How India’s 6.5 lakh temples can drive cultural and economic renaissance, fueling Atmanirbhar Bharat

In recent times, there has been a huge emphasis on temples to promote sociocultural and religious values in society. Temples in India have played a significant role in the development of the cities where they are located and have improved the economic activity of the nearby areas. However, the government and its policymakers have never used temples as an instrument for socioeconomic development by incorporating them into the development plan. The government has only tried to control and regulate them through acts like the Places of Worship Act 1991 and state acts like the Madras Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Act, etc. None of them provide for a development plan agenda for society to be followed by the temple management and trustees.

The Supreme Court verdict of 2002, directing states/government to establish independent boards overseeing rich temples and allocate 30% of incomes to social causes, has not been implemented in its true spirit by the central/state government. Recent government efforts to improve infrastructure and other facilities, including connectivity (road, rail, air), have indeed brought about significant economic benefits to cities like Varanasi and Ayodhya by promoting religious tourism. The wealth and outreach of these temples have increased manifold.

It is believed that some of these temples possess huge wealth (estimated to be more than ₹1 trillion). The major wealth of these temples is in the form of gold, silver, precious artefacts/antiques, ornaments, land, cash, etc. Temples continue to receive generous donations daily in various forms. However, a lack of an appropriate policy framework regarding temple funds administration means that a significant portion of this wealth remains unused/idle, which is quite a wastage and a concern for society. The temple management and trustees are unable to utilise this wealth for the overall benefit of the community.

Can this temple wealth be used for the development of society? While temple trusts and administrations have traditionally been entrusted with preserving people’s donations and existing assets, there is a growing view that this vast wealth can be better used for social welfare programs and community empowerment. With hundreds of millions of Indians still living below the poverty line and lacking basic amenities, there are demands from some sections of society for the government to devise mechanisms for the control/regulation of temple funds and utilise them towards education, healthcare, agriculture, and infrastructure development.

Another area of concern is whether government programmes/schemes can be dovetailed with the temple management’s objectives for the overall societal development of the area/state. This, however, needs to be structured in a manner that does not compromise the religious sentiments of the society associated with the concerned temple, and various stakeholders should be taken into confidence before the government ventures into any form of intervention.

Are there any examples of a religious trust of a temple supporting the overall development of the area? Many of these temple trusts take up social activities like providing food (Gurdwara), dharamshalas (residential places for pilgrims), schools and educational institutions (Sai Trust and Maa Anandamayee Trust), hospitals and medical facilities (Anandamayee, Birla).

However, the comprehensive development of the area by these temples has not been taken up in a manner that leads to the evolution of “Atmanirbhar Bharat” or “Gram Swaraj” in the true sense. Most of the charitable activities by the temple trusts are done independently, but dovetailing these activities with government programmes and policies has not been done for their comprehensive participation in overall societal development.

One example of comprehensive socio-economic development by a temple trust is the Dharmasthala Temple, a Shiva (Manjunatha) temple in South Karnataka, which is 800 years old. The temple is unique as the priest is a Brahmin while the administration is in the hands of Jains. The entire city is built through the support of the temple. Besides other activities, the temple administration also undertakes many rural development initiatives. Dr Veerendra Heggade is the head of the temple trust – Dharmadhikari.

Besides doing other charitable works such as restoring old monuments in Karnataka, setting up a museum, educational institutions (40 colleges), mass marriage programs, houses for the poor, etc., the temple trust has started the Shri Kshethra Dharmasthala Rural Development Project, popularly known as SKDRDP, for the empowerment of people by organising self-help groups (SHGs) on the pattern of joint liability groups (JLGs) and providing infrastructure, training, and finance through microcredit for rural people.

The Shri Kshethra Dharmasthala Rural Development Project encompasses all aspects of enriching rural life. SKDRDP is active with its community development programmes throughout the state of Karnataka. The core strengths of the organisation are the unblemished support of its promoters (temple management), a dedicated and committed band of grassroots workers, goodwill and support from stakeholders, including the state government, and above all, a comprehensive programme using technology to improve the quality of life for the people of the state, especially those living in rural areas.

The project involves a village-level worker (volunteer) known as a ‘Sevaniratha’ who approaches the stakeholder families, interacts with them to prepare a five-year development plan, and assists them in the implementation of the same. A village-level development plan is prepared and discussed with the community.

