Lord Balaji temple nets Rs 86.46 cr cash offerings in May

A 'hundi' (offering box) collection of Rs 86.46 crore has been netted by the nearby famous hill shrine of Lord Venkateswara during the month of May, which witnessed 25 lakh footfall of devotees being the summer vacation time, temple officials said today.

The cash offering was about ten per cent more than the Rs 78.47 crore collection made during May last year.

The worth of gold and other precious offerings made in the hundi by the devotees and income from sale of worship tickets and other sources during the month were yet to be calculated, the officials told PTI.

About 25 lakh pilgrims from across the country and abroad thronged the hill shrine during the month and of them over 13 lakh, including women and infants, had their heads tonsured as fulfilment of their vow, they said.

About 1.05 crore 'laddus' were sold to the devotees at the shrine.

Cash offering made in the hundi alone was expected account for about Rs.1,156 crores of the recently budgeted overall revenue of about Rs 2,894 crore for fiscal 2018-19, the officials added.