Why waste money on temples?

Question

Accepted Answer

In coffee shops, college classrooms, and editorial columns, a familiar argument is routinely leveled against religious architecture: "Why spend hundreds of crores of rupees constructing grand temples with carved granite, marble halls, and golden domes? Wouldn't that money be infinitely better spent building hospitals, schools, universities, and public infrastructure? Isn't building temples an economic waste in a developing country?" This criticism appears to possess high moral authority. Who co...