India is the land of undying faith, where people revere the ancient tradition of making generous donations in temples and shrines since times immemorial. Consequently, the temples of the country collect huge amounts of donations in cash and kind, coming from the devotees and pilgrims. These donations replenish the temples with wealth and riches. There are several famous temples in India which holds a great amount of money in their deposits and this money is used for various ceremonies and expansion of temple.
Do you know which the Top 15 Richest Temples in India are? Well, in this article, we have compiled the list of some of the richest temples in India which experiences a high footfall from the around the country.
So here is the list of top 15 richest temples in India:
15. Mahalakshmi Temple, Kolhapur, Maharashtra
Mahalakshmi temple is located in Kolhapur in Maharashtra and it is also one of the 108 Shakti Peeth as per Hinduism. It is believed that the worshipers are granted their wishes in this temple and as per the popular belief, Goddess Lakshmi and God Vishnu reside in this temple. One of the most popular temples in Mahalakshmi Temple is Kirnotsav and during this festival, the sun rays fall on the idol during the sunset. The festival is held 6 times in the year and there are a lot of worshipers who visit the temple to witness the phenomenon.
14. Swaminarayan Akshardham Temple, Delhi
This temple is popularly known as Akshardham Temple and it was opened to the public in November 2005. In addition to this, this temple is a major attraction in Delhi hence it received a lot of tourists and a lot of donation. There are many shows like the water show, exhibitions and Cultural Boat Ride in the temple which is another reason why the temple receives a high footfall. The temple is also listed in Guinness World Record book for being the World’s Largest Comprehensive Hindu Temple.
13. Sabarimala Ayyappa Temple, Kerala
Next on our list is another Hindu temple in Kerala and over 50 Million worshipers visit the temple every year. You can imagine the magnitude of donations with the number of donations. The temple was built before the 12th century and hence a lot of people visit the temple to make wishes.
12. Amarnath Temple, Jammu
On number 12, we have Amarnath Temple in Jammu and this is basically a cave which is located at an altitude of 12,756 feet. The only way to reach the temple is by trekking from Pahalgam and it is one of the holiest shrines as per Hinduism. Inside the cave, a Shivling of ice is formed because of the water that drips from the roof. The tough terrain doesn’t stop the millions of worshipers from visiting the temple.
11. Guruvayurappan Temple Kerala
Next on our list is another Hindu temple in Kerala and the temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu. As per some of the historians, the temple is almost 5000 years old and the temple is governed by Guruvayur Devaswom. There is also a very strict dress code for entering the temple and the men are required to wear Mundu whereas the ladies are required to wear a sari to visit the temple. There are also 56 elephants that belong to the temple and most of these elephants are donated by the worshipers.
10. Kashi Vishwanath Temple
One of the richest temples in India is the world famous Kashi Vishwanath Temple, which lies in the holy city of Varanasi. Dedicated to Lord Shiva, it is one of the most visited temples in the country. The temple is located on the banks of River Ganga and the temple was built in the year 1780. It is known that the temple has been reconstructed many times for various reasons.
9. Jagannath Temple
Jagannath Temple is one of the most ancient temples in the country and one of the richest too. It is located in Puri, Odisha and lies over thousands of acres of land. It is famous for its Rath Yatra festival, which attracts lakhs of pilgrims, who give generous donations. This temple was built in 1161 and a lot of people visit the temple to offer prayers to Jagannath.Everyday, the food is offered to the deity for 6 times.
8. Meenakshi Temple
Featuring next on the list of top 15 richest temples in India is the beautiful Meenakshi Templein Madurai, Tamil Nadu. The temple is dedicated to Goddess Parvati and is a symbol of archeological excellence. As per some of the historians, the temple was rebuilt in the 14th century and many times, the temple had been renovated and expanded. The temple hosts a day’s festival in each month of the Tamil Calendar and the temple records highest footfall during that time.
7. Somnath Temple
Somnath Temple in Gujarat is another temple which gets hefty donations and is amongst the richest in the country. It is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas and was destructed by invaders several times, but still stands in glory. The present structure of the temple is an archaeological wonder and it was completed in the year 1951 however, the temple had been in existence since 649 CE
6. Golden Temple
The next name on the list is that of the majestic Golden Temple or Sri Harmandir Sahib, a gurudwara located in the holy city of Amritsar. The Sikh shrine is embellished with gold and gets thousands of visitors every day, from various parts of the world. The Golden Temple offers Food to the people everyday since its inception and it is popularly known as Langar. The temple signifies the rich heritage of Sikh and it is known that the construction of the temple was completed in 1589.
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5. Siddhivinayak Temple
This temple in Mumbai is dedicated to Lord Ganesha and is one of the richest temples in the country. Besides drawing huge local crowds, the temple gets visited by tourists from around the world. Celebrities like Amitabh Bachchan, Sachin Tendulkar,andMadhuri Dixit are regular visitors Siddhivinayak Temple. This temple was built in November 1801 and since then it had been one of the most popular temples in Mumbai.
4. Shirdi Saibaba Temple
The famous ShirdiSaibaba Temple comes on number four among the richest temples in India. Millions of devotees visit the temple every year, irrespective of their religion and caste, with the annual devotions reaching a figure of Rs 350 crore. There are many prayers on daily basis and there are also many festivals in the temple which attracts a huge crowd.
3. Vaishno Devi Temple
With the magnificent annual donation value of Rs 500 crore, Mata Vaishno Devi temple in Katra, Jammu features next on the list. It is one of the most important Shakti pilgrimages of Hinduism in the country, which attracts devotees from all over the world. It is basically a cave temple which is located at the height of 5100 feet and today, various modes of transportation like electric vehicle and helicopters are available for traveling to the temple.
2. Tirumala Tirupati Venkateswara Temple
Featuring next on the list is the world famous Tirupati Balaji temple in Andhra Pradesh. It is believed that the temple was constructed in 300 AD and over the period of time, the temple has expanded further. Nearly 60000 devotees pay obeisance here every day and donate huge sums of money and gold, piling up a treasure worth Rs 650 crore here. Among the celebrities who visit the temple regularly are some big names like Amitabh Bachchan and Anil Ambani.
1. Padmanabhaswamy Temple
Topping the list of the richest temples in India is the famous Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Thiruvananthapuram, which is also the richest in the world. The temple came into news when a treasure worth nearly $ 20 billion was recently discovered here. This ancient treasure included tones of gold coins and diamonds hidden in six vaults. There is still another value in the temple which has not been opened yet because of Mythological reasons.
All these temples are known not only for their religious significance but also for the huge treasures they have amassed on account of donations by the pilgrims.
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