Temple Revenue, Devotee Footfall Record Strong Growth: Minister
Temple revenue increased by nearly 9% while devotee footfall rose by 27% across Andhra Pradesh's 22 major temples.
The combined revenue of 22 major temples in Andhra Pradesh increased from `1,379.19 crore in 2023-24 to `1,503.90 crore in 2025-26, registering a rise of `124.71 crore, or nearly nine per cent. During the same period, devotee footfall increased from 634.68 lakh to 805.04 lakh, up by 170.36 lakh pilgrims, or around 27 per cent, endowments minister Anam Ramanarayana Reddy said on Wednesday.
Addressing a press conference at the state Secretariat in Velagapudi, the minister rejected what he described as a “false campaign” on temple revenues, alleging that selective statistics were being used to mislead the public. He said official figures showed increases in revenue, hundi collections and devotee turnout at major temples, including Vijayawada Sri Kanaka Durga, Annavaram, Srisailam, Simhachalam, Dwaraka Tirumala, Srikalahasti and Kanipakam.
The minister said Srisailam temple’s revenue rose from `178.82 crore to `217.24 crore, while devotee footfall increased from 82.18 lakh to 119.71 lakh. Vadapalli temple, popularly known as Konaseema Tirumala, recorded a rise in revenue from `23 crore to `56 crore. At Vijayawada Sri Kanaka Durga temple, the number of devotees increased from 93.40 lakh to 119.34 lakh, while Annavaram attracted 57.87 lakh devotees, compared with 45.50 lakh earlier.
Ramanarayana Reddy said temple performance should not be assessed solely on net revenue but on the overall services provided, including devotee turnout, hundi collections, donor contributions, annaprasadam and digital initiatives.
He said annaprasadam was being served at 111 temples, benefiting nearly three crore devotees annually at a cost of `84 crore, and would soon be extended to another 59 temples. Nearly 70 per cent of devotees were using online and Mana Mitra services, while hundi counting was being carried out under CCTV surveillance to ensure transparency.
The minister said the coalition government had completed 282 pending temple development works and another 236 were in progress. It had sanctioned `789.92 crore for works in 659 temples and was executing projects worth `87.03 crore in 276 temples ahead of the 2027 Godavari Pushkaram. With support from TTD, the government had also launched a `750-crore programme to establish a temple or bhajan mandir in every village.
