Temples are a place of importance for millions all over the world. When it comes to the richest temples, India is at the very forefront. India has the richest temples ever made, and the largest number of pilgrims to support these temples. These temples will be sure to remain the richest in the decades to come, with gold embellishments, ornaments, silk garments, and exquisite structures.
It is only because of the pilgrims that these temples have flourished for millennia and more. The devotees uphold their faith in the gods and the temples that act as shrines for them. Many of these temples conduct a lot of charity work and provide food and shelter to the poor. Any trip to India is incomplete without a visit to these temples. These are the top 10 richest temples in the world.
1. Padmanabhaswamy Temple, Kerela, India
Translated literally as “The City of Lord Ananta or Vishnu”, this is the temple’s patron deity. Built-in the 16th century with towering walls, the temple combines the architectural styles of the Chera and Dravidian cultures. Ananthapura temple in Kumbla in Kasaragod is regarded the deity’s original seat, but it shares architectural similarities with the Adikesava Perumal temple in Thiruvattar, which is also considered the deity’s original seat. Padmanabhaswamy is the sacred deity of the royal family of Travancore.
In 2011, hordes of gold ornaments, expensive gems, etc. were discovered at the temple site that raising its estimated value to 20 billion dollars. In 2020, it replaced Tirumala Tirupati Venkateshwar Temple as the wealthiest temple in India, as well as the world.
Location: Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India
Wealth: $20 billion.
Trustee: Maharaja of Travancore, Moolam Thirunal Rama Varma
Features: 1 main shrine, 4+ other shrines, 100-foot-tall structure.
2. Tirumala Tirupati Venkateshwar, Andhra Pradesh, India
Venkateswara Temple is located at Tirumala, Tirupati, Chittoor district in Andhra Pradesh, India. A Vishnu avatar, Venkateswara, is said to have appeared here to save humanity from the hardships and sufferings of the Kali Yuga, according to legend. Daivam and Kaliyuga Prathyaksha Daivam are the names given to the region as a result of this.
The entire structure includes the Tirupati Temple and the Tirumala Shrine. There are other nicknames for Venkateswara, including Balaji and Govinda, that are used locally to refer to the deity. The government of Andhra Pradesh oversees the temple’s management trust. The Government of Andhra Pradesh also appoints the director of the trust. The income from the donations is used by the state for the purpose of running administrative duties. The income is very high as the temple is the one of the world’s richest temples.
Location: Samadhi Mandir, Shirdi, Maharashtra, India.
Wealth: $618 million
Trustee: Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD)
Features: 30-40 million pilgrims a year; most-visited holy place in the world; construction since 300 AD.
3. Shirdi Sai Baba Temple, Maharashtra, India
The temple is dedicated to Sai Baba, also known as Shirdi Sai Baba, an Indian spiritual teacher who is revered as a saint and a fakir by his devotees and is seen as a manifestation of Sri Dattaguru. During and after his lifetime, he was adored by both Hindu and Muslim worshippers.
Followers from all around the world visit this scenic temple. The location of the temple is in the very village where the Saint was said to have spent the most of his time performing miracles, teaching, and assisting those in need. The Saint’s throne is composed of 94 kilograms of gold and the throne by itself has a value of millions, and all these factors make it one of the world’s richest temples.
Location: Samadhi Mandir, Shirdi, Maharashtra, India
Wealth: $274 million.
Trustee: Shri Saibaba Sansthan Trust (SSST)
Features: White marbles, silver metal pillars, ornate designs.
4. Somnath Temple, Gujarat, India
The Somnath temple at on the western coast of Gujarat, India, is speculated to be the first of Lord Shiva’s twelve Jyotirlinga temples. It is a significant Hindu pilgrimage and tourism destination in India, particularly in Gujarat, and makes up a chunk of the tourism revenue generated by Gujarat. Even after being destroyed numerous times by invaders and rulers, the current mandir was restored to near perfection in the Chaulukya style of Hindu temple construction and finished in May 1951. The rebuilding began on the instructions of India’s first Home Minister, Vallabhbhai Patel, and was finished after his death.
The current chairman of the Shree Somnath Mandir Trust is India’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi. This is one of the most important Jyotirlingam temples in India, dedicated to Lord Shiva. Several artworks were stolen and damaged within the shrine by the assailants, but the temple itself remains lovely. This key heritage site, located on Gujarat’s scenic west coast, attracts millions from all over the world each year, making it one of the world’s richest temples.
Location: Prabhas Patan, Veraval, Saurashtra, Gujarat
Wealth: $123 million
Trustee: Shree Somnath Mandir Trust (SSMT)
Features: 150m alleviation, chairmanship retained by Prime Minister of India.
5. Vaishno Devi, J&K, India
This one-of-a-kind piece of architecture may be found in Jammu and Kashmir, at an elevation of 5300 feet above sea level. It is one of the country’s oldest temples and is associated with the legend of Lord Shiva. Vaishno Devi Temple is supposedly one of the fifty-one places where fragments of Goddess Shakti’s corpse fell when Lord Shiva carried her dead body around the world.
The altitude and the rugged route make the entry into this temple extremely tedious; however, the same is bound to pay off. Not to mention the availability of ponies, helicopters, and palanquins at your disposal to reach the temple lest you tire out. Its hilly location does not deter thousands of visitors, local and foreign, from visiting the temple every year. The donations raked in make it one of the richest temples.
