ALBAWABA – Temples in India once struggling to attract worshippers have found new life by becoming centers of what devotees call “visa worship,” with thousands flocking to pray for foreign travel approvals, particularly to the United States.
At the Chilkur Balaji Temple in Hyderabad, priests bless passports and lead rituals for applicants hoping to secure visas. Worshippers are asked to walk 108 circles around the altar, a practice believed to improve their chances of success. Many visitors pray for the U.S. H-1B visa, which allows Indians to work in specialized fields abroad, while students seek divine help for F-1 study visas.
Devotees say the temple’s popularity has surged in recent years, especially after tighter U.S. immigration policies made approvals more difficult. “If we come here and pray, we get a visa,” one worshipper told The Wall Street Journal.
Reports suggest the temple now draws more than 1,000 visitors daily, including engineers, doctors, and IT workers. Families also burn incense in hopes of improving their odds of emigration.
Critics point out that the H-1B program, intended as a temporary work visa for specialized roles, is often used by companies as a cheaper labor source. Some U.S. outsourcing firms have even been described as creating their own symbolic “visa shrines.”
What may appear unusual to outsiders has become a ritual economy in parts of India, where visas are treated as tokens of faith — and temples are seen as gateways not just to the divine, but to Silicon Valley.
