India's Top Money-Spinning Temple's TNN 10 October 2009 Siddhivinayak, Guruvayur, Akshardham, Shirdi Sai Baba and Mata Vaishno Devi are some of India's top money-spinning Temples.
Shirdi Sai Baba Mandir, Maharashtra Daily income: Rs 60 lakh Annual income: Rs 210 crore Run by: Shirdi Saibaba Sansthan Trust Located in Shirdi, Maharashtra's richest temple has seen a rise in income from Rs 68 crore in 2004. The temple also received donations worth Rs 300 crore in the form of a gold throne, gold, silver, diamonds and construction of rooms this year, says trust chairman Jayant Sasane. ~~~~~~~~ Siddhivinayak Mandir, Mumbai Annual income: Rs 46 crore Corpus: Rs 125 crore in fixed deposits Run by: Siddhivinayak Mandir Trust The 250-year-old Siddhivinayak Mandir, located in the Marathi speaking bastion of Prabhadevi, is the second richest temple in Maharashtra. The temple's income has risen from Rs 15 crore three years ago, says temple CEO Hanumant B Jagtap. "Donors can buy a gold or platinum card, priced from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 6 lakh for easy access." ~~~~~~~~ Mata Vaishno Devi, Jammu Daily income: Rs 40 crore Annual income: Rs 500 crore Run by: Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board Located near Katra in Jammu district, this is the second most visited religious shrine after the Tirupati temple. The temple is at an altitude of 5,200 feet, inside a cave on the Trikuta Bhagwati hill. "The temple's revenue has increased during the last five years, as the number of pilgrims has risen," says R K Geol, CEO of the shrine board. ~~~~~~~~ Guruvayur, Kerala Annual income: Rs 2.5 crore Corpus: Rs 125 crore in fixed deposits Run by: Nine-member committee under the Guruvayur Dewaswom Act of 1971, amended in 1978 Over 1 lakh devotees visit this Krishna temple in Thrissur district, on special days and about 30,000 on regular days. The Udayaasthamana Puja, a ritual performed for the fulfilment of wishes, reportedly has a waiting list stretching to 2049. The dawn-to-dusk ritual costs Rs 50,000, and according to temple rules, can be performed only 110 times a year. ~~~~~~~~ Akshardham Temple, Gujarat Daily income: Rs 5,000 - Rs 10,000 Annual income: over Rs 50 lakh Run by: Bochasanvaasi Akshar Purushottam Sansthan Opened in 1992, this temple in Ahmedabad has grown into one of the richest in the country. The sect has temples in the London; Atlanta, Houston, Texas, Chicago and Los Angeles in the US; Toronto and Nairobi. Exhibitions, boat rides and other attractions generate more revenue. Source - http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/Money-spinning-mandirs/articleshow/5108844.cms " A Trick to Double your Money is to - Fold it over once and put it in your Pocket.".............Frank Hubbard
