ePuja: Seek, Discover, Get Blessed

Abstract

The case describes the entrepreneurial venture initiated by Shiva Kumar and an angel investor Chetan Merchant, and the situation they faced in January 2016. The venture – ePuja – offered the online facility of worshipping and offering prayers in over 3,600 temples across India. The case asks students how ePuja can continue to grow with increased competition and how to reach potential customers in rural India

This case was prepared for inclusion in Sage Business Cases primarily as a basis for classroom discussion or self-study, and is not meant to illustrate either effective or ineffective management styles. Nothing herein shall be deemed to be an endorsement of any kind. This case is for scholarly, educational, or personal use only within your university, and cannot be forwarded outside the university or used for other commercial purposes.

2024 Sage Publications, Inc. All Rights Reserved

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Resources

Exhibit 1: Global Religious Market

The three data points titled, the Indian story on top of the table read:

  • 81% say they are religious.
  • 13% are not religious.
  • 3% are convinced atheists.

The table below captures the data from the table in this infographic:

Country

Religious

Not religious

Convinced atheist

Don’t know or no response

China

14

30

47

9

Japan

16

31

31

23

Czech Republic

20

48

30

2

France

37

34

29

1

South Korea

52

31

15

2

Germany

51

33

15

1

Netherlands

43

42

14

2

Austria

42

43

10

5

Iceland

57

31

10

2

Australia

37

48

10

5

Ireland

47

44

10

0

This infographic is titled, a matter of faith and has a table that provides a country-wise break up of where atheism is gaining ground (figures in percentage).

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/uk/More-Indians-have-stopped-believing-in-God-Survey/articleshow/20284261.cms, accessed on January 21, 2016

Exhibit 2: Famous Temples in India

Kashi Vishwanath,

Temple,

Varanasi,

Uttar Pradesh

One of the most celebrated religious travel destinations in the country, the Kashi Vishwanath Temple still stands in glory despite having been looted and demolished several times in the past. It is estimated that around over 3 million domestic and 200,000 foreign tourists visit this temple annually. The annual donations to Kashi Vishwanath come to a figure of around INR 4–5 crore. Out of the three domes of the temple, two domes are gold plated.

Somnath Temple,

Veraval, Gujarat

About 70 to 80 lakh devotees visit annually. During Kartik Poornima, a huge fair is held. Apart from this, Shivratri in February, the month of Shravan and Diwali holidays see a huge inflow of devotees. The average annual collection from devotees is nearly INR 15 crore.

Tirumala

Venkateshwara,

Tirupati,

Andhra Pradesh

On an average, 83,674 visit the temple every day. The annual volume of devotees crosses three crore. The most important days on which the pilgrim influx is at its peak are the nine-day Brahmotsavam, known as ‘Salakatlabrahmotsavam’, which ended on October 13 this year. On Vaikunta Ekadasi, nearly two lakh devotees throng the temple. Just to ensure that all devotees have a glimpse of the deity, the Tirupati Tirumala Devasthanams (TTD) also celebrates ‘Dwadasi’.

Another rush time is after the Makara Jyothi when lakhs of Ayyappa devotees reach Tirumala after darshan at Sabarimala in Kerala. The average hundi collection is INR 90 crore a day and last year the hundi collection crossed INR 600 crore.

Guruvayur Srikrishna Temple,

Kerala

The vacation time of April and May, and November 15 to January 15 (Sabarimala season) are the peak seasons. Annually, an average of 50 lakh pilgrims visit the temple. The collection from devotees is INR 130 crore per annum

Shirdi Sai Baba Temple Shirdi,

Maharashtra

Around 60,000 people visit the temple every day and the number goes up to about one lakh on weekends. During special festivals, at least two to three lakh devotees visit the famous shrine.

Vaishno Devi Temple,

Jammu and Kashmir

The holy cave attracts millions of devotees every year. In fact, the number of devotees visiting the shrine now exceeds one crore annually. The holy cave is situated at an altitude of 5,200 ft. The devotees have to undertake a trek of nearly 12 km from the base camp at Katra for darshan.

Jagannath Temple,

Puri, Orissa

According to a report published in 2010, the bank deposits of the Lord Jagannath Temple were around INR 150 crore. The temple receives donations of around INR 15,000 to 20,000 with six times more donations in the festive season. More than 30,000 devotees throng the shrine every day with around 70,000 per day in the festive season.

