The total income of the Hasanamba temple in Hassan rose to ₹ 25.59 crore after the money and donations offered through ‘hundi’ were tallied on Friday.
The cash collected through ‘hundi’ was ₹3,68,12,275. Besides, 75.3 gm of gold objects and about one kg of silver objects were offered by devotees during the Hasanamba festival that concluded on Thursday.
Through the sale of tickets and prasad, the temple raised ₹21.91 crore. This is the highest amount collected by the temple during the Hasanamba festival celebrated every year. Last year, the temple earned ₹12.64 crore, including ₹2.55 crore from ‘hundi’ collections.
Interestingly, many devotees threw demonetised notes of face value of ₹42,530 into the ‘hundi’. Besides, foreign currency worth ₹7,653 was also collected from the temple.
The counting of cash and other valuables was done under the supervision of KS Lathakumari, Deputy Commissioner; and JB Maruthi, Deputy Commissioner, who is also the Temple Trustee. The district administration also involved officials from various departments and bank officials in counting the cash.
Mr. Maruthi told reporters that over 350 employees, including 50 bank officials, were involved in the counting process. Revenue collection has doubled this year due to measures taken by the district administration under the leadership of Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda, who is also the minister in-charge of the district, he added. “This time, the entry of pass holders has been rationalised. In the past, officers allowed many people to enter the temple at all times. But this year, strict measures have been put in place to ensure smooth ‘darshan’ for devotees. These measures have led to an increase in revenue,” Mr Maruthi said.
More than 26,000 people visited the temple during the festival this year.
Published – 24 Oct 2025 20:16 IST
