TIRUPATI: The Lord Venkateswara temple in Tirumala is the richest Hindu temple in India in terms of revenue generated, grossing Rs 368.38 per second in form of devotee offerings to the Srivari hundi last year.
Every year, millions of devotees visit the temple, offer cash and other valuables, including gold and silver donations to Lord Venkateswara, in keeping with a centuries-old tradition, popularly called as mokkubadi (resolve).
According to statements released by Anil Kumar Singhal, executive officer, Tirumala Tirupati Devast-hanam (TTD), earlier this month, offerings by devotees from January to December in 2019 came close to Rs 1,161.74 crore, while in the corresponding period in 2018, revenues were Rs 1,066.48 crore. The temple earned an additional annual revenue of Rs 95.25 crore, a six per cent growth from hundi collections in 2019 compared to 2018. The average earnings recorded from hundi collections average to Rs 22,103.12 per minute in 2019, a growth from 2018 of Rs 20,290.71.
Apart from Hundi earning, a chunk of TTD’s revenue come from interests on fixed deposits (FDs), receipts from sale of prasadam, darshan tickets, accommodation, lease and rents. TTD is projecting revenue of Rs 857.28 from FD interests, Rs 330 crore from prasadam, and Rs 233 crore from darshan tickets for financial year 2019-20.
When it comes to anna prasadam, the temple, on an average, served free food to 122.85 persons per minute. In 2019, 6.45 crore devotees had anna prasadam.
