The Sabarimala Ayyappa Temple, located at 4,133 feet above sea level in Pathanamthitta district in Kerala, stands among India’s wealthiest and most-visited pilgrim sites. Apart from the spiritual reverence, the temple is also considered for its wealth, much of it in gold and annual donations.
Gold holdings and wealth
The temple possesses 227.824 kilograms of gold that is not earmarked for daily rituals or other temple purposes, according to a report by Mathrubhumi in November 2024. These unused gold holdings have recently been brought under a deposit scheme where the temple earns substantial interest. Alongside gold, the temple’s silver reserves are reported to be nearly 2,994 kg.
As of September 2025, Sabarimala’s estimated net worth stands at Rs 245 crore, with annual revenues (during the 2023 pilgrimage season) peaking at Rs 320 crore.
Each year, over 15 kilograms of gold is collected as devotee offerings, and annual monetary donations frequently exceed Rs 105 crore. The temple’s assets include fixed deposits and various jewellery of cultural and historical value.
According to a report by Onmanorama, the two-month long festival Sabarimala Mandala-Makaravilakku season which concluded in January 2025, generated a total revenue of Rs 440 crore for the hill shrine. This was an increase of Rs 80 crore from the previous season, said Kerala Minister for Co-operation, Ports, and Devaswoms, VN Vasavan.
Latest controversy of missing gold
The Kerala High Court has ordered a vigilance probe into a discrepancy of 4.541 kg in the gold-plated copper covering of the Dwarapalaka (guardian deity) idols at the temple entrance, according to a report by Deccan Herald.
Originally, the copper plates (with gold plating) weighed 42.8 kg before being sent to Chennai in August 2019 for re-plating, a charitable act by devotee Unnikrishnan Potti. Upon return, the weight dropped to 38.258 kg, indicating a loss of over 4.5 kg of gold, and this discrepancy was not officially reported by the TDB.
Taking serious note of the development, the Kerala High Court observed that such a discrepancy was inexplicable. “If it were petrol, the weight loss would be understandable, but since it was gold, how could it have lost weight?" the bench remarked, mandating a probe by Devaswom vigilance, with a comprehensive report expected by September 30, 2025.
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