The Crossbill News Desk
The Uttar Pradesh government’s move to establish a trust for the management of the historic Banke Bihari Mandir in Vrindavan has triggered strong opposition from sections of the temple priesthood in Mathura.
Several priests have criticised the decision, calling it an attack on religious traditions and alleging that the BJP government is attempting to undermine the centuries-old Brahmin-led management of the shrine.
The controversy arose after the state cabinet recently approved an ordinance paving the way for the formation of the Shri Banke Bihariji Mandir Nyas Trust, which is set to oversee the temple’s management and daily rituals.
The government has argued that the trust is necessary to facilitate the construction of a proposed Rs 500 crore corridor around the temple to improve infrastructure and ease access for devotees.
However, prominent priests belonging to the Goswami sect, who have managed the temple for generations, say the move threatens their ancestral rights.
“It was because of the penance of our ancestors that God had appeared here. The temple became revered under their supervision, but the government is now taking it over on the pretext of regulating its management,” said Tarachand Goswami, former chairman of the temple, speaking to The Telegraph.
Another priest, Vishnu Goswami, accused the Yogi Adityanath-led government of deliberately targeting Brahmins and attempting to strip them of their traditional roles and sources of livelihood. Echoing these concerns, Swami Avimukteshwaranand, the Shankaracharya of Jyotirmath, questioned the government’s intent.
“A government that confiscates temples cannot be secular. The government is constantly trying to regulate religion with an ulterior motive. The government appears against the Goswami tradition and wants to have its official priests,” he said from Mathura, where he has been staying in recent days.
In a sign of growing unrest, some priests have threatened to remove the idol of Banke Bihari, which they claim was installed by their ancestors in 1864, if the government does not reconsider its decision.
Several priests have criticised the decision, calling it an attack on religious traditions and alleging that the BJP government is attempting to undermine the centuries-old Brahmin-led management of the shrine.
The controversy arose after the state cabinet recently approved an ordinance paving the way for the formation of the Shri Banke Bihariji Mandir Nyas Trust, which is set to oversee the temple’s management and daily rituals.
The government has argued that the trust is necessary to facilitate the construction of a proposed Rs 500 crore corridor around the temple to improve infrastructure and ease access for devotees.
However, prominent priests belonging to the Goswami sect, who have managed the temple for generations, say the move threatens their ancestral rights.
“It was because of the penance of our ancestors that God had appeared here. The temple became revered under their supervision, but the government is now taking it over on the pretext of regulating its management,” said Tarachand Goswami, former chairman of the temple, speaking to The Telegraph.
Another priest, Vishnu Goswami, accused the Yogi Adityanath-led government of deliberately targeting Brahmins and attempting to strip them of their traditional roles and sources of livelihood. Echoing these concerns, Swami Avimukteshwaranand, the Shankaracharya of Jyotirmath, questioned the government’s intent.
“A government that confiscates temples cannot be secular. The government is constantly trying to regulate religion with an ulterior motive. The government appears against the Goswami tradition and wants to have its official priests,” he said from Mathura, where he has been staying in recent days.
In a sign of growing unrest, some priests have threatened to remove the idol of Banke Bihari, which they claim was installed by their ancestors in 1864, if the government does not reconsider its decision.
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