How the world's richest Hindu temple earns and spends money
Tirupati Balaji at Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), the world's richest Hindu temple. The temple trust received a mammoth 1,031 kgs of gold worth approximately Rs 773 crore as donations in 2023, TOI has reported.
The Tirupati trust has 11,329 kg of gold worth Rs 8,496 crore deposited with various nationalised banks under the gold monetisation scheme. TTD officials observed that the devotees accord top priority to extending cash offerings to Lord Venkateswara Swamy and the second most preferred donation to the Lord of the riches comes in the form of gold.
The trust has made a fixed deposit of Rs 1,161 crore this year, the highest in the past 12 years. TTD's yearwise fixed deposits since 2013 are as follows: 2013: Rs 608 crore, 2014; Rs 970 crore, 2015; Rs 961 crore, 2016; Rs 1,153 crore, 2017; Rs 774 crore, 2018; Rs 501 crore, 2019; Rs 285 crore, 2020; Rs753 crore, 2021; Rs 270 crore, 2022; Rs 274 crore, 2023; Rs 1,161 crore, 2024. The only time the Tirupati trust's fixed deposit declined below the Rs 500 crore mark was in 2021 and in 2022 during the Covid pandemic and once earlier in 2019. The Trust earns Rs 1,600 crore annually in interests on FDs.
According to the TTD, while the overall FDs in banks have accumulated to Rs 13,287 crore, various trusts operated by the temple body such as Sri Venkateswara Nithya Annaprasadam trust, Sri Venkateswara Pranadanam trust etc, which have been receiving substantial donations from the devotees, have accumulated funds to the tune of Rs 5,529 crore, TOI reported.
