OREANDA-NEWS. April 11, 2011. HDFC Bank, second largest private bank in the country, signed an agreement with Arulmigu Arunachaleswarar Temple in Thiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu for offering online donation.

Devotees unable to offer donation at the temple in person for some reason can now do the same using the Bank's user-friendly and secure Payment Gateway. Besides the Bank's direct debit facility, they can use HDFC Bank debit card or any credit card to make the payment.

Speaking on the association, Mr. A. Rajan, Country Head, Operations, stated, "India is a spiritually enlightened country and HDFC Bank has always used technology that touches lives of our customers in all the spheres. This tie-up will enable lakhs of devotees of Arulmigu Arunachaleswarar Temple spread across the world, to conveniently send their offerings to their favourite deity, using HDFC Bank's secured net banking services. It also enables the devotees to select the specific purpose for which the donation is made."

HDFC Bank has pioneered the concept of electronic religious offering and is already offering this facility to major shrines across the country. Some of the religious organizations already availing this facility through HDFC Bank are Mata Vaishnodevi Temple, Shree Jagannath Temple, Shree Sidhivinayak Temple, Shanta Durga Temple, Shirdi Sai Baba Sansthan, Golden temple, SomnathTemple, Guruvayuoor Temple, Parumala Church, Cheraman Juma Masjid, Shree Anantha Padmanabha Temple, Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam etc. Link to the website: http://www.hdfcbank.com/campaign/donate_charity/donate_charity.htm