How much gold, silver does Sabarimala temple hold
What's the story
The Sabarimala Ayyappa Temple in Kerala is one of India's richest pilgrimage sites. Located at an altitude of 4,133 feet in Pathanamthitta district, the temple attracts millions of devotees every year. Its wealth is not just spiritual but also materialistic, with huge amounts of gold and annual donations. The temple reportedly has 227.824 kg of gold, which isn't used for daily rituals or other purposes, according to Mathrubhumi.
Financial overview
Temple's gold, silver reserves and estimated net worth
As of September 2025, Sabarimala's net worth is estimated at ₹245 crore with annual revenues during the 2023 pilgrimage season reaching ₹320 crore. Devotees offer over 15kg of gold every year and monetary donations often exceed ₹105 crore. Recently, the temple's gold was brought under a deposit scheme that earns it interest. The silver reserves of the temple are also said to be around 2,994 kg.
Asset details
Assets include fixed deposits, jewelry of cultural value
The temple's assets include fixed deposits and various jewelry of cultural and historical value. The Sabarimala Mandala-Makaravilakku season in January 2025 alone generated ₹440 crore for the hill shrine, an increase of ₹80 crore from the previous season. The season also saw an increase in devotees, with six lakh pilgrims visiting and daily footfalls of up to 1.8 lakh on peak days.
Legal investigation
Discrepancy of over 4.5kg in gold plating
The temple made headlines recently after the Kerala High Court ordered a vigilance probe after noticing a discrepancy of 4.541kg in the gold-plated copper covering of Dwarapalaka idols at Sabarimala Temple. The copper plates originally weighed 42.8kg before being sent to Chennai for re-plating in August 2019. Upon their return, the weight dropped to 38.258kg, indicating a loss of over 4.5kg of gold, which was not reported by the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB).
Accountability concerns
Court questions temple administration over missing gold
The Kerala High Court questioned the temple administration over this missing gold, asking how such a loss could occur with precious metal. The court stressed that faith and transparency regarding temple property should never be compromised. It directed Devaswom Vigilance to investigate and submit a report within three weeks, while also ordering an inspection of other gold-plated items at the temple.