Service to Gods goes digital; temples in Kanpur adopt e-wallets for donation

Anandeshwar Temple in Uttar Pradesh has applied for PoS terminals to help devotees donate through debit and credit cards

In the wake of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's demonetisation drive, some temples in Kanpur are now accepting donations through mobile wallet service providers.

As cash donations at temples have shrunk after the government declared high-value currency notes illegal on November 8, the Anandeshwar Temple has applied for GPRS-enabled point-of-sale (PoS) terminals (card swiping machines) to help devotees donate through debit and credit cards.

Situated on the banks of the Ganga, the temple has also started PayTm service through which devotees can transfer the donations straightaway into the temple's e-wallet.

Dedicated to Lord Shiva, it is one of the oldest temples in Uttar Pradesh. More than 50,000 devotees visit the temple on Mondays while other days of the week draw 20,000 worshippers every day.

The temple's decision to accept card payments comes after the Kanpur bar association urged lawyers to go cashless and install point of sale terminals or use e-wallets for accepting payments.