Banke Bihari Temple: Vrindavan

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This is a collection of articles archived for the excellence of their content.

Offerings

2013-16: Collections double

The Times of India, Jul 03 2016

Anuja Jaiswal  The earnings of the famous Banke Bihari Temple in Vrindavan, primarily from donations and the interest earned on it, have almost doubled, from Rs 67 crore to Rs 112 crore, in the past three years. According to sources, the temple, which was established in 1864, had a total earning of Rs 112 crore in 2015-16.While the major amount of these earnings is from donations, sources claimed that it also includes the interest earned on the fixed deposits made by the temple's management committee earlier.

Sources claimed that these “record“ earnings are likely to go up in the current fiscal, as the temple is also witnessing a steady increase in the flow of devotees.

According to UP tourism's officer Anupam Srivastava, about 1.26 crore devotees visited the temple in 2015.

When contacted, Banke Bihari temple management committee president NandKishore Upmanyu refused to comment on the increase in collection of donations.

The treasure rooms (toshkhana)

As of 2025

Sudeep Lavania, Oct 20, 2025: The Times of India

Agra : A day after several treasure rooms (toshkhana) of Mathura’s Banke Bihari temple were ordered to be reopened by a SC-appointed panel for the first time in 54 years, the shrine’s priests Sunday claimed gold and silver bars, gemstones and precious coins were found ina long box in one of the sealed chambers.


Temple priest Dinesh Goswami, who was present during the survey, told TOI : “One gold bar and three silver bars were spotted with ‘gulal’ on it. They were recovered from a long box in the toshkhana. The metals were each roughly 3-4 feet in length. In addition, a few gemstones of red and green colour, precious coins and utensils of different metals were found.”


The rooms have been locked since 1971, and the decision to reopen them was taken last month by a high-powered panel. Mathura DSP Mathura Sadar, Sandeep Singh, who was among those who entered the chamber, said the exercise was “videographed” and committee members and police teams were also present.


ADM (finance and revenue) Pankaj Kumar Verma said the finds will be presented to the panel, and the vaults have been sealed again.


Notably, on day 1 of the exercise on Saturday, only a few brass utensils and wooden items were found. The toshkhana, last accessed in 1971 to move jewellery into the bank, is believed to hold rare treasures including a peacockshaped emerald necklace, silver Sheshnag, a golden kalash with navratnas, royal offerings from Bharatpur, Karauli and Gwalior, old land deeds, sealed letters and temple gifts dating back to the 19th century. The treasury, built in 1864, has a long history — including two thefts during British rule in 1926 and 1936 — after which its door was sealed.


To locals’ dismay, they were told by officials “none of these past wealths were found”. Panel member Shailendra Goswami said, “You won’t find wealth in that place; whatever comes is dedicated to Thakurji. Cash and other offerings are put in the bank.”