Amarnath Temple,

Jammu and Kashmir

Despite being aware of the difficulties they will face, Hindu devotees from across the world wish to visit the Amarnath Temple at least once in their lifetime. In 2014 more than 2.44 lakh pilgrims paid obeisance at Amarnath Yatra. According to a report, if the Yatra can be kept open for the devotees around the year, it can fetch a benefit of around INR 24,000 crore for the government of Jammu and Kashmir.

Meenakshi Temple,

Madurai, Tamil Nadu

One of the few temples in India that receives 20–30,000 people every day, the Meenakshi Temple earns a revenue of around INR 60 million every year. The temple enshrines around 33,000 sculptures in its periphery. Deity Meenakshi, the wife of Sundareshwar (Shiva) is the principal deity of the temple. There are 14 gopurams in the temple which vary in height from 45–50m. The temple houses two golden Vimanas, which multiply the scenic opulence of this popular Hindu shrine.

Sabarimala Ayyappa Temple,

Kerala

Visited by as many as 40 to 50 million devotees every year, the Sabarimala Temple claims to be at the top of the list in terms of devotees visiting the temple. The interesting fact about the temple is that only men are allowed to enter this temple. Till date the revenue earned from Sabarimala Temple during the pilgrimage season was around INR 230 crore. During the 2011–2012 pilgrimage season the total income was INR 218 crore

Siddhivinayak Temple,

Mumbai, Maharashtra

The annual income of the Siddhivinayak Temple ranges from Rs.48 crore to Rs 125 crore. It is thronged by 25 thousand to 2 lakh people every day. The dome over the main shrine of Ganesha is coated with 3.7 kg of gold. The black stone idol of Lord Ganesha found in this temple is around 200 years old. The temple was converted to a six storeyed building in 1990.

Akshardham temple,

Delhi

A treat to the eyes of the architecture lover, the Akshardham Temple is the newest entry in this list. One of the most fascinating elements of Delhi tourism, this Hindu Shrine attracts lakhs of travellers every year. The idol of Swaminarayan is made of gold while the Gurus are covered in leaf. The Swaminarayan temple holds the Guinness record for being the World’s Largest Comprehensive Hindu Temple. It is estimated that over 10,000 visitors throng the Akshardham Temple every day.

Source: http://inn-live.blogspot.com/2013/10/inn-special-coverage-on-indias-most.html, accessed on January 20, 2016

Exhibit 3: Profiles of Promoters

Shiva Kumar

With over two decades of experience in the field of Sales and Marketing, Shiva brings with him insightful networking skills and a deep understanding of the Indian culture. His core strength remains his ability to understand diverse Indian geographies and their cultural and traditional expectations. His strength emanates from his constant involvement with cultural bodies and temples across India, which started more as a passion, but evolved into a serious life pursuit. Shiva has been an avid traveller as well has a profound interest in Indian Temples. With ePuja, Shiva brought his two life passions together, touring over 4.5 lakh kms across the length and breadth of India to form a formidable network of Temples. From this vision and passion emanated the evolution of ePuja as a comprehensive portal offering immediate online access to a wide range of temples for devotees within the country and overseas. With ePuja, Shiva hopes to bridge the ever widening gap between spirituality and daily living that occurs given the paucity of time we face and the increased pressures of work and life. Shiva believes his vision of having such a portal would empower us to stay in touch with our spiritual side with over 7,000 types of puja being made accessible for remedies to normal salutations being readily available at a click of a button. His aim with ePuja is to offer the service of convenience to one and all so that the younger generation too can understand the science behind Indian culture and ritualistic traditions so as to benefit from them, as their ancestors have done. Shiva is a Graduate with a Bachelor in Commerce Degree from the University of Bangalore and lives in Bangalore, managing the day-to-day activities and puja completions personally.

