How Many Temples in India?
No single government database counts every temple in India. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) protects 3,692 monuments of national importance, while state religious endowment boards register hundreds of thousands of major shrines. Below is the verified picture based on state department registries, ASI records, and the Census of India.
Official Counts by State Endowment Boards
| State | Registered Temples | Governing Authority / Source |
|---|---|---|
| Tamil Nadu | 44,121 | TN HR&CE Department (2024) |
| Karnataka | 34,559 | Karnataka Muzrai Dept (All Grades A/B/C) |
| Maharashtra | 12,000+ | Maharashtra State Devasthan Committee |
| Andhra Pradesh | 8,500+ | AP Endowments Department |
| Odisha | 5,500+ | Odisha Hindu Religious Endowments |
| Uttar Pradesh | 5,000+ | UP Religious Affairs Directorate |
| Telangana | 4,800+ | Telangana Endowments Department |
| Rajasthan | 3,500+ | Rajasthan Devasthan Department |
| Gujarat | 3,200+ | Gujarat Pavitra Yatradham Board |
| Madhya Pradesh | 2,800+ | MP Dharmasva Department |
Note: These numbers reflect institutional shrines formally registered under state religious endowment boards. Unregistered community temples, village gramadevatas, and household altars are not included in these administrative figures.
Why No Single Number Exists
India's temple count cannot be reduced to a single official number for three fundamental reasons. First, the boundary between a formal temple and an informal shrine is fluid — a roadside platform with an image of Hanuman or a sacred tree shrine may be called a mandir by locals but is not part of any statutory register. Second, the vast majority of rural village shrines (gramadevatas) and clan altars (kuladevata) are maintained locally by families or panchayats without state endowment registration. Third, temples are living institutions where historical sites fall into ruin while thousands of new shrines are consecrated every decade.
Government, Census & Database Benchmarks
3.01M
Total physical "places of worship" of all religions recorded in Census 2011 housing tables. (Demographic inferences estimate ~2M–2.4M are Hindu shrines, but no official faith-wise census exists.)
Census of India 2011 Housing Data
44,121
Formally registered institutional temples under Tamil Nadu HR&CE alone — the highest state endowment register in India
TN HR&CE Department, 2024
3,692
Centrally protected monuments under the ASI, of which approximately 1,200 to 1,400 are ancient and medieval temple sites
ASI Protected Monuments
249
Temples documented in Sacred Places India's database — a curated architectural, historical, and pilgrimage reference registry
Sacred Places India Registry
Variety Beyond Numbers
Any count of Indian temples must account for the wide range of forms: massive UNESCO-listed temple cities like the Brihadeeswarar complex in Thanjavur; rock-cut cave temples such as the Kailasa Temple at Ellora; medieval Nagara-style shrines in Khajuraho; coastal temples like the Shore Temple at Mahabalipuram; monastery-temples of Tibetan Buddhism in Ladakh and Sikkim; and village gramadevata shrines that mark the boundaries of every settlement in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh.
Related Research & Regional Guides
Sources
- • Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department, Tamil Nadu (2024)
- • Archaeological Survey of India — List of Protected Monuments (2024)
- • Maharashtra State Devasthan Committee Reports
- • Census of India, Religious Data Tables (2011) — places of worship counts
- • Muzrai Department, Karnataka — temple registration data
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