In a major funding development in India’s tech and spirituality space, AppsForBharat, the parent company behind the Sri Mandir devotional app, has raised INR 175 crore (approximately USD 21 million) in a new round of funding. This investment is led by Peak XV Partners—formerly known as Sequoia Capital India—and includes existing investors such as Elevation Capital, Vertex Ventures, and Matrix Partners India. The newly acquired funds will be used to scale and enrich the Sri Mandir app’s user experience, expand regional spiritual offerings, and invest in advanced technology that enhances devotional interactions for users across the country.
This funding marks a big leap not only for the startup but also for the faith-tech industry in India, which is witnessing rapid growth due to the increasing digital consumption of religious content and experiences. With this round, AppsForBharat is expected to deepen its commitment to offering culturally rooted and spiritually enriching platforms that cater to India’s diverse religious communities.
Understanding AppsForBharat: A Spiritual Tech Vision for Bharat
Founded by Prashant Sachan, who previously co-founded the lifestyle video app Trell, AppsForBharat was built with a unique vision to digitize Indian spirituality and create a peaceful online space for users to practice their daily devotion, rituals, and prayers. Unlike many mainstream apps that focus on entertainment or e-commerce, this startup has dedicated itself to addressing the spiritual needs of Bharat—a term that represents the real heartland of India, including small towns, villages, and tier 2 and tier 3 cities where religion and culture are deeply rooted in everyday life.
Their main product, the Sri Mandir app, has become extremely popular in a short span of time. It offers a comprehensive spiritual journey to users with features like daily darshan of temples, live aarti, bhajans, personalized pujas, astrology services, and regional spiritual stories. What makes the app stand out is how it has created a bridge between traditional devotion and modern technology, offering comfort and faith to users right from their smartphones.
What the INR 175 Crore Funding Means for AppsForBharat
The recent funding of INR 175 crore is part of the company’s Series B investment round. With this financial boost, AppsForBharat plans to strengthen its technology team, invest in research and development, enhance user interface design, and introduce new immersive features such as virtual temple visits, AI-powered spiritual recommendations, and interactive devotional communities. The startup aims to create an even more personalized and meaningful experience for users by adapting the app’s offerings based on their language preferences, faith background, and daily rituals.
Another major goal with this funding is to expand the app’s reach across India, especially in areas where people do not have easy access to big temples or spiritual gatherings. By offering regional content in languages like Hindi, Tamil, Bengali, Kannada, Marathi, and Telugu, Sri Mandir is becoming more inclusive and accessible for users from all cultural backgrounds. The company also aims to make the app a key part of daily spiritual practice, similar to how people used to visit temples every morning.
The Rise of Sri Mandir as a New-Age Devotional App
The Sri Mandir app has become a trusted companion for millions of Indian users looking for digital ways to connect with their faith. Through this app, users can experience live darshan from popular temples such as Tirupati Balaji, Vaishno Devi, Kashi Vishwanath, and many more, even if they are miles away. This is especially helpful for senior citizens, working professionals, and people living abroad who cannot physically visit temples but still want to stay spiritually connected.
One of the most loved features of the app is the option to book personalized pujas, participate in live rituals, and receive daily spiritual updates based on one’s preferred deity or tradition. Users can also create their own digital mandir (home shrine), where they can keep pictures of deities, chant mantras, and perform simple pujas, all within the app. The platform’s growing popularity is largely due to its thoughtful design and respect for traditional practices, while still embracing the power of modern-day technology.
Why Investors Are Confident in AppsForBharat
This funding round has attracted big investors because of the app’s massive potential and high user engagement. Reports suggest that users spend more than 20 minutes daily on Sri Mandir, a figure that is significantly higher than most utility apps. Additionally, the company has witnessed strong retention rates, meaning that once users download the app, they continue using it regularly. This level of loyalty and satisfaction is rare and is a clear signal that the platform is solving a real emotional and cultural need.
Investors like Peak XV Partners, who have backed major Indian startups in the past, believe that religious and spiritual content in India is still largely offline and fragmented. AppsForBharat is organizing this space by creating a single, easy-to-use platform where users can access all their devotional needs in one place. Moreover, the app is built with an India-first approach, which means its offerings are designed for Indian users by Indian developers, keeping in mind the values, rituals, and traditions that are followed across different parts of the country.
Founder’s Spiritual and Entrepreneurial Vision
Prashant Sachan, the founder and CEO of AppsForBharat, has said in multiple interviews that the idea for the app came from his childhood experiences. Growing up in a traditional Indian household, he witnessed how spiritual activities like chanting mantras, listening to mythological stories, and visiting temples brought a sense of peace and purpose to daily life. When he looked at the mobile app market, he found that while there were many platforms for music, shopping, and fitness, there was no comprehensive, tech-savvy platform that focused on spiritual wellness.
With this insight, he decided to build something that could help people carry their faith in their pockets—something that would not only serve urban millennials but also reach older generations, rural users, and even NRIs. His mission is to make spirituality more accessible, more digital, and more inclusive, without losing the authenticity that makes Indian traditions so powerful.
Future Plans: Expanding the Spiritual Ecosystem
The INR 175 crore raised will not only support the existing app but also help in building a wider spiritual ecosystem under the AppsForBharat banner. The company plans to introduce live spiritual events, virtual temple festivals, online discourses by gurus, and interactive satsangs that users can join from anywhere. There are also discussions about launching devotional e-commerce services, where users can purchase puja items, sacred books, idols, and more from trusted sources directly through the app.
Another upcoming focus is on spiritual education for kids and families. This includes storytelling formats based on the Ramayana, Mahabharata, and other Indian scriptures, designed in a fun and engaging way to help children connect with their cultural roots. The startup also plans to serve the global Indian diaspora, especially in the US, UK, Canada, and UAE, where there is strong demand for digital faith-based content.
With the latest funding round of INR 175 crore, AppsForBharat is setting new standards in the Indian devotional tech space. Its flagship product, Sri Mandir, is not just an app—it’s a digital temple, a virtual ashram, and a community for believers. It allows users to experience devotion in their own language, at their own pace, and in their own space.
As India becomes more digital and more connected, the need for platforms that combine spirituality and simplicity will only grow. AppsForBharat has shown that faith and technology are not opposites—they are partners in creating a meaningful digital future for millions. The app is helping people stay rooted while moving forward, offering both peace of mind and purpose of heart.
With strong investor backing, visionary leadership, and a growing base of devoted users, AppsForBharat is poised to become one of the most influential platforms in India’s digital and cultural landscape.
