By Manu Jain
India’s spiritual products market, valued at approximately Rs 10,000 crore, is experiencing a quiet revolution. From consecrated idols and puja essentials to rudraksha, gemstones, and crystals, categories once dominated by neighbourhood stores and temple vendors are now being reshaped by digital-first brands. What’s driving this shift isn’t just e-commerce convenience—it’s a change in how modern Indians engage with spirituality itself.
The paradox is striking. While India remains one of the world’s most spiritually engaged societies, the infrastructure serving this devotion has barely evolved. Traditional distribution remains fragmented, product authenticity is opaque, and younger consumers — comfortable ordering everything from groceries to jewellery online — have been forced to navigate outdated purchasing experiences for their spiritual needs. The FaithTech category is stepping into this gap by modernising access to it.
Spiritually redefined
The most significant shift isn’t demographic, it’s psychographic. Today’s spiritual consumer isn’t confined to a specific age group or geography. Urban millennials seeking mindfulness tools, Gen Z exploring astrology and wellness, NRIs maintaining cultural connections across continents, and traditional households looking for convenience are converging around a shared expectation: spiritual products and services should meet the same standards of quality, transparency, and experience as any premium purchase.
This convergence is redefining product categories. Spiritual consumption is no longer limited to festival-driven purchases or life events. It’s becoming embedded in daily routines — meditation accessories, live-streamed temple darshans, personalised astrology consultations, ethically sourced spiritual artefacts, and curated wellness products. The shift from episodic to habitual consumption is creating entirely new business models within the sector.
Transparency goes digital
What digital platforms bring to this market isn’t just distribution—it’s systematic trust-building in a category plagued by authenticity concerns. Is this gemstone natural? Was this idol properly consecrated? Is this rudraksha genuine? These questions have haunted spiritual purchases for generations. Technology-enabled platforms can now provide sourcing transparency, temple partnerships with verified credentials, live streaming of rituals, and certification details that traditional retail could never offer at scale.
This transparency extends beyond product authenticity. Modern spiritual consumers want to understand the cultural context behind their purchases. Digital platforms have the bandwidth to educate, not just transact, creating value that transcends the product itself.
The real transformation lies in what’s being built behind the scenes. As FaithTech platforms scale, they’re developing the supply chain, verification protocols, and quality control systems that this market has historically lacked. Rigorous vetting of temple partners, standardised packaging for fragile spiritual artefacts, temperature-controlled logistics for organic puja materials —these operational capabilities are setting new industry benchmarks.
For the first time, India’s spiritual products market has the infrastructure to match its cultural significance. The platforms defining this decade will be those that build comprehensive ecosystems worthy of the faith they serve.
The author is co-founder, VAMA.app