Deepinder Goyal’s Rs 85,000 Wearable Temple Faces Website Crash After Surge in Pre-orders

The pre-order launch of Temple, an expensive wearable wellness device developed by Zomato founder Deepinder Goyal, encountered technical difficulties after a sudden surge in demand overwhelmed its booking website. The device, priced at Rs 85,000, was made available for pre-orders in India on November 1, but the company’s website reportedly crashed shortly after bookings opened at 9.30 pm.

Goyal acknowledged the disruption on social media platform X, explaining that an unexpected rush of visitors had affected the website while orders were being processed through the application. He later confirmed that the technical team had resolved the issue and restored the website.

Responding to criticism over the failure, Goyal admitted that the company had underestimated the expected traffic and had not implemented automatic server-scaling capabilities to handle sudden increases in demand. Describing the oversight as a “rookie mistake”, he acknowledged that the technical arrangements should have been better prepared ahead of the launch.

Temple is different from conventional fitness trackers and smartwatches. The head-worn device is attached to the side of the head using a medical-grade adhesive grip and is designed to monitor several physiological indicators, including brain blood flow, mental strain and heart rate. The company has positioned it as a wearable focused on understanding the body’s internal responses rather than simply tracking routine physical activity.

The device is available in six colour options: True Gold, Rose Gold, Black Mirror, Real Jade, Deep Blue and Purple Funk. Its premium pricing has also attracted attention, particularly as the wearable enters a market dominated by comparatively affordable smartwatches and fitness bands.

The product has already generated interest beyond the technology industry. Badminton player PV Sindhu and cricketer Shubman Gill have reportedly been spotted wearing Temple. The website disruption and Goyal’s response sparked considerable discussion on social media, with users commenting on the company’s inability to anticipate heavy traffic. Despite the initial technical setback, the strong response to the pre-order launch has placed Temple in the spotlight.