Ayodhya to Tirupati: When temple donations go missing
Major Indian temples like Sabarimala and Tirumala are facing scrutiny over financial mismanagement and the disappearance of donated gold. Investigations have led to arrests and legal probes into record-keeping lapses and criminal breaches of trust.
Why it matters
Highlights the governance and transparency challenges faced by massive religious institutions that manage significant public wealth.
The Ayodhya controversy has drawn attention to how India’s biggest temples collect, count and safeguard thousands of crores each year. And what happens when those systems failSabarimala Temple, KeralaSabarimala Sree Ayyappa Temple, believed to be centuries old, is one of Kerala’s most prominent shrines, and among the few temples in India open to all faiths. Its current structure dates largely to a 1950 rebuild following a fire.Footfall & revenue | The 2025-26 Mandala-Makaravilakku season drew roughly 53 lakh pilgrims and generated Rs 440 crore, up from Rs 380 crore the previous season.CONTROVERSYGold theft | On Sept 10, 2025, the Sabarimala special commissioner told Kerala HC that gold cladding from the Dwarapalakas and Peedams had been removed on Sept 7 for repair without prior court intimation.A check against a 2019 renovation found items returned weighed 38.3kg, a shortfall of 4.5kg, and that Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) records had falsely logged 1.5kg…
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