Chennai: Despite having about 38,646 temples under its control, the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments department is yet to realise the full benefits of e-commerce and mop up its revenue through the online platform.
At present about 10 popular temples including the Sri Dhandayuthapani Swamy temple, Palani; Sri Subrahmanya Swamy temple, Tiruchendur; Sri Bhavani Amman temple, Periyapalayam; Sri Meenakshi Sundareshwar temple in Madurai; Sri Parthasarathy Swamy temple, Triplicane and Sri Kamakshi Amman temple, Mangadu, provide e-services for seva, annadhanam and hundi.
“The revenue through online services has not even crossed few crores of rupees as many temples lack rooms matching the swelling number of devotees. In most cases, the devotees have to fix accommodation in hotels near the temples,” an official said.
Meanwhile, the renowned Sri Dhandayuthapani Swamy temple, Palani, which launched the e-services in 2016, somehow appeared to be caught in a controversy. A few devotees allege that the proceeds from the e-booking for various sevas were misappropriated. When contacted a senior official of the HR & CE however denied the charge.
According to D. Vishnu of Isky Techies who had provided the e-services on behalf of the temple, the allegation that several crores of rupees were misappropriated is “preposterous and mischievous.” As a solution provider, the IT firms could only provide a platform for devotees to access online services offered to them by the temple and the payment goes directly into the kitty of the temples. “E-commerce is yet to pick up in a big way to help the temples mop up several hundreds of crores of rupees,” he added.