Location: Katra, Trikuta Hills, Jammu and Kashmir
Wealth: $68 million
Trustee: Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board
Features: Has its own Statutory Act, one of the 108 mini-structures dedicate to Durga, visited by prominent saints like Vivekananda in Indian culture.
6. Sabarimala Temple, Kerela, India
The Sabarimala Temple is a temple complex on Sabarimala hill within the Periyar Tiger Reserve in Perinad Village, Pathanamthitta district, Kerala, India. It is one of the world’s busiest yearly pilgrimage locations, with an estimated 40 to 50 million worshippers coming each year. The temple is devoted to Ayyappan, also known as Dharma Shasta, a Hindu Brahmachari or the god of celibacy who is said to be the son of Shiva and Mohini, the feminine manifestation of Vishnu. Sabarimala’s traditions are a synthesis of Shaivism, Vaishnavism, and other faiths.
Lord Ayyappan’s famed temple is situated on a small hill 3000 feet above sea level. Anyone who is considered competent of accessing the temple’s core sanctuary must undertake 41 days of rituals, including the loss of all worldly pleasures. Women of reproductive age are not permitted to enter the temple’s main shrine. Offerings and donations made by pilgrims are one of the temple’s main sources of income, and are enough to make it one of the world’s richest temples.
Location: Perinad Village, Pathanamthitta district, Kerala, India
Wealth: $34 million
Trustee: Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB)
Features: Altitude of 1260m, 40 to 50 million devotees visiting every year, magnificent edifices with gold embellished structures.
7. Prem Mandir, Uttar Pradesh, India
Prem Mandir, which translates to “the shrine of love” is a heavenly temple and one of the most famous tourist sites in Vrindavan. This religious complex is dedicated to Sri Krishna and Sita Ram’s stunning architectural magnificence, as well as the history of Sanatana Dharma. It is constructed in brilliant white marble.
You may spend a day in this 54-acre sacred chamber admiring the magnificent figurines of Sri Krishna and his devotees in the main temple. However, there is plenty to do in and around the temple. This alluring holy edifice in Uttar Pradesh is a must-see on a trip to the subcontinent. Aside from the main temple itself, the locality consists of intricate sculptures around the temple displaying painstaking inlay work.
Location: Vrindavan, Uttar Pradesh, India.
Wealth: Undisclosed; valued at $23 million.
Trustee: Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat
Features: The structure, which stands 125 feet tall and is built of solid Italian marble, took about 1000 artisans about 12 years to complete.
8. Juggernaut or Jagannath Temple, Odisha, India
This is one of the earliest temples dedicated to Lord Vishnu in India. Every year, a significant number of people visit the Jagannath temple in Puri, Orissa, notably during the Rath Yatra event. This is Orissa’s most important and profitable pilgrimage destination. The official net worth of the temple has yet to be announced, but speculation has already begun.
During important cultural events, the deity is said to have been richly decked, with 209kgs of gold ornaments and such. Furthermore, five underground rooms of this temple have yet to be found, and no one knows the true value of the complex.
Location: Puri, Odisha
Wealth: $20 million
Trustee: Kishore Chandra Patnaik
Features: 120 temples and shrines, curvilinear structure, 65m in height.
9. Siddhivinayak Temple, Mumbai, India
Mumbai is a grand witness to popular and archaeologically significant places of worship and historical importance. The Siddhivinayak temple in Mumbai, dedicated to Lord Ganesha, is one of the country’s most well-known temples. It draws a significant number of celebrities, ranging from Bollywood stars to business moguls. According to statistics, the temple receives around 125 crores each year in donations, including substantial sums from affluential residents of the city.
Lord Ganesha or Shree Ganesh is said to be the first to be worshipped before commencing any new endeavor or enterprise since he is the remover of obstacles and bad fortune. This is the Shree Siddhivinayak Ganapati Temple in Prabhadevi, Mumbai, a two-century-old temple where devotees pray to have their wishes granted. Mumbai, the city of dreams, seems like an apt destination for the temple.
Location: Mumbai, India
Wealth: $17 million
Trustee: Shree Siddhivinayak Ganapati Mandir Trust (SSGMT)
Features: A hall, a sanctum sanctorum, some free open space, and a distinctive multiangular, six-story building comprising an ancient architectural style.
10. Kashi Vishwanath Temple, Uttar Pradesh, India
The Kashi Vishwanath Temple, dedicated to Lord Shiva, is a well-known Hindu temple. It is located in Vishwanath Gali, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India. The Temple is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas, or holiest Shiva Temples, and is located on the western bank of the sacred Ganga.
Vishvanath or Vishveshvara, essentially meaning Lord of the Universe, is the main deity worshipped here. Kashi is another name for Varanasi. The Temple has long been mentioned as a central component of Shaiva worship in Hindu literature.
Location: Vishwanath Gali, Uttar Pradesh, India
Wealth: $10 million
Trustee: Sri Rameswar Puri
Features: Holiest Shiva temple, located in one of the oldest cities of the world, 250 feet in height.
Summary
- Padmanabhaswamy Temple, Kerela, India
- Tirumala Tirupati Venkateshwar, Andhra Pradesh, India
- Shirdi Sai Baba Temple, Maharashtra, India
- Somnath Temple, Gujarat, India
- Vaishno Devi, J&K, India
- Sabarimala Temple, Kerela, India7. Prem Mandir, Uttar Pradesh, India
- Juggernaut or Jagannath Temple, Odisha, India
- Siddhivinayak Temple, Mumbai, India
- Kashi Vishwanath Temple, Uttar Pradesh, India
