Ram Mandir draws 250k devotees in 11 days, collects Rs 11 cr in offerings

Donation surge witnessed with Rs 8 crore in cash and Rs 3.5 crore via cheque and online contributions at Ram Mandir

Following the consecration ceremony of the Ram temple on January 22, approximately 250,000 devotees made their pilgrimage to the temple in just the last 11 days. A significant outpouring of financial support has accompanied the religious fervour, as the temple has garnered a massive Rs 11 crore in offerings and donations during this period, according to a report by Times of India (TOI).

Prakash Gupta, the office in charge of the temple trust, disclosed that over the past 11 days, Rs 8 crore was deposited in the temple's donation boxes, while Rs 3.5 crore has been made through cheques and online transactions.

The sanctum sanctorum of the temple, housing the idol of Lord Ram, features four substantial donation boxes placed along the 'darshan path'. Devotees generously contribute to these boxes, fostering a sense of collective support for the temple's maintenance and activities.

Additionally, 10 computerised counters facilitate the donation process, manned by dedicated temple trust employees. At the close of each day, these employees submit a detailed account of the donations they receive to the trust office.

The handling of donations extends to the counting process, where a team of 14 individuals, comprising 11 bank employees and three from the temple trust, count the offerings contained in the four donation boxes. Gupta emphasised that every step of the donation process, from depositing to counting, takes place under the watchful eyes of CCTV cameras, ensuring transparency and accountability in managing the temple's financial affairs.

Upon the opening of the Ram temple, the research wing of State Bank of India anticipated tourists to spend Rs 4 trillion in Uttar Pradesh. UP has witnessed more interest from both domestic and international tourist, as spiritual tourism gains momentum in the state.

In 2022, around 320 million domestic travellers visited the state, of which 22.1 million came to Ayodhya. This was a nearly 200 per cent increase in tourism for the state in 2022.

In the latest Interim Budget announcement, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman also spoke on building tourist centres and providing the state with long-term interest-free loans to help build the domestic tourism industry. She made special mention of spiritual tourism in the speech, which is likely to bring more attention to places like Ayodhya and Ram Mandir.