By Shan Li and Aakash Hassan | Photographs by Harsha Vadlamani for WSJ

HYDERABAD, India -- Devout Hindus often pilgrimage to temples seeking divine intervention in matters of health, wealth and love. One holy place is known for aiding in a more earthly endeavor: securing a visa to go overseas.

For decades, the faithful have flocked to the Chilkur Balaji temple, commonly known as the Visa Temple, in the southern Indian city of Hyderabad to pray for celestial help to study or work in countries like the U.S., U.K., and Australia. Some carry passports to be blessed by priests for an extra serving of good luck.

Psychic anguish has reached a fever pitch among Indians since President Trump took office. Many college students are still without papers as U.S. embassies tighten vetting. The Trump administration also plans to revamp the H-1B visas for skilled foreign workers that are overwhelmingly taken up by Indian citizens.

Tharunkumar Prapakaran in April found out his software company paused his H-1B application out of fear new policies could lead down a black hole of paperwork. The 28-year-old software engineer despaired of ever reaching America. He decided to seek divine assistance.

"I thought '50/50 chance this temple is real, but let's try it,'" said Prapakaran.

After a 16-hour bus ride, Prapakaran removed his shoes, entered through a side door of the colorfully painted building and proceeded to the marble-floored inner sanctum. Standing in front of the altar, which features a black statue of Balaji, he closed his eyes and prayed while clutching photocopies of his passport, employee ID badge and a notice from the U.S. government that he had cleared an initial background check.

A priest took the documents and lightly tapped them against the Balaji statue, which was swathed in flowers and tucked behind three doorways framed in gold leaf carvings of Hindu gods.

"Everything depends on U.S. policy and Trump," Prapakaran said. "You can work 100% hard and still nothing comes out. I need all the blessings."

Back in the 1990s, only two or three people a week visited what was then a little-known place of worship to Lord Balaji, a local incarnation of the Hindu god Lord Vishnu. The head priest at the time, C.S. Gopalakrishna, decided to rebrand the temple as a sanctuary for those aspiring to travel abroad.

"I named him the Visa God," said Gopalakrishna, a spry 81-year-old who still works at the temple.

At its peak, about 70,000 people visited every week. But since Trump took office, there's been a 20% drop in worshipers, priests said. Many are discouraged by shrinking job opportunities in the U.S. and the fear of possible deportation even with the proper paperwork.

"They express their anguish, they express their worry," said C.S. Rangarajan, 58, the head priest. "I tell them, 'Have faith in God. Donald Trump is temporary, our Balaji is permanent.'"

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has supported Trump's drive to deport illegal Indian immigrants, partly to safeguard legal paths for Indians to study and work in the U.S. Last year, India surpassed China as the top source of foreign students in the U.S., making up nearly 30% of the 1.1 million students from overseas.

Lahari Kotha, 20, views praying at the temple as a spiritual down payment in advance of applying for graduate schools next year. The Hyderabad resident said she hoped to earn celestial support to fend off worries that visa restrictions could derail her dream of studying at New York University.

"Cosmic energy supports you to get good things," Kotha said. "Trump is bothering us, but we do what we can."

Kotha's aunt, Sunita Karpurapu, said she regretted skipping a pilgrimage before applying for a visitor visa to accompany her daughter starting freshman year at Iowa State University. Her application was rejected a month ago, a misfortune she blames on her decision to pray at home.

Over the years, the 35-year-old has made four trips to the Visa Temple. Each previous application -- tourist visas for her family and a H-1B visa for her husband -- was successful.

"If we come here and pray, we get a visa," Karpurapu said.

Rangarajan, the head priest, said the people who come for visa help comprise a fraction of the 30,000 to 40,000 visitors a week. His god lends a hand in many life obstacles, he said, including infertility, relationship quandaries, financial worries and academic struggles.

"Customers call Starbucks a coffee joint, but they sell all things," he said. "Our lord is not only visas, he gives everything."

At the temple, Prapakaran, the software engineer, walked 11 circles around the inner sanctum, part of the ritual for currying favor with the Visa God. Successful applicants are expected to return for 108 circumambulations as a gesture of thanks.

His phone suddenly lit up with a text from his boss: "Have u got call from HR?"

The good news came a few minutes later: The software firm planned to push ahead with Prapakaran's application for a U.S. work visa. He might be in America by the end of the year.

"Even I would not believe this would happen," Prapakaran said. "It's a miracle."

Write to Shan Li at shan.li@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

September 14, 2025 23:00 ET (03:00 GMT)

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