Shri Banke Bihari Mandir must have an easy approach
The Uttar Pradesh government plan to construct a corridor for the famous Shri Banke Bihari Mandir in Vrindavan has run into rough weather with the review petition put before the Supreme Court for its earlier judgment that allowed the state government to go ahead with a Rs. 500 crore development plan for the temple corridor. While the constitutional propriety involved in this exercise is sacrosanct, the urgency to improve the conditions on the ground cannot be ignored either.
The grounds for objection in the review petition filed by a priest Devendra Nath Goswami include not taking his consent — he being a key stakeholder – in passing the earlier judgment, and the use of temple funds. One must not miss the point here that the issue does not hinge on not consulting the priestly clan only, it is linked to the huge donations that the temple receives and out of which the government intends getting the finances for the purpose.
The shopkeepers around the temple are understandably peeved over the plan since they would be uprooted or relocated elsewhere. There is certainly an urgent need to widen the approach roads and beautify the place as has been done in case of the Kashi Vishwanath Temple at Varanasi. On any given day, thousands of people visit the temple located in the narrow streets of Vrindavan and a lot of inconvenience is faced by the devotees. One can see many devotees performing parikrama (going round the town) while measuring the distance with their body in prostrate posture. It happens on dirty roads where open drains flow alongside. Add to it the toxic fumes of three-wheelers driving bumper-to-bumper. Stampede occurred in 2022 costing two lives but stampede-like conditions prevail every other day in the narrow street leading to the temple. Taking advantage of this, many unscrupulous elements capitalize on it. My family had a taste of it recently. We – a family of five – visited Vrindavan on a holiday, when there is generally a huge rush. At least a kilometer before the temple, we were part of the slow-moving crowd with people pushing and jostling one another. The women in the family were on the verge of fainting and I suggested giving up and trying the next day. But soon we were accosted by a person hollering 'VIP Darhsan, VIP Darshan'. We were tempted to engage him for Rs. 1500. Next, he took us up and down several narrow, rough and untidy bylanes. After some 20 minutes of trek, we were ushered into the temple and made to stand at the platform at the far end of the temple compound from where we were asked to view the deity. In the sanctum sanctorum, nothing was visible. Not all of us could see the deity but were so fatigued due to constant pushing and shoving and the tumult that we had to leave the temple soon. It was
Indeed a harrowing experience. I am sure a lot of people do savour this kind of experience. How can feelings of devotion and spiritualism thrive in such an atmosphere? Lakhs of devotees would want wider roads leading to the temple. The priests must rise above personal considerations and view the temple as the property of the entire Hindu community. When the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine in Jammu and the Ram Mandir at Ayodhya have had beautiful makeovers, why are the priests of Vrindavan resisting the change?
The state government's intention was commendable when it promulgated a new ordinance on May 26 — Shri Bankey Bihari Ji Mandir Nyas Adhiniyam 2025. Under it, the government proposed to form a Trust Board responsible for managing the temple. The Board has fair representation to all stakeholders including distinguished individuals from Vaishnav traditions; other branches of Sanatan Dharma; scholars, educators, entrepreneurs, and social workers associated with Hindu society; and also two representatives from the temple's historical Goswami lineage. So, why should there be any problem to the priests who have moved the review petition?
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