From Rs 10-20 to gold and silver jewellery, copper, donations to temples and other religious organisations in India amounts to crores of rupees but there is no clear account of how it is being utilised
Donations to places of worship and religious institutions can amount to several thousand crores in India, often overshadowing the wealth of business conglomerates
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Walking through the narrow and crowded lanes of Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh (UP), the chiming of temple bells and chants of ‘Har har mahadev’ are constants. Proclaimed by Unesco as one of the oldest living cities in the world, Varanasi, also known as Benaras and Kashi, is known for its 84 ghats and more than 3,000 temples; Unesco has also chosen it as a city of music. Walking past a wedding and a funeral procession, within 15 minutes of each other, is quite usual here. After all, one of the holiest cremation grounds and one of the most important places of worship—Manikarnika Ghat and Kashi Vishwanath temple, respectively—are situated right next to each other.
Most devotees inside the temple donate ₹10-20, or more, in the donation box, with many believing their prayers will come true; some others think it will be used to help someone. Philanthropy is rooted in India’s history and culture, with traditions such as daan, seva, zakat, tithe and langar cutting across religions and regions. Everyday donors might not have large resources at their disposal, but they still contribute in small ways.
Donations to places of worship and religious institutions—daily amounts, however small, dropped into collection boxes, and big-ticket offerings such as jewellery made of gold and silver—can amount to several thousand crores in India, often overshadowing the wealth of business conglomerates. Although most donations are made in good faith, transparency remains a concern.
In 2022, donations made to the Kashi Vishwanath temple increased fivefold, to more than ₹100 crore, and footfalls increased 12 times, to 7.35 crore, over the previous year, said Sunil Kumar Verma, CEO of Kashi Vishwanath Dham, in an earlier media report. Apart from cash, devotees donated 60 kg gold, 10 kg silver and 1,500 kg copper; around ₹50 crore was donated in cash, of which 40 percent was donated online. Ever since the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor—a pathway connecting the temple to the bank of the Ganga—was inaugurated in December 2021, the temple has seen a surge in donations, added Verma. Since 1983, all donations are collected by the UP government.
OP Shukla, an auditor of the Kashi Vishwanath Temple Trust who has been handling the temple’s accounts for 23 years, says donations are used for the maintenance and development of the temple and to feed over 500 destitutes every day. “Over the years, the inflow of donations has only increased. The UP government has appointed five trustees and one chair on the board, to run the temple. A minimum of ₹2 crore is collected from the donation box every month,” he says.
(This story appears in the 10 March, 2023 issue of Forbes India. To visit our Archives, click here.)