India is famous for religious places, especially the ancient, rich, and
wealthy temples such as Padmanabhaswamy Temple, Jagannath Temple, Vaishno Devi,
Meenakshi Temple, and Tirupati Temple, and many others.
Temples in India reflect the rich religious heritage the country
possesses. India houses more than 500,000 temples some of which attract a large
number of devotees from all over the world. These ancient temples are famous
not only for being the earthly adobe of the ancient deities worshiped by mankind
but also for holding an immense amount of gold and other riches.
Hindus all over the world are known for the rich and generous offerings they give to temples in the form of cash, gold, and silver. Let us take a look at some of the richest temples in India:
1. Padmanabhaswamy
Temple, Thiruvanthapuram,Kerala:
Padmanabhaswamy Temple, situated at the heart of Thiruvanthapuram, Kerala,
and dedicated to Mahavishnu, is considered to be the richest temple in the
world. Temple treasure includes ornaments, precious stones, diamonds,
gold coins and statues worth more than INR 90,000 crores and total assets
amounting to more than 1,00,000 crores.
The idols are made of gold, silver & brass and the jewelry for them are made of gemstones like emeralds and diamonds. The golden idol of Mahavishnu itself is said to be INR 500 crores. Out of the six vaults unearthed, one vault, Vault B, which contains exotic treasure, is yet to be opened.
2. Tirupati Venkateswara Temple, Andhra Pradesh:
Tirumala
Tirupati Venkateswara Temple, situated in the seventh peak of Venkata Tirumala
Hill, Andhra Pradesh, and dedicated to Lord Venkateshwara (who is an
incarnation of Lord Vishnu), is one of the oldest Hindu pilgrimage sites in the
country. It is the richest temple in the world in terms of donations received
as crores of devotees come for worship here every year.
The idol of 8
feet tall statue of Lord Venkateshwara is placed under Ananda Nilaya Divya
Vimana, the gold-gilded dome. The idol is decorated with various types of
gemstones.
Currently, it stands at a worth of over 900 crores (as of last year) and
has 52 tonnes of gold ornaments. Every year the temple converts over 3000 kg of
gold received in donation boxes from pilgrims as gold reserve deposits with
nationalized banks.
The temple made
on the Samadhi of Sai Baba, is located in Ahmednagar district, close to Nasik, Maharashtra,
and worshipped by people around the world. It is counted as one of the top richest
temple in India.
A collection of over Rs 2,000 Crores has been reportedly made by the temple. According to reports, the bank account of the temple has about Rs 1,800 crores along with 380 Kg of Gold, 4,428 Kg Silver, and a large amount of money in the form of dollars and pounds is also present. This temple has assets worth Rs 320 crore. The throne, on which Baba is seated, is made of 94 kg gold.
4. Vaishno Devi Temple, Jammu:
The Holy Shrine
of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Ji also known as Mata Rani, built on the Himalayan
mountain range, at an altitude of 5,200 feet inside a million old cave, is a
Hindu temple dedicated to the Hindu Goddess Vaishnavi. It is one of the holiest
pilgrimage site in India. Vaishno Devi temple is recognized as one of the 51
Shakti Peeths in India.
Vaishno Devi Temple,13 km from Katra, witnesses more than 10 million
pilgrims annually making it the second most visited temple after Tirupati. The
temple has 1.2 tonnes of gold and received hundreds of kg of gold as donations
over a period of 5 years. The annual donations collected by the temple are
estimated to be INR 500 crores.
5.
Siddhivinayak
Temple, Mumbai:
Siddhivinayak
Temple, loc
Visitors ranging from 25000 to 2 lacs
flock here daily. The main deity of the temple, Lord Ganesh, made of 4 kg gold,
sits under a gold roof. The devotees have offered 158 kg of gold until now,
making the temple the richest of Mumbai. The Siddhivinayak temple receives donations of around 125 hundred crores annually and is also
frequented by celebrities from all around the world. The net worth of
the temple is Rs 125 crore.
Suggested Read:10 Unique & Interesting Temples to Visit In India
6. Golden Temple, Amritsar, Punjab:
Its divinity is a thing that can only be experienced and not described. The
temple was covered in gold by Maharaja Ranjit Singh in 1830, this took 162 kg
of gold, worth INR 65 lakh at that time. In the ‘90s it was renovated with 500
kg of 24 karat gold ( the purest form of gold), valued at around INR 200 crores
today. Gold, plated on
marble gives this temple its distinctive appearance.
The temple is open to devotees of all faiths and serves over 100,000 people free food from all walks of life.
7. Sabarimala Temple, Kerala :
Sabarimala
Temple, an ancient temple of Lord Ayappa, situated atop a hill at an altitude
of 4133 feet above sea level, is located at the Periyar Tiger Reserve of
Kerala.
People say the Sabarimala temple is so rich that it is going to appoint robots for service. This might actually be true looking at its estimates. It has collected over 15 kgs of gold and its annual income calculates over Rs 105 crores. The main source of income is the offerings by more than 50 million pilgrims every year. The net worth of the temple is INR 245 Crores.
Suggested read: 1000 Years Old Beautiful Temples In India
8. Guruvayur Temple, Kerala
Located in the Guruvayoor town, Guruvayur Shri Krishna Temple is one of the most sacred hubs in Kerala. It is one of the most revered temples in South India, where the presiding deity ‘Guruvayurappan’ or Lord Vishnu is worshipped in Balkrishna Avtar. Also known by the name of Unnikrishnan, the astonishing idol made of a rare mixture called Padala Anjanam instead of stone or metal, is adorned with four hands each carrying a conch - ‘Panchjanya’, the discus - ‘ Sudarshan Chakra’, the mace –‘Kaumodki’, and a lotus with a Holy Basil garland. The temple houses 56 elephants belonging to the temple donated by devotees with due preference of donating tusked male elephants. The shrines are roofed with copper sheeting.
9.Mahalakshmi Temple, Kolhapur
Located in Kolhapur city of Maharashtra Mahalakshmi
Temple is an important Hindu temple dedicated to Goddess Lakshmi, who resides
here as Ambabai. Lakshmi is the consort of Lord Vishnu. The idol of the
presiding deity Mahalakshmi is mounted on a stone platform and made of
gemstones. The image of Goddess Lakshmi carved in black stone is 3 feet in
height. It is believed that a visit to the temple helps achieve ‘Moksha’.
Chhatrapati Shivaji and Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, who ruled the area also
visited the temple regularly.
Friends, these ancient temples are sure to make you wonder about the age-old traditions, rituals, and customs apart from the wealth that they have amassed. I have tried to list out some of the selected temples that are widely considered to be the richest in India. If you are curious about the wealth of these temples and wish to see them first-hand, then plan a trip and see for yourself the beauty, architectural marvel, and wealth in these temples.
We Indians also sure know how to preserve our culture, rituals and religion.
Inputs and pics from Google, Wikipedia, indiatv, Patrika, holidify.com, etc...
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