While residing in the U.S., the Trivedi family sought a way to maintain their ritual practice of worshiping at one of India’s revered Jyotirlingas, holy representations of the Hindu god Shiva. Their quest led them to a YouTube search in 2023, where they discovered a video about a new devotional app called Sri Mandir.
This app offers customized videos of ceremonial prayers from over 50 Hindu temples in India. It allows users to participate in prayers, make donations, and access devotional content directly from their iPhone or Android smartphones—exactly what the Trivedi family was seeking. Now, a year later, the Trivedis remain avid users of Sri Mandir. The app is a vital tool for them to perform last-minute prayers and donate money to their temples, despite being far from home. However, this convenience comes at a price: Users outside India, on average, spend $100 monthly on the app.
“Sri Mandir just converts rupees into dollars, which makes it an ultra-premium app, not for users on a tight budget,” a family member noted.
Sri Mandir fills a significant need. Hindus worldwide often visit temples, offer donations, and participate in prayers for peace, well-being, and better relationships. Traditionally, access to these devotional services has been largely offline and unorganized in India.
Founded by serial entrepreneur Prashant Sachan in November 2020, AppsForBharat, the parent company of Sri Mandir, aimed to bring India’s deeply-rooted devotional practices online. Sachan, who previously co-founded the social commerce startup Trell, observed that even people from rural areas were coming online, yet devotional practices remained offline.
“When I started experimenting, it became clear that devotion was one behavior that deserved more attention than it was getting,” Sachan said.
In just three years, Sri Mandir has amassed over 30 million downloads and launched its services outside India in January. Since then, the app has seen a monthly growth of 25% to 30%, with 500,000 registered users and 2.5 million installs globally. The majority of its international user base comes from the U.S., followed by Canada, the U.K., and the Middle East.
The app mainly attracts first and second-generation Indian-Americans who don’t frequently visit temples in India but wish to stay connected to their roots. This global reach has positively impacted Sri Mandir’s revenues, which are generated from small-ticket transactions for prayers and donations. About 25% of Sri Mandir’s revenue now comes from outside India.
Sri Mandir not only connects devotees with their temples but also helps priests attract more followers, thereby increasing their income. By dedicating a few hours a week to the app, priests typically earn 25% to 30% more than their regular earnings. Manoj, a priest at Trimbakeshwar Shiva temple in Maharashtra, said the app helps devotees who cannot physically visit the temple but still wish to participate in prayers. Though he acknowledged the app lacks the divine atmosphere of being at a temple, it still serves a crucial role for many.
With a recent $18 million Series B funding round led by Indian billionaire and tech veteran Nandan Nilekani’s Fundamentum Partnership, AppsForBharat aims to expand Sri Mandir’s reach even further.
Sri Mandir faces competition from other devotional apps like DevDham, Vama.app, and Utsav, but it stands out with 30 million downloads since 2020. It is the sole Hindu-focused app among the top 100 most downloaded devotional apps globally.
To grow further, AppsForBharat plans to introduce features targeting the $50 billion religious tourism market. This will include facilitating temple visits and pilgrimage plans, partnering with traditional travel aggregators, and offering special tickets for sacred shrines and prasad deliveries.
The startup also aims to develop a CRM-like tech stack for temples and historical places in India, initially providing these services for free but eventually charging for management services. AppsForBharat plans to expand its temple network to 500 temples within the next 12 to 18 months.
With a broad vision and substantial new funding, Sri Mandir looks set to transform how Hindus worldwide connect with their faith, making spiritual practices accessible regardless of geographical boundaries.
