Chamundi temple’s income nearly doubles in five years

Mysuru: Shri Chamundeshwari temple atop the Chamundi Hills, one of the most popular temples in the state, witnessed a surge in its annual revenue in the last five years. The temple’s annual income jumped from Rs 18.33 crore in the financial year 2014-15 to Rs.33.30 crore in 2018-19. According to the authorities the e-sava concept has also picked up with the revenue from the service increasing from just Rs.1.87 lakh in 2014-15 to 72.90 lakh this year.
The temple’s fixed deposits in the banks increased from Rs.68.79 crore to 81.78 crore in the last five years.

Interestingly, during this period, over 500 applications were submitted to the temple seeking information under the Right to Information (RTI). According to the authorities, the temple collected Rs 5,190 as RTI fee.

The two major sources of income to the temple are the hundi income and the income from special darshan. Hundi collection was Rs 11.57 crore while the temple’s revenue through special darshan was 10.03 crore. “Special darshan tickets will be in huge demand during Dasara celebrations, public holidays, Shravana Tuesdays and Fridays and festival days,” said temple sources.

But the devotees feel that even though the temple revenue is increasing every year, facilities atop the hill need to be improved. “The parking facility should be thrown open for public use at the earliest. The temple premises need to be maintained clean. Roadside vendors should be relocated. The district administration should strive towards making Chamundi Hills a pilgrim centre in the state,” said Kusuma, a visitor to the temple.