Digital puja services to begin at Kangra's Baijnath, Mahakal temples from July 30
Devotees across India and abroad will soon be able to offer prayers at the historic Baijnath Shiva Temple and Mahakal Temple in Kangra district from the comfort of their homes, with the launch of digital puja services from July 30.
The initiative, introduced by the temple trust in collaboration with the Sri Mandir App, will allow devotees to book pujas online in their names. During the rituals, authorised priests will chant the names of the devotees while performing the puja. Prasad will also be sent to devotees after the ceremony.
Assistant Commissioner of the temple trust and SDM, Sankalp Gautam, said the service has been launched to enable devotees who are unable to visit the temples due to health, financial or other personal reasons. He added that the initiative is expected to increase temple revenue while making worship more accessible to senior citizens, persons with disabilities and non-resident Indians.
The digital puja facility has already received an encouraging response at the famous Shri Brajeshwari Devi Temple and Shri Chamunda Devi Temple in Kangra district. Following its success, the service is now being extended to the nearly 800-year-old Baijnath Shiva Temple and the medieval Mahakal Temple.
Officials said around 60,000 devotees have already connected with the digital services of Kangra temples. Participation on the Sri Mandir platform has been significant, with nearly 27 per cent of users from Maharashtra, 23 per cent from Delhi-NCR, 19 per cent from Uttar Pradesh, and 10 per cent from Karnataka, indicating growing nationwide interest in the region's temples.
Prashant Sachan, Founder and CEO of the Sri Mandir App, said the expansion of digital temple services in collaboration with the Kangra district administration and temple authorities would help devotees across the country participate in rituals irrespective of their location.
The new facility is expected to benefit thousands of devotees, particularly during the ongoing Shravan season and the upcoming festive months.
