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Keeping up with UP: Tread carefully on Banke Bihari temple corridor in Vrindavan
The idea was mooted in the first tenure of chief minister Yogi Adityanath, who is now hopeful of completing it in his second term
In the months before Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation of the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor in (KVC) Varanasi in March, 2019, the state government had fought court cases and simultaneously held conciliatory talks with the affected parties who were against the project.
Seven major high-level meetings were held between the state government officials and the aggrieved shopkeepers, house owners and others. The contentious issues were several including the city losing its rich heritage and the compensation paid to them.
Within three years, Modi inaugurated the KVC on December 13, 2021.The historic Kashi Vishwanath Temple was connected to the Ganga through four pathways. It was Modi’s dream project.
Now, the government is rolling out yet another ambitious project – the Banke Bihari temple corridor (BBTC) in Vrindavan town of Mathura district in western UP, connecting the ancient temple with the Yamuna river. The idea was mooted in the first tenure of chief minister Yogi Adityanath, who is now hopeful of completing it in his second term, provided there is either an amicable settlement or legal validation.
The Sevayat Goswamis, the serving priests in the ancient temple, have moved the Supreme Court. The petitioner, Devendra Nath Goswami, informed the court that he was the lineal descendent of the Banke Bihari temple’s founder Swami Hari Das Goswami and that his family has managed the affairs of the temple for 500 years.
Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing on his behalf, has submitted that “a fund of ₹300 crore has been given to the Uttar Pradesh government without making us, the Goswamis, the party”. He also argued that the Supreme Court had, in its May 15 verdict, allowed the UP government to use the temple fund without making the Goswamis a party.
The Supreme Court, on May 15, 2025, had allowed the UP government to use Rs 500 crore from the temple fund to acquire 5 acres of land with the direction that the registration of the land would be done in the name of the deity/temple trust. The counsel for the state government had then informed the apex court that the state has formed a trust to manage the temple and oversee work on the proposed corridor. The issue is listed for hearing in July-end.
TALKS ON
The government has, meanwhile, stepped up discussions with the affected parties to resolve the tangle. Advisor to the chief minister, Awanish Kumar Awasthi, who was also involved in Kashi dialogues, visited Vrindavan on June 6 and met the stakeholders. While the state government claims that their aim was to improve the movement and safety of pilgrims, locals, specially the Goswamis, doubt the very intent of the government, which they fear, is to take control of the temple.
Apparently, the Goswamis’ opposition is more to the Uttar Pradesh Shri Banke Bihari Ji Mandir Nyas ordinance, promulgated on May 26, 2025, barely 11 days after the Supreme Court order. The trust, with 18 members (11 nominated, seven ex officio) and two from the temple’s traditional Goswami priests would ensure that the religious rituals, practices, festivals and puja at Banke Bihari temple continue without any interference or changes. It will also oversee the appointment of priests, ensure security of the devotees and supervise work on the proposed corridor.
As of now, the Goswamis are the custodians of the temple and its funds. Mahesh Pathak, chairman of Akhil Bharat Teerth Purohit Mahaparishad, said: “We will never allow the government to acquire the temple and (are) reminded how the chief minister, as an MP, had opposed its acquisition in Parliament.” He said they were in talks with the representatives of the government on a very regular basis and have offered solutions for an amicable settlement.
“The government can hand over suitable land to us to construct a sprawling temple where we would shift the deity. This would also save the shops and the houses from demolition while retaining the historical culture of kunj gallis.”
Pathak said the CM himself has been to Vrindavan several times and is aware of its geography. “How would the devotees pay their obeisance to deity during construction activity. Will they close the temple for three years?”
Questioning the formation of another trust when the Braj Teerth Vikas Parishad already existed, he asked, “Why do they need a new trust and why do they want a majority in its membership? All this creates doubts about the intentions of the government. The 11-member trust (excluding ex officio members) should have six members from the Goswamis.”
Rajat Goswami, former vice-president of the now defunct temple committee, questioned the fast-pace with which the government acted after the Supreme Court clearance.
“What was the urgency? The apex court order came on May 15 and the ordinance was promulgated on May 26 last. SC is hearing our petition on July 27. They could have waited till then,” Rajat said.
“We are certainly opposed to using Thakurji’s money for the acquisition of land. The government wants to take over management of all the 157 temples of Braj, besides the seven prominent devalayas along the Yamuna banks. The issue is also about Vrindavan’s spiritual and cultural heritage which draws huge crowds from across the world – 50,000 on a daily basis which increases up to nine lakhs on auspicious days.”
Government officials, however, are confident of reaching a settlement and mentioned that talks had helped in Kashi. “We would rehabilitate all affected residents and shopkeepers,” an official, who asked not to be named, said. According to him, the public and the pilgrims were in favour of the corridor, the Goswamis and some shopkeepers were protesting. “They all agree that in the long run, everyone will benefit.” But a handful of people cannot stop us from bringing back the splendour of Vrindavan and (ensure) the safety of pilgrims, he added.
How it started
On August 20, 2022, two devotees died of suffocation in the temple premises. Janmashtami celebrations were on and the crowds were huge. Goswami, quoted earlier, claimed the management of the crowds was entrusted to the administration and not them.
Soon after the stampede, the minister for sugarcane development and sugar industry Laxmi Narayan Chaudhary announced construction of a dedicated corridor for smooth flow of devotees to the Banke Bihari temple. He promised to retain the ancient structure but expand the open space to accommodate about 5000 devotees as against 800 at any hour.
A local activist from Mathura Anant Sharma filed a PIL in the Allahabad High Court, which asked the state government to submit a development plan for the temple on December 20, 2022. In November 2023, the high court allowed the BBTC.
The government went into overdrive. It constituted a committee to conduct a survey that December, followed by red-ink marking on 322 constructions around the temple for demolition by January 2023. Protests started on the streets while the Goswamis and the priests of the temple filed a Special Leave Petition (SLP) in the Supreme Court.
On May 15, 2025, the Supreme Court allowed the state government to use Rs 500 crore from the temple’s fund to acquire the proposed five acres of land around the temple. Within days, the state cabinet approved setting up a Banke Bihariji Mandir Nyas Trust and governor Anandiben Patel cleared the ordinance, paving the way for the formation of the 18-member trust.
