Nashik: The Shri Saibaba Sansthan Trust (SSST) in Shirdi has earned over Rs17.5 crore from donations during the Diwali vacation between November 10 and 20. SSST CEO P Siva Sankar said that Rs7.2 crore came from donation boxes. We have also received Rs3.9 crore from our donation counters. Our earnings from the special darshan passes were over Rs2.3 crore, he added. Sankar further said the devotees have also donated over Rs3.7 crore using debit/credit cards, UPI, cheques, demand drafts and money orders. Some devotees have also donated gold worth Rs22.6 lakh and silver worth over 4 lakh.According to him, the footfall at the temple during the Diwali vacation was significant. The devotees had seamless darshan of Saibaba. They sat in the new air-conditioned darshan queue hall before their turn came for darshan. The devotees also had free food at our Prasadalaya, he said.Devotees from Maharastha as well as other parts of the country visited the temple town during Diwali. This led many hotels and lodges in the area to do brisk business. We also published the following articles recentlyGloom unites devotees at temple, Chhath gatheringsFor hours on Sunday, cricket became the religion in Kolkata as screens were put up on temple premises. Supporters dressed in blue jerseys gathered at the temple to watch the cricket match.Cgarh governor concerned over poor darshan systemChhattisgarh governor Biswabhusan Harichandan expressed agony over alleged mismanagement in darshan system at Jagannath Temple in Puri. He was distressed to see the hardships faced by devotees waiting for hours outside the temple. Harichandan urged the government to streamline the darshan system and ease the inconvenience of devotees. He advised the Puri administration to reopen all four gates of the temple for the convenience of devotees. Congress state president Sarat Pattanayak also criticized the state government for failing to improve the darshan system and overall management of the shrine.

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