SHIMLA, INDIA, November 25, 2016 (Indus Business Journal): The cash crunch owing to demonetization of high-value currency has severely hit the offerings in all major Hindu temples of Himachal Pradesh. Officials in temples said the cash offerings had fallen up to 40 percent and the footfall of devotees had also declined by almost half since the demonetization of November 8. Interestingly, the online offerings have also been impacted massively, they said.
“The daily cash offerings at the Chintpurni temple has fallen by up to 40 percent and the average number of devotees visiting the temple has halved on weekends,” temple official Subhash Chand told IANS. He said the temple, the richest in the state, had stopped accepting the old Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes (US$7.50 – $15.00).
“Before the high-value currency notes were demonetized, daily cash offerings was around US$20,500 in 10 days. The offering has been reduced to $14,600 in the past 16 days,” Brajeshwari Devi temple official Pawan Badyal said. “The number of devotees coming to the temple has fallen by 40 percent,” he added. He said on an average the temple used to get $585 to $730 as online donations every month. “This month, no online offering came.”