AI becomes spiritual guide for customers on devotional apps

Time of India

15-07-2025

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Spiritual and devotional platforms like AppsForBharat Utsav and Bhagva , and astrology startup Vaya are increasingly turning to artificial intelligence, for matching devotees with the right priests and translating chants in real time to training models to predict astrological aspects such as planetary movement and understand birth charts.The push for the use of AI by these startups comes as they look to deepen engagement and enhance the virtual spiritual experience for users.AI models are being fine-tuned using large volumes of astrological texts, allowing AI to provide foundational information such as on birth charts, planetary positions and divisional charts, which is often considered the most critical layer in answering user questions about careers or marriages. However, startup executives said the final step of interpretation still requires human expertise.Astrology startup Vaya, which recently raised around Rs 13 crore in a funding round co-led by early-stage venture capital firms Accel and Arkam Ventures, is deploying 30-40% of the funds into AI-related developments.'Astrology involves four steps: creating the birth chart, gathering details to answer specific questions, analysing those details in depth, and finally, interpreting the findings. What AI is able to do is assist much more effectively with the first three steps — analysing, gathering information and presenting it — which significantly improves both accuracy and the overall user experience,' Vaya cofounder Maahin Puri said, adding that 50–60% of the process can be effectively handled by AI.The devotional space has seen a surge in online engagement after the pandemic, with a renewed interest in spiritual practices which is driving growth for these startups.According to Jagriti Motwani, founder and promoter of Bhagva which allows users to book pooja services, the platform is not just using AI to offer puja recommendations but also to match users with pandits who are best suited to the type of puja, occasion, and their specific spiritual needs.'The platform is also working towards creating personalised puja kits. These will be curated using AI to suggest exactly what ritual items are needed, depending on the user's intent and the type of puja being performed,' said Motwani. It is also planning to integrate natural language processing for real-time translations of chants and rituals.Although the main business continues to focus on puja bookings and related services such as ecommerce, startup executives say AI-driven content and assistance will serve as key tools to engage and retain devotees.For Kolkata-based startup Utsav, 50-60% of user acquisitions happen through content, said cofounder Ankita De. 'A lot of it is dependent on content. It's a very critical part of the entire funnel where content drives the users.'AI has also helped these platforms speed up and simplify their content creation process, making it quicker and more streamlined.'The pace at which we are creating content now compared to, say, six months ago is definitely much faster and more efficient, and AI has certainly helped with that,' De said.AppsForBharat, the parent company of devotional platform Sri Mandir, is building an AI-powered co-pilot designed to guide and support users in their spiritual journeys.'Now, every user on Sri Mandir needs assistance, and we are creating that assistance layer. The information that devotees want to engage with today includes darshan, content around mantras, chalisas, chants and literature on Hinduism. This will be fed to AI Panditji, who will then pass it on to you in your language,' said founder Prashant Sachan.This move is expected to strengthen user trust and engagement, ultimately improving all major platform metrics, he added.This comes at a time when devotional platforms are expanding their reach beyond India, targeting the affluent and culturally connected Indian diaspora to boost both sales and subscriber numbers, ET had reported While these startups are aggressively chasing user growth, they're also catching the eye of venture capital firms. Many have secured fresh funding rounds in recent months, signalling strong investor confidence in their expansion plans.Earlier this month, AppsForBharat raised Rs 175 crore in a funding round led by Susquehanna Asia Venture Capital. In April, Bhagva raised about Rs 8.6 crore, while Utsav raised Rs 6.35 crore in a funding round led by Mumbai-based venture capital fund Equanimity Investments in January. Noida-based startup AstroTalk is reportedly in talks to raise $50–100 million at a unicorn valuation.