The Sudden Rise of Temple Visits: Faith, Identity, and Social Media
The Sudden Rise of Temples: Bhakti, Belonging, or Just a Social Media Trend? Last Sunday morning, I stood barefoot in a long queue outside a temple I had visited many times before. The bells rang as usual, the priest chanted the same mantras, and the smell of incense floated in the air. Yet something felt different. People weren’t just praying. They were recording. Phones were raised higher than folded hands. Some whispered prayers, others whispered captions. A few adjusted camera angles before stepping inside. One girl asked her friend, “Wait, take the video again—slow motion this time.” As I finally reached the sanctum, a question quietly settled in my mind: Is this sudden wave of temple visits real bhakti, or is it just another trend born on social media? This question isn’t meant to judge. It’s meant to understand. Because something has clearly changed. A Noticeable Shift Everywhere Over the past year, temples across India have seen a dramatic rise in footfall—especially...