The 'hundi' collections at the Lord Balaji temple in Tirumala netted the authorities a whopping Rs. 575 crore in 2010 with Rs. 3.8 crore alone being donated on New Year's day.
According to TTD officials, around a lakh devotees thronged the hill shrine on Saturday and donated Rs. 3.8 crore. The authorities revealed that there had been very few VIPs, and the collections had come from the common devotees who thronged the temple to pray for their well-being in the coming year.
The Rs. 3.8 crore is the highest-ever hundi collection on a single day. The average daily collection averages from Rs. 1.6 to Rs. 18 crore.
According to temple authorities, the hundi collections contribute about 60% of the temple income. The other sources of income come from the sale of laddus and other assets.