After being received well, the Post Graduate Program in Temple Management (PGPTM) launched by Temple Connect and WeSchool last year, is readying for admitting a second batch.
The admissions for the October 2025 batch are now open. It marks an important milestone both for Temple Connect and WeSchool, as it intends to professionalise the field of temple management and is part of courseware across three major educational institutions and universities—Welingkar Institute, Mumbai University, and Savitribai Phule University, Pune.
The course will cover subjects such as Perspective Management, Spiritual Economy, Financial Management, Services Management, and Community Engagement. All these subjects will be taught within the bounds of learning to manage sacred spaces. The students will be guided by faculty that includes professionals and veterans who have substantial experience and knowledge in temple operations.
With over 30 lakh temples across Bharat, the PGPTM program is helping to train professionals to run the management smoothly. Temple Connect has also significantly contributed to curating the curriculum by condensing the collective vision of experts into a systemic and structured course. It spans six months of duration, where the first three months consist of in-person classroom learning with over 20 interactive sessions. For the remaining three months, the students blend theoretical insights with practical learning through an internship at renowned temples.
To apply for the course, the applicants must be graduates from a recognised university. They must either have a strong foundation in temple administration or hands-on experience through internships. Each institution or university has a capacity for 30 students per batch.
Talking about this new milestone, Giresh Vasudev Kulkarni, Founder of Temple Connect and ITCX International Temples Convention & EXPO, said, “When we launched this program, we aimed to advance the field of temple management for the conservation of our culture and heritage. Now, the first batch has completed the program, and they are ready to drive the sustainable transformations in the temple ecosystem. This roaring success has cemented our faith that the future of the temple economy will be defined by innovation, sustainability, and technological progress.”
The success and innovation behind this program have led to temples actively supporting it and granting scholarships to students. Temple Connect is also supporting students in need of financial assistance through an open scholarship. Other temples across the country have also expressed interest in sponsoring students. Temples form an integral ecosystem of a country’s economy, and this program is helping to bolster the already thriving temple economy into a more structured, cohesive, and well-managed system.
