New Delhi: Reliance Industries has contributed ₹32.50 crore to Gujarat’s renowned Ambaji Temple as a special gesture on the 31st birthday of Anant Ambani, the youngest son of Mukesh and Nita Ambani.
Temple authorities said the substantial donation will be utilised to upgrade pilgrim infrastructure, including the construction of a modern accommodation complex and a significant expansion of free meal services for devotees.
The Ambaji Temple, dedicated to Goddess Amba, ranks among India’s major pilgrimage centres, drawing over two crore visitors annually from across the country and abroad. The Shri Arasuri Ambaji Mata Devasthan Trust manages the site and supports accommodation and food services largely through public donations.
According to the trust, part of the Reliance contribution will fund a new state-of-the-art pilgrim facility. This development follows the demolition of older rest houses, such as the Ambika Rest House and Jagadjan Pathikashram, to make way for the Gabbar Corridor project.
Key elements of the donation include:
- Approximately ₹13 crore earmarked for a multi-purpose complex featuring 65 rooms, dormitories and parking space, designed to serve more than one lakh pilgrims at subsidised rates.
- ₹5 crore specifically allocated by Reliance for building 17 rooms on the ground floor.
- ₹27.50 crore directed towards the temple’s food distribution programme.
The funding will sustain the ‘Jai Ambe Tithi Bhojan Yojana’, enabling free meals for over 30 lakh pilgrims each year for the next five years. The temple already operates the ‘Ambika Annakshetra’, which currently serves 7,000 to 8,000 devotees daily.
Trust Administrator Kaushik Modi confirmed that the new facilities will enhance amenities for visitors and bolster the temple’s ongoing services.
This contribution reflects the continued engagement of the Ambani family with major religious and cultural institutions, particularly in Gujarat, while focusing resources on improving the experience of millions of pilgrims who visit the sacred site of Goddess Amba every year.
