Banke Bihari darshan timings: SC to see if it disturbs deity’s sleep

New Delhi: More than a decade after declaring sleep as part of right to life, Supreme Court on Monday agreed to adjudicate whether the new schedule extending ‘darshan’ time for devotees at Banke Bihari temple at Vrindavan disturbed the traditional sleep and rest periods of the main deity.

Appearing for the Banke Bihariji Temple Management Committee, senior advocate Shyam Divan complained to a bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi that the SC-appointed high powered committee (HPC) has altered the strict summer and winter temple opening times followed since time immemorial.

He said between Holi and Diwali, the temple opened between 7.45 am to 12 noon and in the evening from 5.30 pm to 9.30 pm, which has been changed by HPC to 7 am to 12.30 pm in the morning and 4.15 pm to 9.30 pm in the evening. The temple opening timings between Diwali and Holi were 8.45 am to 1 pm in the morning and 4.30 pm to 9.30 pm in the evening, which have been changed to 8 am to 1.30 pm in the morning and 4 pm to 9 pm in the evening.

“The change in the temple timing has consequently led to change in the timing of the internal rituals which are performed inside the temple including the ritual when the deity wakes up in the morning and when the deity sleeps at night,” Divan said.

The temple committee said the HPC’s Sep 19 decision has resulted in altering the deity’s centuries-old sleep and wake up timings. “The sleep and wake-up timings are wedded to tradition and cannot be interfered with in the name of providing darshan to more devotees,” Divan said.

The bench said many devotees have complained that in the name of the pre and post-sleep and wakeup rituals, the goswamis put a curtain and allow the rich and influential to offer obeisance to the deities. “What is the harm in extending the darshan time by a couple of hours daily to facilitate more devotees to get darshan,” the bench asked.

However, the bench agreed to examine this issue and sought responses of the HPC led by a retired Allahabad HC judge through its member secretary in Mathura district collector, Mathura-Vrindavan Development Authority and the UP govt. It posted further hearings to the first week of Jan.

This story had continued from a page 23 story in the newspaper. For your reading convenience we have added it below.

‘Deity’s sleep & rest being disturbed?’
More than a decade after declaring sleep part of right to life, SC Monday agreed to adjudicate whether the schedule extending ‘darshan’ time for devotees at Banke Bihari temple at Vrindavan disturbed the sleep & rest periods of the main deity.


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