Tirupati temple hundi collection crosses Rs 1,129 crore in nine months

TIRUPATI: The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) has recorded a massive surge in hundi collections at the Sri Venkateswara temple, with devotees contributing Rs 1,129.04 crore between January and September this year.

The collection translates to an average monthly revenue of more than Rs 125 crore, underscoring the steady flow of devotees to the hill shrine from across India and abroad.

July emerged as the strongest month, with the temple recording its highest-ever monthly hundi collection of Rs 140.25 crore. More than 24.52 lakh devotees had darshan during the month.

The temple also recorded several days when daily hundi collections crossed the Rs 5-crore mark. On September 10 alone, devotees contributed Rs 6.94 crore, making it the highest single-day hundi collection recorded so far this year.

The temple continues to witness heavy footfall, with an estimated 75,000 to 80,000 devotees having darshan every day. The rise in pilgrim numbers has also pushed up demand for the famous Tirupati laddu prasadam.

In July alone, more than 1.30 crore laddus were prepared and distributed to devotees, reflecting the scale of operations at one of India’s busiest pilgrimage centres.

Devotees offer contributions in various forms, including cash, gold, silver and foreign currency. The TTD has said these offerings are utilised for religious activities, temple services and infrastructure and welfare facilities for pilgrims.

The sustained growth in hundi revenue comes despite fluctuations in monthly collections, highlighting the strong and consistent flow of devotees to the temple.

The Sri Venkateswara temple, regarded as one of the country’s richest religious institutions, receives millions of devotees every year. Hundi offerings constitute a major source of revenue for the TTD, which manages the temple and its associated religious and pilgrim services.