Vrindavan’s Banke Bihari temple rejects Hindutva group demand to boycott Muslim artisans

Priests at the Banke Bihari temple in Uttar Pradesh’s Vrindavan have rejected a Hindutva group’s demand to stop using clothes made by Muslim artisans for its deity, reported PTI. They asserted that religious discrimination has no place in temple traditions.

The demand was made by the Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi Mukti Sangharsh Nyas, whose leader Dinesh Sharma urged the temple to boycott the services of Muslim artisans and ensure that the deity Krishna’s attires are crafted only by those who adhere to “religious purity”.

In a letter to the temple priests, the group claimed that the deity’s attire should not be made by those who “consume meat and do not respect Hindu traditions or cow protection”, warning that it would launch a protest if its demand were not met, reported PTI.

“The temple management met and decided not to accept the weird demand,” Gyanendra Kishore Goswami, a senior temple priest, told reporters on Thursday. “It is simply not practical. Moreover, we do not discriminate against any community. Devotees who offer attires for the deity ensure purity themselves before getting them made.”

Goswami added: “Most of those who stitch clothes for the idol are Muslim. They are the best tailors and the most disciplined. They understand our needs and work with...

Read more