Telangana: Digital payment facility in Vemulawada shrine soon

Sri Rajarajeshwara Swamy temple, Vemulawada, authorities have decided to update services being provided to devotees in the shrine

Rajanna-Sircilla: Sri Rajarajeshwara Swamy temple, Vemulawada, authorities have decided to update services being provided to devotees in the shrine.

Since everybody is making online payments, the temple authorities have decided to introduce the digital payment system in different rituals being offered in the shrine for the convenience of the devotees.

For this purpose, the officials have approached two banks SBI and HDFC to make necessary arrangements to start the digital payment system. The online payment facility would be available in the temple once the formalities were finalized by the banks. The facility is likely to commence after Maha Shivaratri jatara.

Except donations by philanthropists, all transactions are being done through cash. Known as dakshina kasha, the temple gets about Rs 100 crore revenue every year through different types of rituals such as main booking, kode mokku booking, guest houses booking, laddu prasadam sales and others.

Though 10 to 12 different rituals are being offered in the shrine, the temple is getting the highest revenue through kodemokku (Rs 18 crore) and guest houses rents (Rs 3 to Rs 4 crore).

Though the shrine is getting such a big amount of revenue, there is no online payment facility and devotees are facing troubles. So, the authorities have decided to make arrangements for online payments.

Temple sources said that besides QR code scanners, payment alert speakers would also be arranged to avoid confusion about the payment of money. They asked bankers to arrange payment alert speakers also since all digital payment companies do not have that facility.

Moreover, temple authorities are also planning to handover different booking counters to bankers to operate digital transaction systems by deploying their staff. So that bankers could also get revenue.

Responding positively to temple authorities’ proposal, bankers have assured to make arrangements for online transactions by discussing with their higher officials, source said.

Speaking to Telangana Today, Temple Executive Officer Krishna Prasad said that they have decided to introduce the digital payment facility in the shrine for the convenience of the devotees.

Informing that bankers have also agreed to make arrangements for the purpose, he said that the facility would start once bankers had completed the process.