Temple revenues, devotee footfall rise in AP: Anam

Vijayawada: The total revenue of 22 major temples in Andhra Pradesh has increased from Rs 1,379.19 crore in 2023-24 to Rs 1,503.90 crore in 2025-26, registering an additional Rs 124.71 crore. Endowments minister Anam Ramanarayana Reddy has said that there was nearly 9% growth in revenues, while devotee footfall rose by 27% from 634.68 lakh to 805.04 lakh during the same period.Addressing the media here on Wednesday, the minister said the figures clearly disproved what he described as a politically motivated campaign aimed at creating doubts about temple administration. He appealed to political parties not to sacrifice devotees’ faith for political gains or spread misinformation that could undermine public confidence in Hindu religious institutions. The minister said the state govt remained committed to protecting dharma, ensuring transparent temple administration, improving infrastructure and providing better services to devotees.

He urged the public to rely on verified facts rather than incomplete statistics or misleading narratives.Anam said temples were sacred institutions representing the faith of millions and should never be turned into platforms for political experiments. Criticism, he said, should be based on complete and verified information instead of selective data. Highlighting the performance of major temples, the minister said revenue at the Srisailam temple increased from Rs 178.82 crore to Rs 217.24 crore, while annual devotees rose from 82.18 lakh to 119.71 lakh.

Revenue at the Vadapalli temple increased from Rs 23 crore to Rs 56 crore. Devotee footfall at Vijayawada Kanaka Durga temple rose from 93.40 lakh to 119.34 lakh, while Annavaram temple recorded an increase from 45.50 lakh to 57.87 lakh visitors.The minister said temple performance should not be judged solely by net revenue, but also by factors such as devotee turnout, hundi collections, donor contributions, expansion of services and digital initiatives.

He said 111 temples currently provide free Annaprasadam to around 80,000 devotees daily, benefiting nearly three crore people annually at a cost of Rs 84 crore, with the scheme set to be extended to 59 more temples.

Reddy also said the coalition govt had accelerated temple development works, completed 282 pending projects, initiated hundreds of new infrastructure works and strengthened transparency through CCTV-monitored hundi counting and digital services across temples.