Tirupati Balaji Temple announces net worth of about Rs 2.5 lakh cr, a look at Top 10 Richest Temples of India

India is not just a land of diverse faiths but also home to some of the world's most beautiful ancient, architectural wonders. While talking about age-old monuments, temples often find a special mention. Many ancient temples continue to attract an ocean of devotees from across the globe. From Tirupati Balaji Temple in Andhra Pradesh to Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Kerala, here are the top 10 richest temples in India.

There are innumerable temples in India, but some of them are way more popular and frequented. And these are the ones that have treasures, donations and wealth worth crores.

One such temple is Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam, dedicated to Lord Venkateshwara, popularly known as Tirupati Balaji. This shrine's net worth is estimated to be 2.5 lakh crores. However, there are several other temples known for their jaw-dropping treasury and assets. Scroll down to check out the list of the TOP 10 richest temples in India.

This temple, one of the 108 principal Divya Desams (sacred Vaishnava sites), is dedicated to the Sree Padmanabhaswamy avatar of Lord Vishnu (Ishwara), who produced Lord Brahma (the creator of the Universe) from his navel. The term Padmanabhaswamy translates into the Lord who gave birth to Brahma from a lotus that bloomed from the navel. Here, the presiding deity (Lord Padmanabhaswamy) is seen in a reclining (Anantha Shayanam, or the posture of eternal sleep or yogic sleep) on the coiled body of his giant five-headed serpent named Adi Shesha (Shesh Nag).

The main idol can be viewed through three doors. From the first door, one can see the head of the deity, from the door in the centre, the lotus blooming from the Lord's navel with Brahma seated on it, and from the third door, a devotee can see his feet. Interestingly a report in Forbes suggests that the temple has treasures worth over one trillion dollars. And this staggering figure does not include the temple as well as the other assets! So how rich is this temple? Incredible, no?

Dedicated to Lord Venkateshwara (also hailed as Balaji or Govinda), the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam in Andhra Pradesh is situated atop seven hills, in the Seshachalam, Eastern ghats range.

This Devasthanam is one of the Swayam Vyaktha Kshetras dedicated to Vishnu, and Lord Balaji is believed to be one of the most powerful deities in the Kaliyuga. Devotees from all over the world visit this shrine and make donations in crores! In the recent announcement, Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam trust has pegged its net worth at Rs. 2.5 lakh crore, whcih constitutes of 10 tonnes of gold, Rs. 16K in cash and land.

The holy cave of Mata Vaishno Devi is situated at an altitude of 5200 ft, about 12 kilometres away from the base camp in Katra in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. This Goddess, who fulfils people's wishes, Vaishno Devi, is also known as 'mooh mangi muradein poori karene wali Mata'. However, it is believed that only those who are destined to see the Mother Goddess, get an opportunity to visit her shrine.

The locals often refer to this as "Maa Aap Bulandi" meaning the mother herself calls. Interestingly, if the reports are anything to go by, then this shrine receives an annual donation amounting to Rs 500 crores.

The Sai Baba Temple in Shirdi is one of the richest places of worship in the country. This shrine, dedicated to the 19th-century mystic, attracts a sea of devotees throughout the year. Located in Shirdi, about 250 kilometres from the city of Mumbai, the Shirdi Sai Baba Sansthan Trust is one of the wealthiest bodies as it reportedly receives an annual donation amounting to 360 crores.

This Lord Ganesha temple is dedicated to Siddhivinayak, the 'lord who fulfils wishes' or the 'lord of enlightenment' or the 'enlightened one.' Located in Mumbai's Prabhadevi region, Siddhivinayak is one of the most popular places of worship in the country.Here, Lord Ganesha looks resplendent in red, has a third eye on the forehead and is endowed with four hands.

However, unlike other Ganesha idols, the trunk of Siddhivinayak is titled towards the right.

Devotees throng this temple in large numbers and reports suggest that the shrine receives donations between 48 to 125 crores annually.

The Sabarimala shrine dedicated to Ayyappa or Harihara Sutan (the son of Lord Shiva and the Mohini avatar of Lord Vishnu), is situated within the enclosures of the Periyar Tiger Reserve in Pathanamthitta district of Kerala. This place of worship witnesses one of the largest religious gatherings in the world. Interestingly, this temple makes an annual income of over Rs 100 crores, reports suggest.

The Arulmigu Meenakshi Sundaraswarar Temple, located on the southern bank of the Vaigai River in Tamil Nadu, is dedicated to Goddess Meenakshi, an incarnation of Parvati, and her consort, Sundareshwarar (Lord Shiva). This shrine, a Paadal Petra Sthalams, is known for its architectural beauty. It is no less an engineering genius with several gigantic pyramidical towers (gopurams).

Interestingly, this temple in the historic ancient city of Madurai receives over 60 crores donations in cash and kind annually.

The world-famous shrine in Puri, Odisha, known for its chariot festival or Rath Yatra, is dedicated to Lord Jagannath and his siblings Balabhadra and Subhadra. Lord Jagannath is a form of Shri Krishna and is hailed as the ruler of the universe.

Interestingly, unlike other Hindu temples, where the presiding deity always remains in the Garbha Griha or Sanctum Sanctorum, the idols of Lord Jagannath and his siblings are brought out of the temple complex annually during the Rath Yatra. Moreover, the idols are made of wood and not metal or stone. Reports suggest that this temple has over 100 kilograms of gold and 220 kilograms of silver items.

The Somnath Temple, one of the twelve main Jyotirlinga shrines dedicated to Lord Shiva, was destroyed several times by invaders and rebuilt by indigenous rulers of the region in the past. The present structure of the temple was erected over five years and completed in 1951.

It is from this place that the Dwadash Jyotirlinga Yatra commences and a sea of devotees pay their tributes to Somnath Ji every year. Reports suggest that this place of worship receives over 30 crores annually.

New Delhi's Akshardham is dedicated to Bhagwan Swaminarayan. 'Akshardham' means God's abode or the heavenly/divine abode. The shrine is a tribute to Bhagwan Swaminarayan, the other ancient sages and deities of Sanatana Dharma. It is not only a place of worship but also a spiritual/cultural campus that promotes learning, peace and harmony. Known for its architectural beauty and serenity, this temple is made of sandstone and marble.

A whopping 300,000,000 hours of labour went in, and over 8000 volunteers teamed up from across the globe to conceive this larger-than-life shrine. These figures showcase the grandeur of this shrine.

Which of these shrines is your favourite and where do you plan to go next?