Mysuru: Entry ticket collections on the four Ashada Shukravara (Friday) and Chamundeshwari Vardhanti (birthday of Goddess Sri Chamundeshwari) this year stood at Rs. 1,03,83,030. Last year, the collection was Rs. 38,73,300 and in 2015, the entry ticket collection stood at Rs. 29,67,550.

This year, the first Ashada Friday fell on June 30 and the subsequent Ashada Fridays fell on July 7, July 14 and July 21. Sri Chamundeshwari Vardhanti was celebrated on July 16. The entry ticket money was counted yesterday, a day after the last Ashada Shukravara.

Thousands of devotees had thronged the temple and the shrine was open from dawn till late in the night on all the festival days. While there was free entrance, Rs. 50 was charged for special entrance and devotees who took the Rs. 300 ticket had an opportunity of special darshan and an Abhisheka in their names.

On the first Ashada Shukravara, Rs. 18,21,370 was collected, on the second Ashada Shukravara, Rs. 22,70,410, Rs. 23,78,250 on the third Ashada Shukravara and Rs. 23,76,660 was collected on the last Ashada Friday. Rs. 15,36,340 entry fee was collected on the Vardhanti day. This year’s collections, including the individual collections on Ashada Fridays, have beaten the old records.

Interestingly, the third Ashada Shukravara that fell on July 14 garnered a whopping Rs. 23,78,250 in a single day indicating that maximum number of people visited the temple on that day. This day is closely followed by the fourth Ashada Shukravara that collected entry ticket revenue of Rs. 23,76,660.

According to temple sources, there has been a marked increase in the number of devotees who visit the shrine, an important and popular pilgrimage centre in South Karnataka, annually and the numbers peak during Ashada, Chamundeshwari Vardhanti and Dasara.

Apart from entry tickets, the temple gets good revenue from its hundis (offering box) and is considered as one of the richest temples in Karnataka after Kukke Subramanya, Dharmasthala Manjunatheshwara, Malai Mahadeshwara temples. Apart from cash, the temple also receives donations and gold and silver as offerings.