Kerala: Padmanabha Swamy temple pays GST for 7 years, receives notice of Rs 1.57 crore

There is Padmanabha Swamy Temple in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. This temple has been a center of faith for devotees for years. Now the GST department has sent a notice to the temple management demanding payment of outstanding GST of Rs 1.57 crore. It is mentioned in the notice that GST is pending on the temple for seven years.

According to the notice sent by the department, the temple earns income in many ways. These include clothes offered by devotees, which gives a lot of income to the temple management. Apart from this, income from the sale of idols is also included. Also, devotees coming here rent elephants, which gives income to the temple.

GST not paid for seven years
According to the officials, the temple management has not paid GST for seven years. After this, a notice has been sent to the temple management. At the same time, the temple officials have given clarification on this matter. They say that the temple has many types of tax exemptions. During this period, the taxable income is only Rs 16 lakh, out of which three lakh rupees have been paid. According to the department, the temple management has not deposited the outstanding tax since 2017. A fine will be imposed for not paying the amount. 18 percent interest will also be charged for not paying the fine.

Padmanabhaswamy Temple is located in Thiruvananthapuram. Lord Vishnu is worshipped here. This temple was rebuilt in 1733 AD. Maharaja Martad Varma of Travancore had renovated this temple. There is an ancient idol of Lord Vishnu in the sanctum sanctorum of the temple, which has been a center of faith for devotees for years. The idol of Lord Vishnu in this temple is seated in a sleeping posture. The resting state of Lord Vishnu is called ‘Padmanab’, this is the reason why this temple is called Padmanabhaswamy Temple.