Shirdi Saibaba shrine's donations take a hit, temple's income declines due to COVID-19 lockdown

SHIRDI: Coronavirus-induced lockdown has seriously affected the income of the famous Saibaba temple in Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra as its income has taken a hit.

Shri Saibaba Sansthan Trust CEO Kanhuraj Bagate has said that the total income of the temple has declined due to lesser of visitors to the popular temple and the coronavirus-linked lockdown imposed by the Centre.

The shrine has been closed for devotees since March 17 in view of COVID-19 restrictions. However, there is a rise in donations made through the online mode compared to the corresponding period in the previous year.

"The shrine received the income of Rs 115.16 crore from March 17 to August 31 this year, as against Rs 289.55 it had received in the corresponding period last year. This means the income has dipped by Rs 174 crore," Shri Saibaba Sansthan Trust CEO said.

At Rs 94.39 crore, the maximum income was generated through the interest earned on fixed deposits during the lockdown period. The cash donations stood at 18.32 lakh, he said.

"The trust received Rs 11.47 crore as online donations compared to Rs 1.89 crore it had received through online mode during March 17 to August 31, 2019," the CEO said.

Last year, the shrine had received a donation of 8.868 kg gold and 194 kg silver jewellery, but during the lockdown, it received only 162 gm gold and 2.6 kg silver, he said.

The trust spends Rs 55 crore towards the management of the temple, he said, adding that an amount of Rs 13 crore goes towards the payment of 5,500 employees.