Picture by Dainik Jagran.
Vrindavan, 2015.12.01 (PTI): Vrindavan’s Bankey Behari temple priests have said that they will oppose any move by the UP government to acquire and develop the century-old temple.
The temple priests held a meeting yesterday, where the community resolved “to oppose the acquisition move by the government.”
The resentment amongst temple priests was reported after a local channel claimed that the Uttar Pradesh government is contemplating to acquire Bankey Behari temple in Vrindaban and Vindhya Basini Devi temple in Mirzapur.
However, UP Minister for PWD, Cooperative and Irrigation, Shivpal Singh Yadav, today said that any decision by the government in this regard will be taken “in the interest of people.”
“People in general should not suffer. Whatever is required in the interest of people, will be done,” Yadav said when asked if the UP government is contemplating to acquire the Vrindaban temple.
“We have also given work on the Public Private Partnership (PPP) model. However, for me the interest of a common man is supreme. Nobody would be harassed,” he said.
Meanwhile, priest Shashank Goswami said, “Instead of providing facility to pilgrims, the eye of the government is on the treasure (over Rs 100 crore) of the temple.”
“We shall come on the streets not only in Mathura, but will oppose the move in Lucknow and Delhi,” Tarun Goswami, the temple priest, said.
Another priest Vijai Krishna Goswami said, “It is not only an infringement of our fundamental rights, but with the acquisition, the sanctity of the temple would be jeopardised.”
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Note from VT editors: Banke Bihari temple is not a 100-year-old temple. According to the book Haridāsa-vaṁśānucarita, the deity itself was manifest by Swami Haridas in Nidhivan in 1567 of the Vikram calendar (1511 AD) century. The original temple was built in Nidhivan by the queen of Bharatpur, Lakshmibai. When this temple building started to deteriorate, the devotees of Swami Haridas came together to construct the current temple in 1921 Vikram (1865 AD).
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