In order to give opportunities to housewives and unemployed young women in rural areas who have the time and inclination to do social work, SKDRDP has developed a new cadre called the Sevaprathinidhi (volunteers) who work in their spare time and support the SHG movement in the village. Most Sevaprathinidhis are provided with the required material support like equipment, training, and basic materials about schemes and programmes.

Thus, the temple has one social worker in each village in Karnataka. They have an office at the taluka level that monitors and supports these village-level volunteers. Similarly, there is a district office that supervises the block-level institutions of the Trust/Temple. The temple trust has an organisational structure that is tuned to the government structure – block, district, state. Every activity undertaken by the volunteers in the village is recorded/captured on the online platform and made available to block and district functionaries for intervention and support.

Initially, the temple trust took up activities similar to the ‘Food for Work’ programme of the government and distributed large quantities of rice as compensation to the families while they worked on their own lands. The concept was implemented by SKDRDP, with a view to developing the unutilised/barren lands and improving the income source of the family. The trust soon realised that only charity cannot bring about overall improvement in the quality of life of the people and thus started exploring new initiatives.

SKDRDP Trust took an active part in implementing the financial inclusion plan of the Government of India by working as a Banking Business Correspondent and Business Facilitator (BC and BF). Under the programme, the trust promotes self-help groups (SHG), enabling poor people in remote villages to access banking facilities at their doorsteps. SKDRDP BC Trust is BC and BF to State Bank of India, Bank of Baroda, IDBI Bank, Bank of Maharashtra, Karnataka Grameen Bank, and Karnataka Bank. SKDRDP BC Trust is also a partner of SIDBI (Small Industries Development Bank of India) to finance SHG members to promote self-employment under their “Prayas” scheme.

It has appointed an ex-banker as the CEO of the trust who has empowered communities through financial inclusion. The trust does more than 9 lakh insurance policies in one year and provides banking and other services. The trust also partnered with CSC SPV for delivering G2C services to citizens through its network of volunteers. The trust has its own technology platform for enabling the delivery of services to citizens through the SHG women cadre (volunteers). Such service delivery also enables the volunteers to earn a reasonable income and makes the model participative and sustainable.

SKDRDP has also established four training centres for Rural Excellence (CRE), Belthangady, National Institute for SHG Training (NIST), Udupi, Jnanavikasa Training Institute (JVTI), Rayapura Dharwad, and Human Resource Training Centre (HRTC), Mysore. These centres arrange training for SKDRDP staff of all cadres. They offer various skill development training or courses for the beneficiaries of SKDRDP.

These institutes have been recognised by SIRD, Mysore for the implementation of many state programmes in Karnataka. In fact, these centres are working as resource centres imparting knowledge on the SHG movement and microfinance to various stakeholders of the project. Besides the skill training for social services, values and formats for soliciting community support are also imparted to volunteers and staff. Such a large pool of volunteers driven by the religious and moral values of the temple trust and the commitment of the trustees to improve the quality of life of people through divine intervention makes this initiative truly unique.

In view of the remarkable work being done by the trust, Shri Heggade, Head of the Temple Trust, was appointed as a Rajya Sabha member by the President of India.

SKDRDP is an example of temple-led comprehensive development of the area, people, and society through an innovative approach to the use of technology and synergising the activities with state and central government schemes and programmes. Can other temples also undertake similar initiatives?

Other extremely wealthy temples include the Sri Venkateswara Temple in Tirupati, with over $8 billion, the Siddhivinayak Temple in Mumbai, with wealth estimated at $5 billion, and the Guruvayur Temple in Kerala, with over $4 billion. These few temples hold a massive chunk of India’s temple wealth. Most assets are gold, silver, and precious stones donated by kings, queens, and the local population over centuries. The temples also generate steady incomes from offerings, renting out properties, and other business activities. The Ram Temple in Ayodhya also generates a huge income on a daily basis.

It is true that Indian temples have enormous wealth which is not being used for the benefit of the society that contributes to this wealth. Why can’t these temples follow the pattern of SKDRP and support overall community development through structured intervention? The Government of India or state governments, as the case may be, can support enabling vast temple wealth to be put to more productive and social use without compromising religious sentiments.

However, with millions in India still lacking basic needs and social services, there is a compelling case for the government to find innovative solutions to use this vast untapped social wealth stored within temples more effectively. Direct government takeover would undoubtedly face resistance and may not be appropriate, but models where independent boards comprising community members and experts oversee major temples could offer a pragmatic way for an optimum solution.

