Have you had the good fortune to visit the Shri Banke Bihari Mandir situated in Uttar Pradesh’s Vrindavan? If you have, then you likely navigated through the narrow streets. You must have experienced the crowded pathways and the jostling crowds. You must have observed the surrounding chaos. Furthermore, you may even have sensed the necessity for the development of this area to make things easier for the devotees.

The last few years have showcased examples like Kashi, Ujjain and Ayodhya to the Hindu community, illustrating how the image of sacred locations can be positively altered by constructing a corridor around the holy temples. The problems of mismanagement and accompanying misery for the devotees could soon be behind us. The Supreme Court’s verdict has also cleared the path for the creation of the corridor at the Shri Banke Bihari temple.

However, parties such as Samajwadi Party and Congress are engaging in petty politics regarding this decision while the local Goswami community is also expressing their opposition. The motives of SP and Congress are clear that they want to get some political benefit out of it. NMeanwhile, OpIndia visited the location to understand the reasons behind the objection from those connected to the temple.

We interacted with all involved parties to provide readers with an accurate picture of the matter, including both, the opposition and the support. This will also help end the propaganda being pushed by the media in the name of opposition from the Goswami community.

Why is Banke Bihari Temple Corridor necessary

We arrived in Vrindavan, located approximately 150 kilometre from Delhi, on 5th June. As soon as we arrived, a Home Guard personnel stopped our vehicle and asked us to leave our vehicle in the parking area. However, once he learned we were from the media, he allowed us to continue. We arrived at the Gautam Pada crossing, navigating through the congested e-rickshaw traffic. The Banke Bihari temple is about 500 meters from this location, but it was not possible to drive the car any further. We then parked in the designated area and proceeded on foot.

We walked approximately 500 metres and arrived at the main street of the temple which is close to the Banke Bihari police post at around 11 am. There were shoes and slippers in front of the majority of shops that sold pedas. Many areas had clogged drains and litter was strewn everywhere. The situation was similar at the temple’s gate number 1 and 2. The stairs were full with the scattered footwear of the devotees.

There is no management: Devotees

AP Pandey from Ayodhya was returning after praying to the deity. He retrieved shoes from the lower section of a store and remarked to OpIndia, “What to do? There is no arrangement. A corridor should be developed here.” A fellow devotee named Ashok Kumar Gupta commented, “There are many problems while having darshan in the temple. Darshan is carried out properly in Ayodhya. Our children were crushed amidst the crowd here.”

A female devotee accompanying him voiced, “Some individuals are charged 501 rupees while others are asked for 1001 rupees, in the name of VIP darshan. The crowd was overwhelming, causing distress to the children. They came outside without having darshan. What could be more heartbreaking than coming such a long way and not being able to perform darshan? The behavior of the guards inside is quite unacceptable. A corridor should be built here too.”

A corridor should be built for Banke Bihari temple: Devotees

A young devotee who returned after the darshan stated, “If a corridor is constructed here similar to those in Kashi, Ujjain and Ayodhya, it would greatly benefit the devotees. Currently, there is no drinking water or resting area available for them here.” Another devotee conveyed, “We would come every day in the past, but we now visit only once a month. We frequently turn back after observing the massive crowd. The construction of the corridor is necessary.”

A devotee from Haridwar who was seated at a shop near the entrance of the temple’s gate number 1 while enjoying rabri, complained, “Just as there are provisions for devotees in Gurdwaras, such amenities are lacking in our religious places. The situation in Vrindavan is similar. Temple committees are driven by greed for money. If a corridor were constructed here, the influx of devotees would increase tenfold along with the employment.”

The temple doors were scheduled to open at 5:30 pm. However, devotees began arriving as early as 3 o’clock and hence a line of devotees nearly 250 meters long had formed by the time it was 5:30 pm. Meanwhile, the devotees were seated on the ground at Gate No. 1 under the intense sun, fanning themselves as they awaited the opening of the temple doors. Upon noticing the camera, they started chanting “Radhe-Radhe” in unison and declared their support for the development of the corridor during conversation.

Temple committee did not make any arrangements: Business community

Rajkumar Khandelwal’s shop is on the main lane of the temple since 1948. “The corridor needs to be constructed. However, the owners of the shop and houses should be compensated,” he asserted. “The situation here is extremely poor. The drains are blocked. There is filth everywhere. Shoes and slippers are scattered about. Facilities such as a locker room or toilets for the devotees are nonexistent. Even drinking water is unavailable,” he highlighted while pointing down the lane.

He added, “Whether you attribute this to the administration’s failure or the temple committee’s negligence, there is no space for the devotees to sit. The accident that took place in 2022 was due to the temple committee’s shortcomings.”

Businessman Govind is also in favor of the corridor’s construction. He emphasised, “It is essential at this time. We even approached the high court for this issue. However, it is important to ensure that the construction does not undermine the significance of the Kunj lanes in Vrindavan and their historical importance.” He further mentioned that the government should prioritize crowd management before the corridor’s construction.

“We are not against the development of the corridor. Nevertheless, the character of Vrindavan should not be altered,” insisted a businessman, Naveen Gautam. He referred to the Goswami community and stated that the government should act decisively against any threat. “No one can take away our Thakur ji,” he pointed out.

Not all businessmen are in favor of the corridor. Some are opposed to it and we discovered that many were reluctant to speak candidly about this issue in front of the camera.

Why is Goswami Samaj opposing the Banke Bihari Corridor

Shrinath Goswami, a sevadar inside the premises of the temple informed OpIndia, “There is no need for a corridor in this area. We had proposed two alternative options to the government. However, the government disregarded those suggestions. When Akhilesh Yadav suggested a similar corridor in 2016, Yogi Adityanath opposed it. It is unclear why he is now endorsing this corridor himself.”

OpIndia also talked to Gopesh Goswami who serves as the spokesperson for the temple committee and holds the position of Shayanbhog Sevadhikari at the temple. He initially referred to the statements regarding the “increasing crowd in Vrindavan” as hard to believe when we inquired about his opposition to the corridor. He claimed that the escalating number of devotees in Vrindavan does not warrant any changes to the temple or its surrounding area. He attributed the entire controversy to “Tirtha Vikas Parishad” Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath government’s initiative.

“The panel was founded with the aim of guiding devotees to various temples in Vrindavan. However, it did not succeed in its mission. The vice-president Shailjakant Mishra has regularly sought government involvement in the temple’s operations. The corridor is a product of collaboration between certain officials and land mafias,” he charged.

Rajyoga Sevadhikari Gyanendra Kishore Goswami stated, “We are now confronted with two possibilities. We can either run away or be forced into suicide. This corridor is intended only for the VIPs. As long as we were in charge of the temple, there was no chaos.”

During our conversation with the members of the Goswami community, their women also assembled to demonstrate outside the Banke Bihari temple. They expressed that Yogi Adityanath has been ignoring their concerns despite his position as Mahant of Gorakhnath Temple. They cited the example of adulterated laddus at the renowned Sri Venkateswara temple in Tirupati and warned that similar problems could occur here as well.

Supreme Court has authorized the Uttar Pradesh government to acquire land for the development of the corridor. The land will be registered under the name of Banke Bihari. The government will have the ability to utilize temple funds for this purpose. It is anticipated that following the completion of the corridor, over 10,000 devotees will be able to visit the place at the same time. The state government has also formed a trust for the Banke Bihari temple.

Reported by Keshav Malan and Anurag Mishra