India, not only has a rich diversified culture and spiritual heritage but also has a myriad of temples that not only serves as places for worship but also as significant economic entities. These temples are revered for their spiritual significance and also for their immense wealth, and thus becoming the richest temples in India among the rest.
Richest Temples In India by their Revenue
| Serial No. | Name of the Temple | Revenue |
| 1. | Shree Padmanabhaswamy Temple, Kerala | Rs.1,20,000 crores |
| 2. | Tirumala, Venkateswara Temple (Tirupati), Andhra Pradesh | Rs.4,385.2 crores |
| 3. | Vaishno Devi Temple, Jammu & Kashmir | Rs.500 crores |
| 4. | Golden Temple, Amritsar | Rs.500 crores |
| 5. | Sai Baba Temple, Shirdi | Rs.320 crores |
| 6. | Siddhivinayak Temple, Mumbai | Rs.125 crores |
| 7. | Jagannath Temple, Puri | Rs.101.46 crores |
| 8. | Kashi Vishwanath Temple, Varanasi | Rs.100 crores |
| 9. | Somnath Temple, Gujarat | Rs.11 crores |
| 10. | Meenakshi Amman Temple, Madurai | Rs.6 crores |
| 11. | Kedarnath Temple, Uttarakhand | Undisclosed |
1. Shree Padmanabhaswamy Temple, Kerala
The history of the temple dates back to 500 BC and is situated at the center of Thiruvananthapuram, the capital name of Kerala.
The temple is dedicated to the worship of Lord Vishnu. This temple is among the richest temples in India and has been placed at the top spot.
The temple is said to have a revenue of over Rs.1,20,000 crores. The temple is said to have been built with two architecture styles, one being the Kerala style and other is the Dravidian style.
This temple contains a plethora of treasure, that includes gold and diamonds, and the estimated value of the treasure of the temple ranks in millions.
The temple wealth became talk of the town in July 2011, when Supreme Court ordered to open the secret vaults within the temple complex.
The vaults of the temples contained a vast collection of gold, silver, diamonds, and other precious stones, and some of which were believed to have been donated by royal families from several centuries.
2. Tirumala, Venkateswara Temple (Tirupati), Andhra Pradesh
The temple that was constructed in the Dravidian style of architecture in the 10th century, is one of the world’s largest pilgrimage spots.
The temple is dedicated to the worship of Lord Venkateshwara and is believed to be the place where he took the form of an idol and is home to the deity Govinda.
The height of the holy statue stands at 8 feet tall and is kept under the gold-gilded dome named Ananda Nilaya Divya Vimana.
Tirupati is said to be one of India’s oldest cities and is also mentioned in many ancient Vedas and Puranas. This is one of the richest temples in India, which has an annual revenue of Rs.4,385.2 crores, and has above 30,000 visitors per day.
3. Vaishno Devi Temple, Jammu & Kashmir
The temple that has been situated inside the million year old cave. The temple is located in Jammu & Kashmir. The temple is dedicated to the worship of Goddess Vaishno Devi. The holy cave is located at the altitude of 5,200 feet. The devotees of the temple come from all over the world.
The darshan of Maa Vaishno Devi is present in the form of three naturally formed rocks which are known as pindies. These pindies are manifested as the three forms of the goddess as Maha Kali, Maha Saraswati and Maha Lakshmi.
The financials of the temple is that its annual revenue is stated to be over Rs.500 crores, and has more than one crore devotees worshiping at the temple every year.
4. Golden Temple, Amritsar
Golden Temple, which is also known as Sri Darbar Sahib and Sri Harmandir Sahib. The temple is located in Amritsar, Punjab, and is considered to be the holiest temple in Sikhism. The temple is set up in between the water above the pool. The pool surrounding the golden temple is known as Amrit Sarovar.
The temple has stunning golden architecture and serves the daily Langar (community kitchen) service 24 hours and attracts a large number of visitors and devotees each day.
The temple is open at all hours of the day for the devotees and serves over 100,000 people with free food from their langar seva.
The temple is standing at an annual revenue of Rs.500 crores, the upper part of the temple is built with 400 kg of gold.
