 in cash was found, along with foreign currencies and gold and silver ornaments.
Rezaul Hasan Koyes Lodi, a member of the committee formed to ensure transparency and accountability in the financial management of the shrine and chairman of the Sylhet Development Authority, said the donation boxes and vow cauldrons were opened this time following the procedure decided earlier.
“The amount collected will be known after the counting is completed,” he said.
The shrine’s donation boxes were first opened on 22 June, for the first time in its nearly 700-year history, under the supervision of then Deputy Commissioner Md Sarwar Alam.
During that count, Tk17,65,549 in cash was found from four days’ offerings, along with foreign currencies and gold ornaments. A Tk5 lakh cheque from the district administration’s fund was later added, bringing the total to Tk22,65,549 for that phase.
The boxes were opened for the second time on 11 July, 18 days later, when Tk47,10,153 in cash was found. Foreign currencies, as well as gold and silver items, were also recovered.
On 15 August, the boxes and vow cauldrons were opened together for the third count. Besides cash, currencies from Bangladesh and other countries and gold and silver ornaments were found.
In the first three rounds, the shrine collected a total of Tk1,40,64,374 in cash. The money has been deposited into the shrine’s fund under the supervision of the district administration.
