In India, temples are not subject to GST on their religious income, but taxes apply to commercial activities. The income of the Tirupati temple is expected to be ?4,774 crore (FY25), with the earnings of the Vaishno Devi and Padmanabhaswamy temples also in crores. Commercial services such as room rentals, shops, souvenir sales, and helicopter services fall under GST.
GST is not applicable on the religious income of temples in India
Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh has accused the central government of collecting GST from temples. In response, the BJP dismissed these allegations and accused Congress of politicizing the issue. The mutual accusations between political parties have reignited the debate on temple income and the taxes imposed on them in the country. Let’s find out which temple earns the most in the country and what the rules regarding taxes on temples are.
Which is the richest temple ?
The richest temple trust in India is the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD), which is estimated to earn ?4,774 crores in the financial year 2025-26. In terms of earnings from other temples, the Vaishno Devi Temple ranks second with an income of ?683 crores (FY24). Following this is the Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Kerala, which had an estimated income of ?700 crores (2024).
According to a report by Moneycontrol, there is no tax on spiritual activities under the tax rules related to temples, but taxes are imposed on commercial activities. The Tirupati temple paid GST of ?17.7 crore in the financial year 2017 and ?32.95 crore in 2024. Meanwhile, the total GST amount for Padmanabhaswamy temple is ?1.57 crore (2017-2024).
GST does not apply to the religious income of temples, which includes donations and religious rituals. However, GST is applicable on room rentals exceeding ?1,000. Similarly, GST must be paid on the rental of community halls or open spaces if it exceeds ?10,000. If temples rent out shops for a monthly rent below ?10,000, they remain GST exempt. However, souvenir shops operated by temple trusts, helicopter services, and other commercial activities fall under the purview of GST. Also temples park their money with financial institutions. The interest on deposits is taxed by Govt.
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