Devotees Made To Wait 40 Minutes As Staff Dispute Delays Sharad Purnima Aarti At Vrindavan Temple

Last Updated:October 07, 2025, 14:39 IST

A dispute among sevayats at Shri Banke Bihari Temple in Vrindavan delayed Sharad Purnima Shringar Aarti by 42 minutes, leaving thousands of devotees waiting outside

The temple doors, originally scheduled to open at 7:45 am, were finally opened at 8:27 am. (PTI Photo)

On the auspicious occasion of Sharad Purnima, thousands of devotees gathered at the famed Shri Banke Bihari Temple in Vrindavan were left waiting outside on Monday morning after the temple’s doors failed to open on time for the traditional Shringar Aarti. The delay, lasting nearly 42 minutes, was reportedly caused by a disagreement among the temple’s sevayats (servitors) over the location of the Aarti.

According to reports, confusion erupted during the early morning rituals when Rajbhog Seva Adhikari Franky Goswami began preparations to place the Lord’s throne in the Jagmohan, the area in front of the sanctum sanctorum. However, Shringar Aarti Seva Adhikari Gaurav Goswami objected, insisting that the Aarti should be performed inside the sanctum, as per long-standing temple tradition. The dispute led to a complete halt in proceedings, keeping the temple doors closed to devotees.

Eyewitnesses and temple sources told Navbharat Times that the impasse lasted for over an hour. The doors, originally scheduled to open at 7:45 am, were finally opened at 8:27 am after the Lord was seated on the throne for the Rajbhog ritual. By then, the crowd outside had swelled considerably, and many devotees expressed disappointment over missing the Shringar Aarti darshan.

The disagreement reportedly stemmed from conflicting instructions between the temple’s traditional practices and the directives of the Supreme Court-appointed High Power Management Committee. In view of the heavy rush expected on Sharad Purnima, the committee had directed that the Lord’s darshan be arranged in the Jagmohan area to facilitate crowd management. However, a section of the sevayats resisted the directive, maintaining that the Aarti must take place within the sanctum as per custom.

Despite the initial chaos, the festive spirit eventually returned to the temple premises once the darshan began. Lord Banke Bihari appeared before devotees adorned in white garments, a peacock-feather crown, a waistcoat, and holding a stick, symbolic of Lord Krishna’s divine Raas Leela with the Gopis on the night of Sharad Purnima.

In the evening, the deity was offered traditional delicacies, including saffron-flavoured kheer, chandrakala, and magad laddus.The temple complex echoed with devotional songs, kirtans, and floral decorations that continued late into the night, as devotees celebrated the celestial night that, according to legend, marks the divine union of Krishna and the Gopis under the full moon.

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