Chetan Merchant

With over a decade of experience in the field of Sales and Marketing, Chetan brings with him profound experience and in depth expertise that spans across a variety of sectors. His core strength remains his ability to understand customer needs and manage expectations while ensuring a motivated team to deliver quality under all situations. Chetan’s previous work experience includes leading successful teams across Indiainfo.com, ING Vysya Life Insurance, ICICI Prudential Life Insurance, Tata AIG Life Insurance and ICICI Bank. His last assignment prior to ePuja was at Development Bank Singapore (DBS), Mumbai, where he headed Client Acquisitions. Chetan is a notable philanthropist who has been involved in several charitable organizations as part of the prestigious Bhatia Community of Mumbai. His experience also stems from being responsible for the management of inherent family wealth and overseeing the several Trusts and Charitable Organizations run by the Chetan family across Mumbai, Mahabaleshwar and Matheran. He is a Trustee for Thakkar Ranchhoddas Kanji & Laxmidas Damji Charity Trust that is well known for assisting several students from under privileged communities with scholarships and medical assistance that in turn enable them to lead better and more fulfilling lives. Chetan also serves as the Vice President of Shri Mumbai Halai Bhatia Mahajan, a 153 year old organization that anchors the Bhatia Community and is responsible for several notable philanthropic activities. Chetan is also the youngest trustee of the Global Bhatia Foundation. Chetan is an avid sportsman with a keen interest in cricket and is the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Parmananddas Jivandas Gymkhana (P.J. Hindu Gymkhana), Mumbai. Chetan holds an MBA in Management (Marketing) from Chetana Institute of Management, Mumbai. With ePuja, Chetan aims to bring back the diminishing spirit of spirituality in India by providing easy access to religious rituals across Indian temples.

Source: Company Documents

Exhibit 4: Various Service Categories (Puja Selection)

Temple Selection Filters

Remedy Pujas Filters

Homam/Havans Filters

  • Popular and Famous Temples
  • Navagraha Temples
  • Lord Shiva Temples
  • Lord Vishnu Temples
  • Devi/Parvathi/Shakthi Temples
  • Lord Ganesh Temples
  • Muruga/Subramanya/Karthikeya Temples
  • MahaLakshmi Temples
  • Saraswathi Temples
  • Hanuman/Anjaneya Temples
  • Lord Brahma Temples
  • Your Birth Star Zodiac Sign Temples
  • 108 Divya Desam Temples of Vishnu
  • Kala Bhairava & Chandikeshwara Temples
  • Remedy Pujas/Dosha Pujas
  • Relief From Illness/Health Problems
  • Property/Legal Problems/Court Cases
  • Remedy Pujas For Navagraha Doshams
  • Sarpa Dosha Puja
  • Wealth & Prosperity/Clear Loans & Debts
  • Pregnancy/To Conceive/Beget Children
  • Early Marriage/Remove Wedding Obstacles
  • Relief From Black Magic/Vasheekaranam
  • Jobs/Promotion/Better Career Prospects
  • Puja For Knowledge/Education
  • Homam for Removing Obstacles
  • Homam for All Doshas
  • Homam for Jobs, Promotion & Better Career Prospects
  • Homam for Pregnancy, To Conceive/Beget Children
  • Homam for Knowledge & Education
  • Homam for Long Life & Ayush
  • Homam for Health
  • Homam for Critical Illness
  • Homam for Wealth & Prosperity
  • Homam for Legal Problems, Court Cases & Litigations
  • Homam for Black Magic, Vasheekaranam & Evil Spirits
  • Homam for Relief From Sins Of Previous Birth
  • Homam for Lifelong Food Security
  • Homam for Property & Real Estate
  • Homam for Early Marriage & Removing Wedding Obstacles

Source: ePuja website

Exhibit 5: ePuja Service Execution Cycle

The website www.ePuja.com is seen at the top of the image with activities listed for each day on this cycle as follows:

Day 1:

  • Customer selects a temple, Books puja online, Makes payment
  • Customer gets automated SMS/email on confirmation of payment
  • Operations team gets email about new order booking

Day 2:

  • Sends e-money order to temple and to the Priest via India Post
  • Sends SMS and Phone call to priest about customer and puja details

Day 3–7:

  • Puja gets done at the desired temple on the selected day. Next day customer gets a confirmation on completion of puja
  • Temple sends prasadam in its official envelope in the customers name to epuja post box
  • ePuja encloses covering letter and ships it to customer’s address in ePuja’s customized envelope.

This image illustrates the workflow for ePuja. The text below reads, average total puja execution time is 15–20 days (from order to Prasad Delivery).

