Donations hit, Kardar Sangh awaits nod to open temples

Dipender Manta

Tribune News Service

Mandi, July 15

Amid the Covid-19 outbreak, the revenue of temples has shrunk drastically. Deities’ kardars say the lakhs of rupees used to be generated in prominent temples every month and each deity in villages got Rs 1.5 lakh on an average once a year. The income of temples is from donation by devotees.

As the doors of temples were closed to devotees across the state amid the Covid outbreak, the revenue of temples has shrunk to zero. It has come as a big jolt to temple committees across the state, who manage expenditure related to religious activities and development works in temples with the revenue earned by the deities.

In the majority of temples, caretakers and priests are hired on a monthly salary but in the absence of income, there is no money to pay them.

Notably, very few prominent temples are government undertakings in Himachal Pradesh. A large number of temples are governed by village committees independently.

Due to the prevailing scenario, the kardars of deities in Mandi and Kullu districts are in favour of opening doors of temples as soon as possible. They say are religious activities could be organised in a restricted way.

Shivpal Sharma, the president of Kardar Sangh in Mandi, said, “The Covid-19 outbreak has caused losses worth crores to the coffers of temples in the state. In Mandi district alone, there are around 500 temples, ” he said.

Jai Chand, president of Kardar Sangh, Kullu, said, “We are in the favour of opening temples for religious activities for devotees but in a restricted manner. The Kardar Sangh, Kullu, has given a memorandum to the state government to think over this issue and take decision accordingly.”