BENGALURU: Even the Gods have not been spared. The state-managed temples in Karnataka, which include some of the richest ones in the country, have seen their revenues plummet this year, courtesy the Covid-19 pandemic. The top 12 temples in the state, which together had collected Rs 317 crore last year, have seen earnings of only Rs 18.6 crore so far. Consider this.
The famous Kukke Subramanya temple in Dakshina Kannada district, whose annual revenue is over Rs 90 crore, has managed only Rs 4.2 crore in revenue this year. The Kollur Mookambika temple in Udupi district, which sees revenue of Rs 45-50 crore every year, got only Rs 4.5 crore. This is for the first time that these temples received the lowest revenue.
The Chamundeshwari temple atop Chamundi Hills in Mysuru, whose earnings last year was Rs 35.23 crore, has been able to collect only Rs 74 lakh this year. The Srikanteshwara temple at Nanjangud near Mysuru, considered the Kashi of the South, could generate only Rs 12.6 lakh revenue as against Rs 20.8 crore last year. There are 34,559 temples under the Endowment Department in the state.
‘Salaries of temple staffers not affected’
Of the temples under the Endowment Department, 175 temples are Class A (whose annual revenue is above Rs 25 lakh), 163 are Class B (annual income between Rs 5 and Rs 25 lakh) and the remaining are Class C temples (annual income less than Rs 5 lakh). All temples were shut from March due to Covid-19 and the lockdown, and reopened only in September.
“Temples see more visitors during summer holidays and a lot of revenue is generated during that season. Also, during festivals and fairs, a large number of devotees would visit temples. Though we have online bookings, many prefer personally visiting temples to make their offerings. But this time, since they were closed, revenue has dipped,’’ reasoned a senior official from the Endowment Department.
Speaking to TNIE, Endowment Minister Kota Srinivas Poojari said this year has been unusual and revenue dropped drastically. However, salaries of endowment temple staffers have not been affected, he said. “Our temples are self-sufficient to pay salaries of their staff. Salaries were paid from the interest earned on bank deposits and other benefits,’’ he said.