Historically, temples in India have functioned as independent institutions. Priests and local trusts have controlled the affairs of temples, including their finances and wealth, with little government oversight. Most of the functions of these trusts are opaque with very little transparency and accountability. There is resistance, as usual, to disturb the status quo, and attempts to bring temples directly under government control are seen as interfering in religious matters.

Also, most temple assets are gold jewellery, coins, and other precious items stored over centuries as sacred offerings, and dealing with them, including valuing and liquidating to release funds, requires immense effort, which the trustees are unwilling, and the government unable, to interfere with. Administering temple funds involves complex questions over ownership and usage that invariably lead to inherent tensions. While the government claims legal ownership of temple land and assets, devotees view such offerings as sacred domains of the deities that should remain autonomous. Any diversion of these funds risks a serious backlash from those who faithfully donate.

There are also legitimate concerns about whether government machinery can match the transparency and efficiency of localised temple management systems that are directly accountable to devotees (held in trust on their behalf). A recent incident of recording and verifying the Lord Jagannath Temple Trust wealth/assets did require government intervention. Thus, it is clear that identification, coding, and valuation of the assets will require government intervention, and even in disposal, government oversight will be essential. However, the utilisation of the assets, once they are liquidated, can be done by the temple trust, and the government should support only where required or asked for.

Kerala’s state government example demonstrates how professionalising administration through such boards constituted by the government has increased revenues while generating surplus funds for welfare, without sacrificing autonomy or alienating devotees’ sentiments. Such a collaborative governance approach can be followed by other states where temples with huge wealth/assets are located.

Other states like Tamil Nadu have enacted laws to bring temples under government oversight while retaining autonomous trusts to manage day-to-day affairs. The law stipulates that the trusts must earmark a portion of incomes—typically 20-30%—for education, healthcare, and infrastructure development. This model aims to ensure some temple wealth is channelled into essential community services without disturbing the religious institutions’ autonomy or priorities.

The Government of India is now drafting a model law to standardise temple administration nationwide along the lines of Kerala’s boards, which comprise community representatives and experts. This aims to balance the interests of devotees, trusts, priests, and broader welfare objectives through collaborative governance. However, successful adoption of such legislative enactment will require addressing transparency and accountability challenges, besides ensuring stakeholder acceptance and involvement.

What is the way forward to get temples involved in the overall development of society? SKDRP can be one model for this. The Ram Temple in Ayodhya can nominate two “Ram Bhakts” in each village of Uttar Pradesh, one of whom shall be a woman. The Ayodhya Temple trust should engage them as volunteers and pay them some honorarium. These Ram Bhakts can be entrusted to support the social, cultural, and economic empowerment of the community.

Each village should be supported in building a “Ram Temple” or utilise the existing temple and support the installation of the “Ram Lalla idol” in each of the villages. This will lead to a religious and cultural renaissance. This should be supported by a block-level “Ram Pratishthan” who shall monitor and support each village volunteer. At the district level, there can be a “Ram Sahayata Kendra” which can monitor and guide the block functionaries.

The trust at Ayodhya can set up another sub-trust to supervise the entire ecosystem and provide financial, training, logistic, and other support, including integrating and synergising with government and private sector schemes and programmes for the benefit and empowerment of the community. Every person in the organisational structure will have to work as a volunteer and not as an employee, and they can be supported by the temple trust by providing an honorarium for the work assigned. The trust should use technology for interaction and enabling various service deliveries to the community. The trust also needs to set up skilling centres for training its own staff/volunteers and the wider community.

A similar example could be in Rajasthan, where every village could have a “Khatu Shyam Volunteer,” or in Odisha, a “Jagannath Volunteer,” or in Andhra, a “Balaji Volunteer,” etc. Such a structured format can bring transformation by ensuring active involvement of the community in all programmes and schemes undertaken by the central/state government for social and economic development.

This will redefine the delivery model and make the system more transparent and accountable. Religious fervour will bring adequate checks and balances in targeting and enabling access to all the government programmes and schemes effectively, leading to an Atmanirbhar Bharat and Gram Swaraj.

India’s temples, alongside their religious roles, have the potential to emerge as powerful engines of social and economic upliftment of the community in a manner that is conducive to our ethos and culture. We should start exploiting this potential to help us become a global leader.