Source: Company Documents

Exhibit 6: ePuja Prasad Delivery

Both envelopes are addressed to Post Office boxes in Bangalore. The left side of both envelopes have an image of a deity on it. Both deities are seen standing with their hands in a pose. The picture of the deity in the first envelope has an ornamental circle decorating the back of the idol and garlands on the deity. The deity on the second envelope is seen standing in the middle of a temple-like structure. A bird is carved standing behind the deity and the deity has a crown. A garland is seen on the deity and a lamp and flowers adorn the area in front of the structure.

The pictures of two envelopes from two different temples are seen here. One for Chottanikkara Bhagavathy temple and the other for Sri Dharbaranyeswara Swamy Devasthanam Saneeswara Baghawan Sthalam.

Prasadam from temple arrives in the devotee’s name at “ePuja” post box

The smallest envelope on the left reads, Shlokams & Mantrams, Sanskrit devotional, Audio CD Mp3. The second is a larger envelope that reads, Rush to, with the name and address of a person visible through the window in the envelope. The back of the third envelope is seen next which reads, handle with care and has a row of logos below. These are, the recycle logo, an umbrella with rain falling on it and a triangular shape held between two hands. A customs declaration is seen below with a signature at the bottom.

Three envelopes from www.ePuja.com are seen here. The first two have two colorful flower logos with www.ePuja.com.

Prasadam is packed in ePuja envelope and sent by speed post along with a devotional CD with a covering letter

Source: Company Documents

Exhibit 7: ePuja Marketing Campaigns

Two images of newspaper advertisements in the first row read, our faith hasn’t changed in 3600 years but the way we worship just did. The ePuja logo is seen at the bottom right corner of both ads. The next row has an image of a woman in a sari and jewellery, on her laptop, sitting on a sofa. The text in the box on the top left reads, booking a puja for prosperity is now a click away! The website and phone number are provided below. The image on the right is of a newspaper ad for ePuja. The ad has 11 boxes that read: Health, sarpa doshas, legal problems, combo pujas, temple pujas; remedy pujas; havans, wealth & prosperity, education, career and promotion, early marriage, property and a box in the centre of the bottom row that reads, for guidance call an ePuja panditji on 022 49445555.

ePuja Marketing Campaigns in newspaper advertisements.

Source: Company Documents

Annexure 1: Puja Ceremony

The first image titled, puja ceremony has the following text below the title:

  • Basic ceremony is the puja.
    • Takes place in temple or at home.
    • May involve mantra (recitation), mandala (symbols), music, flowers, fruits, offerings.

A picture of a couple performing a puja at their home with a pandit is seen below. The image is labelled, puja ceremony in home.

The second image is titled, puja ceremony and has an image of the items required for a puja below. Two shiny cups, a shiny box and a bell that are arranged around a large cup on a shiny plate. A small plastic bottle is seen on the right as well as a smaller bottle in front of the first bottle. The items are labelled as follows:

Large cup – water container.

First small cup – stand for diva lamp.

Bell – bell to call worshippers.

Small closed box – kumkum powder container.

Second small cup – incense (joss stick) holder.

Large plastic bottle – sandalwood powder for tilak or bindi.

Small plastic bottle – kumkum powder for tilak or bindi.

This annexure has two images. One of a puja ceremony at home and another of the items needed for a puja ceremony.

Source: Religion and Culture in India by J.N. Hooker accessed from http://public.tepper.cmu.edu/jnh/osher2013religionsIndia.pdf, April 2016

Annexure 2: Puja – An Essential Part of Worship

1. Hindu Worship

Many Hindus pray every day – at home and/or in temples. Mostly though, the temple is the most preferred place of worship, of performing important religious rites at different times of the day, usually dawn and dusk. The faith rests heavily on its many and varied rites and rituals, which differ vastly among individuals, sects, casts, communities, villages and regions. What makes Hindu rituals so special is that the religion offers many similar features too, which bind Hindus spread across the globe, linking them into a single unit.

2. The Puja

One of the most significant facets of Hindu devotion is the puja (alternatively spelt as “pooja”). Ritual offerings and prayers to be performed as mentioned in the puja vidhi accompany a puja. The worship may be in the form of a person or a symbol, representing the presence of the sacred divine. The special importance of Hinduism is that it includes the worship of all the five Panchamahabhutas or the five elements of fire, water, earth, air and ether (sky).

