Ram Mandir Funds Theft: Daily Footfall to Temple ‘Reduces by 50%,’ Devotees Have Faith in Justice for 'Thieves' |
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Ayodhya (Uttar Pradesh): There is something unusual about Rampath, the road leading up to the Ram Temple in Ayodhya now. In what could be a direct consequence of the recent temple trust fund scam allegations, local shopkeepers say that there is a palpable drop in the number of devotees visiting the temple.
“It must be a 50% drop. The road on both sides of the barricade is usually filled with people,” said a vendor who sells prasad (sweets offered to a deity during worship) close to the temple.
He requested not to be identified. “We still have to come here everyday for a living,” he added, explaining why he wanted to remain anonymous, fearing reprisal from the local administration.
“The name of BJP [Bharatiya Janata Party] has been tainted here. There is a fall in the number of devotees too. It’s been a week since people began thinning,” said K.P. Pandey, another vendor.
K.P. Pandey, a vendor near the temple premises. Photo: Akanksha Kumar.
Following an FIR filed on June 26, against eight persons, at Ram Janmbhoomi Police Station in Ayodhya in connection with the alleged temple trust fund embezzlement, The Wire spoke with devotees from different states who had come to pay obeisance at the Ram Temple to understand how they perceived the current controversy.
In February 2026, a study released by the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Lucknow revealed that Ayodhya had received 11 crore visitors in the first six months following the consecration ceremony in January 2024. The study, titled The Economic Renaissance of Ayodhya, India: A Case Study on Sri Ram Mandir, also estimated that the incomes of local traders had risen by five times in this period.
According to a release by the Press Information Bureau, the annual number of visitors to Ayodhya had risen from 60 lakh in 2020 to 16 crore in 2024.
‘If you can’t donate, don’t take away what others have donated’
“Yes, I have heard about chanda chori (theft of funds) but I’m not aware of the details. All I can say is if you can’t do any good for the temple, don’t do anything bad either,” said Asha Devi, a resident of Ayodhya’s Kapasi village, who has visited the temple 5-6 times since the consecration ceremony on January 22, 2024.
“They [referring to........