Top 10 Richest Temples In India

India, a land of diverse culture and different religious beliefs has witnessed the rise of temples which are not only the destinations to seek solace at the feet of God but retreat to the eyes of the believers. India is home to a great range of historical monuments, forts, palaces and the temples that gives an insight into India’s splendid past. There are a large number of famous temples in India that travelers can visit to explore their beauty. Some of these temples were built way long back and many of them are believed to have mysteries of their own.

The devotees have donated sacks of gold, silver and diamonds, which have later become the possessions of temple trusts. Here is a glimpse of the temples which earn in crores every year.

1. Padmanabhaswamy Temple, Kerala

Padmanabhaswamy Temple is credited with the title ‘The richest Temple in India’ and in the world as well. This temple is situated in the heart of Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala and has created history with its vast and enormous wealth that was retrieved from this temple recently.  The Supreme presiding deity in the temple to whom the temple is dedicated is Lord Vishnu. The temple is composed of a mixture of two styles of architecture, them being Kerala and Dravidian styles.

This temple shot to fame on 7th July 2011, after the assets were discovered from 5 secret cellars of the temple where treasure worth more than Rs. 1,00,000 crore was found, that’s around US$22.3 billion in total, without even calculating the antique value of the objects. It is said that the Padmanabhaswamy Temple treasure vaults hold fortunes enough to save the world from its various issues but the treasures are bound by an ancient curse.

The treasure that was found Antique gold ornaments:

-Sack full of Diamonds

-Golden idol of Mahavishnu worth Rs. 500 Crore

-Golden Crowns

-Golden Bow

-17 kg of gold coins(dating back to the East India Company period)

-Gold in shape of rice trinkets(Weighing one tone! )

-18 feet long golden necklace weighing 2.5 kg

-Thousands of pieces of antique jewellery studded with diamonds and emeralds

-Golden Vessels

Worth : INR 1,20,000 Crores

2. Guruvayoor temple, Guruvayur

Located in the Guruvayoor town, Guruvayur Sree Krishna Temple is one of the most sacred pilgrim hubs in Kerala. It is one of the most revered temples in South India where the presiding deity Lord Vishnu is worshipped in Balkrishna Avtar. Lord idol is adorned with four hands each carrying a conch, a mace, a discus and a lotus and is also known by the name of Unnikrishnan. According to a legend, the temple was created by the preceptors of the Gods, Guru and God of winds, Vayu.

 However, this temple is open only to the believers of Hindu faith, and there might be long queues at the entrance but completely worth as you enter the temple complex.

Worth : INR 2500 Crore

3. Tirumala Tirupati Venkateswara Temple, Andhra Pradesh 

It is a landmark vaishnavite temple situated in the hill town of Tirumala at Tirupati in Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh, India. The Temple is dedicated to Lord Venkateswara, an incarnation of Vishnu, who is believed to have appeared here to save mankind from trials and troubles of Kali Yuga. The temple is also referred to as “Temple of Seven Hills”. It is the richest temple in the world in terms of donations received and wealth. The temple is visited by about 50,000 to 100,000 pilgrims daily (30 to 40 million people annually on average), while on special occasions and festivals, like the annual Brahmotsavam,Vijayanagara Emperor Krishnadevaraya, on one of his many visits to the temple, donated gold and jewels, enabling the Ananda Nilayam (inner shrine) roofing to be gilded.

The annual income of TTD is around 900 crores and above.

Worth : INR 900 Crores

4. Vaishno Devi Temple, Jammu

Vaishno Devi Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to the Hindu Goddess, located at the Trikuta Mountains within the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. Vaishno Devi, also known as Mata Rani, Trikuta and Vaishnavi, is the incarnation of Goddess Mahalakshmi. It is believed that during the pooja and aarti, Goddesses arrive at the Holy cave to pay their respect to Mata Rani. The darshan of Maa Vaishno Devi in the holy cave is in the form of three naturally formed rocks which are known as pindies. These pindies manifest the three forms of the goddess as Maha Kali, Maha Saraswati and Maha Lakshmi. The Holy Cave of the Mother is situated at an altitude of 5200 ft. These Darshans are in the shape of three natural rock formations called the Pindies. There are no statues or idols inside the Cave.

