Mathura5 hours agoAuthor: Pawan Gautam
Uproar is going on regarding the proposed corridor of Banke Bihari Temple located in Vrindavan, Mathura. It is being said that this corridor will be on the lines of Kashi Vishwanath Dham. 5 acres of land is to be acquired around the temple. About 300 temples and residential buildings are coming up in this. Marking has been done by preparing survey report of more than 200 buildings.
Now the same people whose buildings have been marked are opposing the corridor from the road to the Supreme Court. People allege that the original form of Vrindavan is being played with. The market here was closed for 36 hours in protest. People have written letters with blood to CM Yogi. MP Hema Malini says that this corridor will not cause any problem to anyone living in Mathura or Vrindavan.
Now let us also tell you about the specialty of Banke Bihari Corridor Project…
Claim: The new design retains the original form
Crores of devotees reach here every month for Banke Bihari Darshan.
The original form of the temple has been kept intact in the design of Banke Bihari Corridor on the direction of CM Yogi. The outer campus is to be expanded. In the new design, there will be two layers outside the Banke Bihari temple, which will be open as well as covered.
There will be a big fountain in the middle of this open complex outside the temple, around which there will be four gardens. Along with this, the covered areas will also be made of red stones of the same style, from which most of the temples of Vrindavan are built. Similar walls and similar domes, then it would not be known that the newly developed area is different from Banke Bihari temple.
There will be 3 ways to reach the temple
The road that will come from Yamuna side will be in 2100 square meter area. For those coming from this route, the corridor will be developed in two parts. One will be the lower part and the other will be about 3.5 meters above it, on which a ramp will be made to go.
Shoe house, luggage house, toilet and drinking water facility, child care room, medical room, VIP room and waiting room for pilgrims will be made in both the parts. The lower part in the corridor will be bigger than the upper part. The lower part, where it will be of about 5 thousand square meters, the upper part will be of about 650 square meters.
Pooja shops will be built in 800 sqm
This is the design in which the gardens are visible. Along with this, the temple of two floors is also visible.
Pooja shops will be made in an area of about 800 square meters in the corridor. These shops will be built in the lower part of the corridor. From where the devotees will be able to buy the material of worship. It may be noted that the shops which will be demolished to make way for the corridor, will be made available to those shopkeepers here.
Banke Bihari Bridge Parking in 37 thousand sqm
Banke Bihari Bridge parking will be prepared in 37 thousand square meters for the devotees coming from Yamuna Expressway. An area of about 11 thousand square meters will be developed in this. About 1550 vehicles can be parked here at a time. Small bridges will also be constructed in front of Banke Bihari temple and on Devraha Baba Ghat for walking.
Now we know why the traders here are protesting about this corridor…
Market closed, women did kirtan against the government
In some ways, people have written letters with their own blood. He was sent to the CM office.
Here the matter is going on in the High Court and the Supreme Court. Local people, Goswami, businessmen, Teerth Purohit are opposing the corridor on the streets. While the traders kept the shops closed for 36 hours, they expressed their protest by burning the map of the proposed corridor.
Here the Brajvasis involved in the dharna wrote letters with blood in the name of CM Yogi. He demanded not to build the corridor. Women from the family of Sevayats demonstrated on the platform of the temple. While doing kirtan, the women announced Bihari ji Raksha Karo, Swami ji Raksha Karo. Here people have taken out a foot march till the temple.
What will be the importance of Vrindavan when there will be no kunj lanes?
Alokik Sharma, who lives here, told that the identity of Vrindavan is different from other pilgrimage sites. Here Lord Krishna and Radha Rani roam in the Kunj streets in child form. If there will be no alleys here, then what will be the importance of this city. To save this heritage, the corridor is being opposed.
Now they know what the traders here say…
Now let us understand the story from the appearance of Banke Bihari to the construction of the temple…
Banke Bihari lived in Rangmahal till 1719
You must have visited Banke Bihari ji located in Vrindavan of Mathura. It is believed that Swami Haridas had manifested Lord Banke Bihari from the ground in Vikram Samvat 1569 through his musical practice. After this, Swami Haridas sat in the Lata Mandap among the Lata leaves in Nidhivan. Banke Bihari resided here till 1607. From here till 1719 he was enshrined in Rangmahal.
Banke Bihari lived in the king’s palace in Karauli for two years.
Goswami Prahlad Ballabh Goswami of Banke Bihari temple told that the wife of Kunwar Pal II, the then king of Karauli, Rajasthan, came to visit in 1719. Here she got fascinated after seeing Banke Bihari. On the love of the queen, Banke Bihari went to Karauli with her.
Where he stayed in the king’s palace till 1721 and kept giving darshan. According to Prahlad Ballabh Goswami, after this Rupanand Goswami brought Banke Bihari with him to Vrindavan and made him sit in Nidhivan.
Banke Bihari temple was built in 1868 in only 70 thousand
In Samvat 1826, Lord Banke Bihari was installed in the present temple. Although the temple was very small at that time. Gradually there was a need for a grand huge temple. For which the Goswamis of the temple started collecting money and in Samvat 1921 i.e. in 1868, the present temple was completed. At that time, 70 thousand had been spent on its construction.
Now let’s know the structure of the temple…
The temple is built in 1500 yards
Lord Banke Bihari appears to the devotees at the age of 7 years.
It is said that Lord Banke Bihari appears to the devotees at the age of 7 years. This is the reason why Lord Banke Bihari is served in the child form in the temple. Banke Bihari Temple is built in about 1500 yards. This temple built in 4 parts has the sanctum sanctorum, Jagmohan, courtyard and store house. Where God is sitting in the sanctum sanctorum, there Jagmohan and the devotees stand in the courtyard and have darshan. The courtyard is in about 2300 feet, then the back part is in 600 feet. Apart from this, there is a semi-built hall in about 400 yards. But it is not in use due to non-completion of the work.
Now the question arises that why the UP government wants to build a corridor here…
In the year 2022, on the occasion of Shri Krishna Janmashtami, during Mangala Aarti to be held at Banke Bihari Temple, 2 devotees died of suffocation due to overcrowding, while more than 8 devotees were injured. After this, the Uttar Pradesh government formed a two-member committee. Along with the investigation of the accident, sought a report regarding providing better facilities to the devotees. The committee constituted under the chairmanship of former DGP Sulkhan Singh gave a report on the construction of the corridor in view of the crowd of devotees here.
8 member committee did the survey
The team has submitted the report of survey and evaluation of the buildings to the DM.
A petition was filed in the High Court regarding the accident in Banke Bihari temple. Hearing on which, the court inquired from the Uttar Pradesh government and administration about the arrangements being made for the convenience of the devotees. After taking information from the High Court, the DM formed an 8-member committee under the chairmanship of the Municipal Commissioner. Who surveyed 341 buildings coming under the corridor of Banke Bihari temple area. The team submitted the report of survey and evaluation of the buildings to the DM and the DM presented it in the court in the hearing held on 17th December. However, due to the Goswamis of the temple taking refuge in the Supreme Court in this matter, the High Court gave the date of hearing on January 24.
SC will hear on 23 January, while the High Court will hear on 24
The ongoing hearing in the Allahabad High Court regarding the construction of a corridor around the Banke Bihari temple will be held on January 24. Just a day before this i.e. on January 23, a hearing is to be held in the Supreme Court regarding this matter. A division bench of Chief Justice Rajesh Bindal and Justice JJ Munir will conduct the hearing.
People have raised objections against the Banke Bihari Mandir Corridor of the Charitable Affairs Department of the Government of Uttar Pradesh.