Tirumala temple trust has said its net worth is about Rs 2.26 lakh crore. PTI File Photo
Lord Venkateswara, the presiding deity of the Tirumala temple in Andhra Pradesh’sTirupati district, is one of the wealthiest gods in the world. As per the white paper on the properties of the temple released by Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), which manages the Tirumala shrine, the total net worth of the temple trust is a whopping Rs 2.5 lakh crore.
As per PTI, Tirupati’s net worth surpasses the market capitalisation of Information Technology (IT) services company Wipro, food and beverage company Nestle and state-owned oil giants Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) and Indian Oil Corporation.
How many assets does the TTD have? Which are some of the other richest temples in India? Let’s take a closer look.
Tirumala temple
The governing body of the ancient hill temple of Lord Venkateswara told Times of India (TOI) that their total net worth has increased to about Rs 2.26 lakh crore.
“TTD’s investments in the form of fixed deposits in various banks in 2019 was Rs 13,025 crore, which has now increased to Rs 15,938 crore. In the last three years, the investment increased by Rs 2,900 crores,” TTD executive officer AV Dharma Reddy told TOI.
As per TTD, it has 10.3 tonnes of gold deposits in nationalised banks valued at over Rs 5,300 crore.
It also has a cash deposit of Rs 15,938 crore.
The gold deposits made by the Tirumala temple trust in banks have seen a rise from 7.3 tonnes in 2019 to 10.25 tonnes as on 30 September 2022, as per PTI.
According to the TOI report, the TTD has 960 properties across India, spread over 7,123 acres.
The fixed assets owned by TTD in Tirumala and Tirupati include guest houses, cottages, super-specialty hospitals and pilgrim amenities complexes, which are estimated at a value of Rs 5,000 crore.
“TTD is growing richer and richer as the cash and gold offerings made by devotees at the hill temple continue to rise and fixed deposits in banks are also generating more income in view of increase in interest rates,” a temple official told PTI.
Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple
Kerala’s famous Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple in Thiruvananthapuram is among the world’s richest shrines with valuables reportedly worth around Rs one lakh crore.
The temple’s wealth had come to the fore following a 2011 PIL in the Supreme Court seeking a probe into the six famous vaults of the temple.
Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple in Kerala has valuables worth around Rs one lakh crore. Wikimedia Commons (File Photo)
The five vaults that were examined by an apex court committee shed the spotlight on the treasures of the temple which included stones, ornaments, antiques and vessels.
The sixth vault remained closed because objections were raised by the erstwhile royal family of Travancore citing mystical reasons.
Shri Saibaba temple
Shri Saibaba temple in Maharashtra’s Shirdi receives huge annual donations which are pegged at around Rs 360 crore, India Today reports.
In just seven months, it had assembled a donation worth Rs 188.55 crore since it reopened for devotees in October 2021 following the COVID-19 pandemic.
The administration of Shri Saibaba Sansthan Trust (Shirdi) has ornaments worth more than Rs 32 crore and investments running into Rs 4,27,17,02,929 crore, as per the 2011 official documents.
The temple has Rs 47.82 crore as Trust Corpus Fund, according to the annual audit report for 2009-10, PTI reported.
Vaishno Devi temple
Located at Trikuta Hills in Katra, Jammu, Vaishno Devi temple has been offered 1,800 kg of gold, 4,700 kg of silver, and Rs 2,000 crore in cash in the last two decades (2000-2020) in donations, as per Business Today.
This was revealed last year in a reply to an RTI filed by Kumaon-based activist Hemand Gauniya.
Moreover, the temple earns more than Rs 500 crore annually, as per TOI.
Siddhivinayak temple
The Siddhivinayak temple in Maharashtra’s Mumbai is dedicated to Lord Ganesh. Visited by Bollywood biggies and affluent business tycoons, besides the common public, the shrine earns around 125 crore annually.
The temple receives huge amounts of gold, including gold bars and ornaments, as donations.
Meenakshi Amman temple
Meenakshi Amman temple in Madurai, Tamil Nadu is a revered shrine for Hindus which worships Goddess Parvati and Lord Shiva.
Meenakshi Amman temple is one of the wealthiest shrines in south India. Wikimedia Commons (File Photo)
It is one of the wealthiest shrines in south India. According to South Tourism website, with at least 15,000 visitors per day, the temple earns a revenue of $60 million per year.
Guruvayur temple
The Guruvayur temple in Kerala’s Thrissur is dedicated to Lord Guruvayurappan.
The Sree Guruvayurappan Temple has assets worth Rs 2,500 crore and earns around Rs 400 crore in both cash and gold every year, as per TOI.
The other richest temples of the country are Jagannath Temple of Puri (Odisha), Amritsar’s Golden Temple (Punjab), Somnath Temple (Gujarat) and Varanasi’s Kashi Vishwanath Temple (Uttar Pradesh) among others.
With inputs from agencies
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