Donations hit, Kardar Sangh awaits nod to open temples in Himachal

Dipender Manta

Tribune News Service

Mandi, July 19

Amid Covid-19 outbreak, revenue of temples has shrunk drastically. Kardars of deities say that lakhs of rupees used to be generated from donations in prominent temples every month and each deity in villages got Rs 1.5 lakh on an average once a year.

Facing losses

The Covid-19 outbreak has caused losses worth crores to the temples in the state. In Mandi district alone, there are around 500 temples. — Shivpal Sharma, Kardar Sangh President

As the doors of temples were closed to devotees across the state amid the Covid outbreak, revenue of temples has plummeted. It has come as a 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 a majority of the temples, caretakers and priests are hired on a monthly salary but in the absence of income, there is no money to pay them.

Very few prominent temples are government undertakings in Himachal Pradesh. A large number of these are governed by village committees independently.

Kardars of deities in Mandi and Kullu districts are in favour of opening doors of temples. They are of the opinion that religious activities could be allowed even if in a restricted way.

Shivpal Sharma, president of Kardar Sangh in Mandi, said, “The Covid-19 outbreak has caused losses worth crores to the 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 favour of opening temples for religious activities in a restricted manner. The Kardar Sangh, Kullu, has given a memorandum to the state government to think over this issue and take a decision accordingly.”