5. Sai Baba Temple, Shirdi
The temple that has been dedicated to the worship of Sai Baba, is one of the prominent temples globally. The temple is situated in the heart of Shirdi, Maharashtra. The temple reportedly has around 380 kg of gold, 4,428 kg of silver, along with large donations from all over the world.
The temple has an estimated number of Rs.320 crores as its annual revenue. The temple is situated 2296 km away from Mumbai. The temple receives a good amount of donations from devotees from all around the world.
6. Siddhivinayak Temple, Mumbai
The most prominent and famous temple in Mumbai, Maharashtra. The temple is devoted to the worship of Lord Ganesha. The temple was built on November 19, 1801.
The name of the temple signifies success and accomplishment, i.e. “Siddhi” means “success” and “vinayak” means “accomplishment”. Thousands of visitors visit this temple everyday.
The annual revenue of the temple is stated to be Rs.125 crores, and it also collects around an estimated INR 100 million in donations from across the world from devotees. The temple is said to have a rich treasure of gold and silver vaults.
7. Jagannath Temple, Puri
This temple is located in Puri, Odisha, and is dedicated to worship of Lord Jagannath.
There are several theories associated with the temple that remain as mysteries till date like, the direction of the flag, the wooden idols, absence of a shadow, the Mahaprasad served to Lord Jagannath, and more.
The annual revenue of the temple is estimated to be over Rs.101.46 crores. The temple houses a myriad of treasure of gold and silver.
One of the prominent features of the temple is their four gates that are beautifully crafted with intricate carvings, which serve as the icing on the cake.
Along with that it has the colorful ambience, interesting rituals, of the pilgrims which is worth witnessing.
8. Kashi Vishwanath Temple, Varanasi
One of the most popular temples in India that is built on the western banks of the holy Ganges River in the city of Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, India. The temple is said to have more than 30 lakh Indians and more than 2 lakh foreign tourists visit every year.
The temple’s annual revenue is over Rs.100 crores. The structure of the temple consists of three stages, and two of which are covered in gold.
The first dome is said to be a spire on the temple of Lord Vishwanath, the second one is a gold dome, and this one is a gold spire at the top of the temple carrying a flag and the trident. The temple is said to receive around Rs.4-Rs.5 crores in donations from people across the world.
9. Somnath Temple, Gujarat
The temple possesses an impressive history, that it has been looted, destroyed, and attacked 17 times, but still stands as the solid rock of the richest temple of India.
The temple is located in Gujarat, and is dedicated to the worship of lord Shiva.
The temple’s reported revenue accounts for Rs.11 crores, and has a rich treasure of gold and silver in the temple. The temple has thousands of devotees visiting daily and receives donations from devotees all over the place.
10. Meenakshi Amman Temple, Madurai
The temple which is dedicated to the worship of Goddess Meenakshi. The temple is located in Madurai, Tamil Nadu.
It has an average of 20-30 thousands of visitors per day. It has over 33,000 sculptures inside its premises, each with a unique story and has 14 towering gopurams, each standing at heights ranging from 45 to 50 meters.
The estimated annual revenue is over Rs.6 crores, and with that it has two beautiful golden vehicles which has become the center point of the temple’s rich architecture.
The temple has grown into an enormous extending area of over 65000 Sq m.
11. Kedarnath Temple, Uttarakhand
One of the twelve jyotirlingas of Shiva. The temple is situated in the hills of Uttarakhand. The temple is highly worshiped for Lord Shiva.
One of the most interesting features of the temple is its unique lingam. This lingam is believed to be the result of natural formation of the rock, unlike the other lingams which are made up of stone or metal.
The temple is home to worship and is a 1200-year-old beautiful place. The original structure of the temple is made up of stone and wood, but with time it required a repair due to the extreme weather conditions of the area, and was built again in the 17th century with marble and granite.
However, the current structure of the temple is raised on a platform of massive stone labs.
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Summing Up
The above are the top richest temples in India that are listed along with their revenues. Apart from being the spiritual place, the architecture and the financial status of these temples have given them the utmost fame.
These temples are worshiped and visited by millions of devotees every year. The temples have also become economic entities and are a testament and promise to the devotion and generosity of the people who visits them.
