In India we often visit temples to offer prayers to the Gods but sometimes we also offer something extra in the form of wealth to show our gratitude towards the almighty.
This gesture of offering wealth to the Gods has been going on for thousands of years. People not only offer wealth just to show gratitude, but also donate money for the development of the temples. Now imagine what the accumulated wealth for thousands and thousands of years may look like. These temples that I am going to talk about have accumulated wealth for several years and now have become the wealthiest temples in India.
Sri Padmanabhaswamy Temple
Situated in the south of India in the city of Thiruvananthapuram, Padmanabhaswamy temple is an example of a masterful Dravidian artwork. The temple is home to Lord Vishnu and it is maintained and managed by the former royal family of Travancore. The temple has an accumulated wealth of 90,000 crores which includes gold, idols made of gold, silver artefacts, precious stones and brass.
Vaishno Devi Temple
Moving up to the north of India, in the state of Jammu and Kashmir you will find the most popular temple in India, Vaishno Devi temple. You will always find the name of Vaishno Devi temple in the list of Indians who set out for pilgrimage. The geographic location makes it very difficult to reach but despite this fact, thousands of people visit the temple each year to offer prayers to the Goddess. This massive foot fall in the temple contributes to an annual income of close to 500 crores.
Siddhivinayak Temple
The third wealthiest temple in India is situated on the west coast of India in the city of Mumbai. Shri Siddhivinayak temple is the most iconic temple of this city and is the home of Lord Ganesha. It is often visited by a lot of Bollywood actors and one of the richest families in Asia, the Ambani family also frequently visits the temple. The inner sanctum of the temple where Lord Ganesha resides is estimated to have 35 Kgs of gold which is worth nearly about 14 crores. Moreover, the treasury of the temple has more than 51 crores.
All the wealth of the temples is used for the development of the temples and the surrounding areas. Moreover, the temples also feed innumerable numbers of people on a daily basis. Now, if any one says India is a poor country, just show them these facts.
