Puri: Shree Jagannath Temple in Odisha’s Puri has deposits of around Rs 1,912 crore as bank balance, according to the shrine administration.
Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) said in a statement that the temple’s finances are managed with high standards of transparency, backed by systematic accounting practices and regular audits. Robust mechanisms have been adopted to ensure accountability and public trust, according to chief administrator of SJTA Arabinda Kumar Padhee.
The shrine generates revenue from multiple sources, including devotees’ donations and offerings, earnings from temple-owned quarries and mines, interest accrued on fixed deposits, proceeds from land transactions, and govt grants, it said.
A specified portion of the income is parked in fixed deposits as a corpus fund, while another share is allocated to a foundation fund. The remaining money is maintained in the temple fund accounts. The temple fund is used to meet the daily expenses of rituals, religious services, and administrative operations of the ancient shrine. Any surplus generated is subsequently converted into fixed deposits to safeguard and strengthen the Lord’s estate.
As of August 31, SJTA has accumulated bank assets worth nearly Rs 1,912 crore, including around Rs 1,811 crore, 9 lakh and 58 thousand held under the three principal heads of corpus, foundation and temple deposits. The figure also includes the Rs 500 crore corpus contribution made by the state government in June 2024.
At present, the temple maintains over Rs 100 crore, 70 lakh, 66 thousand and 868 in savings, current and flexi accounts. To uphold public confidence and ensure complete transparency, the proceeds collected from the temple hundi are counted every day, and the details are displayed on official notice boards as well as digital platforms accessible to devotees across the world.
Since the launch of the digital Hundi ‘Samarpan’ platform on July 15 this year, devotees have contributed over Rs 56.7 lakh through the online donation system, according to SJTA
