Puri: The Shree Jagannath Temple in Odisha’s Puri received a record Rs 10,94,074 donations on New Year’s Day.
Besides cash offerings, devotees donated 300 mg of gold and 33.5 grams of silver ornaments in Hundi (donation box) of the 12th-century shrine, which witnessed unprecedented footfall on this year’s New Year with over 5 lakh devotees thronging the Pilgrim Town to seek blessings of Lord Jagannath.
Temple authorities confirmed that this year’s donations surpassed all previous New Year’s Day records. Typically, the temple receives Rs 4-5 lakh in donations on regular days, which increases during festivals and holidays.
On December 7 last year, Law Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan told the assembly that Srimandir had received donations of Rs 113.02 crore in the last three financial years. The temple received Rs 40.61 crore through donation boxes, Rs 59.79 crore through bank accounts and another Rs 12.60 crore through other sources from 2021-22 to 2023-24. The highest donation of Rs 50.80 crore was received in 2022-23, while Rs 44.90 crore was donated in 2023-24 and Rs 17.31 crore was donated in 2021-22.