Worth :  INR 500 Crores

5. Sabarimala Ayyappa Temple, Kerala

This one of the richest temples of India is visited by about 100 million devotees every year. Sabarimala Temple is considered to be at the top of the list as per the number of devotees visiting the place. The temple is situated on a hilltop at an elevation of 4,133 feet above main sea level, and is encircled by mountains and dense forests. The weird fact about this temple is that only men can enter into this temple. The revenue earned from Sabarimala Temple during pilgrimage season has been calculated around Rs. 230 crore till now.

Worth : INR 245 Crores

6. Shirdi Saibaba Shrine, Nashik

Sai Baba of Shirdi, also known as Shirdi Sai Baba, was an Indian spiritual master who was regarded by his devotees as a saint, fakir, and satguru, according to their individual beliefs. He was revered by both his Hindu and Muslim devotees, and during, as well as after, his life it remained uncertain if he was a Hindu or a Muslim. One of his well-known epigrams, “Sabka Malik Ek” (“One God governs all”), is associated with Hinduism, Islam. Numerous monuments and statues depicting Sai Baba, which serve a religious function, have been made. One of them, made of marble by a sculptor named Balaji Vasant Talim, is in the Samadhi Mandir in Shirdi where Sai Baba was buried. The temple has gold and silver jewellery worth approximately Rs 32 crore and silver coins worth more than Rs 6 lakh. The temple gets donations worth Rs 320 crore every year.

 Worth : INR 320 Crores

7. Golden Temple, Amritsar

The most famous religious centre of the Sikh Community, Golden Temple attracts globetrotters for its arresting golden color and exclusive architectural beauty. This charismatic golden shrine is adorned with golden and silver detailing and looks imposing at night for its strikingly illuminated golden dome. The canopy of the temple is made of gold. The holy book Guru Granth Sahib is kept is studded with precious diamonds and bright stones. It is estimated that on an average around 40,000 visitors throng here in Golden Temple every day. The spiritual focus is the tank, the Amrit Sarovar, which surrounds the glistening central shrine. The Sikh Museum is located inside the main entrance clock tower which shows the oppression endured by the Sikhs at the hands of the Mughals, the British and the Indian Government of 1984. 

Worth : INR 320 Crores

8. Meenakshi Temple, Madurai

It is one among the very few temples in India that witnessed footfalls of around 20 to 30 thousand devotees daily. The temple earns revenue of approximately 60 million annually. It enshrines about 33,000 sculptures in its premises. The main deity of the temple is Goddess Meenakshi, the wife of Sundareshwar (Lord Shiva). There are 14 gopurams in the temple having heights between 45 and 50 meters. The temple also has two golden carts, which enhance the magnificence of this famous Hindu Shrine and make it one of the richest temples of India.

Worth : INR 150 Crores

9. Sri Jagannath Puri Temple, Puri 

Located in the sacred town of Puri, the Jagannath Temple or the pride of India was built in the 11th century by King Indradyumna. This glorious temple is the abode of Lord Jagannath who is a form of Lord Vishnu. It is the most revered pilgrimage site for Hindus and is included in the pious Char Dham Yatra with Badrinath, Dwarka and Rameshwaram. The splendid Oriya architecture of the Jagannath Puri Temple is an icing on the cake. The four gates are beautifully designed with intricate carvings. The scrumptious Mahaprasad of the temple is something you should not miss. The most awaited of them is the Rath Yatra celebrated with immense gusto. The colorful ambience, interesting rituals, vim and vigor of the pilgrims is worth witnessing.

Worth : INR 150 Crores

10. Siddhivinayak Temple, Mumbai

The Siddhivinayak Temple in the Prabhadevi area is a revered shrine dedicated to Lord Ganesha and is one of the most significant and frequented temples in Mumbai. This temple was built in the year 1801 by Laxman Vithu and Deubai Patil. The couple did not have any children of their own and decided to build the Siddhivinayak temple so as to fulfil the wishes of other infertile women. The Temple has a small sanctum housing the idol of Shri Ganesha, which is about two and a half feet wide and made out of a single piece of black stone. It is also the richest temple in Mumbai as it begets INR 125 Million in donations each year from devotees across the world.

Worth : INR 125 Crores

Wrapping Up

India is known for it’s vast range of temples and thousands of devotees who donate to all of them. If you want to know more about such things, let us know down below.

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