While some Hindus conduct puja at home on an everyday basis, there are others who perform more elaborate special ceremonies at temples of their choice or temples dedicated to certain remedies. But the toughest aspect of this is to locate the right temple or a priest who is competent to carry out the detailed procedures.

3. Why a Puja

In the holy scripture Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna proclaims “patrampushpamphalamtoyamyo me bhaktyaprayacchati tad ahambhakty-upahritamashnamiprayatatmanah” (“He who offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, fruit or water, I will accept it wholeheartedly”).

Hinduism as a religion believes that blessings from God can be attained by ritualistic worship or by meditation or even by simple utterances of the holy names. Ritualistic worship can be elaborate, spanning over several hours, with the chanting of mantras, offering Prasadam and Aarti or it can also be as simple as offering a single leaf of Tulasi or Bael (for Lord Shiva) and offering Prasadam. While ritualistic worship satisfies some people, others are happy with meditating on the Lord or chanting His name. Needless to say, any form of worship requires a pure and steadfast mind that is thoughtful of God, adherence to Dharma and abhorrence to sin.

Source: Adapted from http://epuja.co.in/blog.php?blog_id=21

Annexure 3: Content Articles About Temple and Deity (Sample)

Description

Shirdi Sai temple is an incredible religious asset of Maharashtra, built above the Samadhi of a divine named Sai Baba. This temple is the popular & famous religious spot in Maharashtra visit through thousands of citizens from around the world. It was recognized in 1922 to hold out the services of Shri Sai Baba. Shirdi Sai Sansthan, the well-known trust of the area is responsible for maintenance and management of the entire temple and nearby area. The main role of professionals working under this trust is to look over the regular work goes on in the temple. Location: Shirdi Sai Baba is placed near Nasik approximately 296 km from Mumbai City in India. Shirdi is also connected the railway and airport here. Once here, you will not search any difficulty in finding the temple.

History

Sai Baba came in Shirdi, which belongs to the district of Ahmednagar, when he was of 16 years age and lived there till the ending of his life. His initial abode was in Khandoba temple. The mandir premises are extend across around 200 sq meters. These buildings were renovated in the year 1998 and are equipped with amenities for devotees who arrive here to get blessings of the divine present in Shirdi Sai Baba Temple-Shirdi Maharashtra. The Khandoba mandir in the easier said than done has more significance, because this was the 1st place where Baba lived after entering Shirdi Dham. In those times, the mandir was in centre of an interment ground without doors. A big banyan tree at the entry of the Sai temple indicates the place where the bullock farm cart of Sai halted. In it is memory a little shrine is erected here.

Facts/Mythology

Another very important place in the multipart is Gurusthan, which is the place where the tomb of the Sai’s Guru is placed and is near Neem tree. Under the Neem tree there is a secretive subway that leads to the place of the Dwarkamai. The current shrine housing tomb was initially called Wada which was a private mansion. Gopalrao Booty, the human being who made this shrine was a wealthy man from Nagpur. He was inspired through Baba and he dreamt of Baba bespeaking him to make a temple & house in Shirdi. Booty and his friend Shama built some rough sketches & showed them to Dixit to obtain his approval. Dixit took the 2 to Sai Baba and Baba responded through temperate blessings. The Wada was initially planned like a rest house & Mandir. Instantaneously Baba was accepted to the Wada, but he took his final respire their and was dormant in the position where the picture of Bhagwan Krishna was believed to be placed. The committal was completed through Thursday very early morning; a snap of Sai Baba was placed on throne on platform of the tomb. This is the brief history of Sai Baba’s life and the way, by which temple of Sai Baba in Shirdi came into existence.

Festivals/Events/Gatherings

Shirdi is a very famous place. People often go and visit Shirdi for their various beliefs. Morning, afternoon, evening and at night are the four times when Aarathi takes place in Shirdi.

Source: http://epuja.co.in/, accessed on January 11, 2016

This case was prepared for inclusion in Sage Business Cases primarily as a basis for classroom discussion or self-study, and is not meant to illustrate either effective or ineffective management styles. Nothing herein shall be deemed to be an endorsement of any kind. This case is for scholarly, educational, or personal use only within your university, and cannot be forwarded outside the university or used for other commercial purposes.

2024 Sage Publications, Inc. All Rights Reserved

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