A huge crowd of devotees flocked to Thakur Banke Bihari Mandir in Vrindavan on Saturday for darshan. The pressure of the crowd was overwhelming since the morning. As the temple management and police stopped the devotees with barricades on the platform of the place of worship, chaos ensued.
Table of Contents
The condition of women and elderly people deteriorated even in the streets and markets. The police and security guards had to work hard to maintain order.
There was a massive crowd of devotees even before the doors of the temple opened in the morning on Maghi Purnima which fell on 24 February. Opening the doors of the temple was like opening floodgates of devotees. From Vidyapeeth to Jugalghat and from there to Banke Bihari Mandir, all one could see were heads of people.
With women struggling and many children wailing, it was the most exhausting experience for the elderly pilgrims. The crowd crawled to reach the temple in about one and a half hours.
About Banke Bihari Mandir
The town of Vrindavan in Uttar Pradesh is home to the Banke Bihari Mandir, a temple dedicated to the combined manifestation of Radha and Krishna. Originally worshipped at Nidhivan, Vrindavan, the icon of Banke Bihari was later moved to the present temple when it was constructed in 1864.
At Banke Bihari Mandir, the icon of Radha-Krishna is depicted in the Tribhanga posture. Swami Haridas initially worshipped this murti under the name of Kunj Bihari, which signifies the one who takes pleasure in the groves of Vrindavan.
Swami Haridas, a renowned musician and saint from Vrindavan, is believed to have embodied the icon of Lalita gopi, a trusted companion of Radha Krishna in their heavenly realm of Goloka. Notably, Swami Haridas served as the mentor to the renowned singer Tansen.
As per popular belief, Swami Haridas, upon the request of his disciples, melodiously sang a verse in Nidhivan, praising the divine duo of Shyama Shyam (Radha Krishna).
Upon hearing the verse, the divine pair Shyama-Shyam manifested before him, fulfilling Swami Haridas’ request. The celestial couple then united into one entity, giving rise to the stone idol of Banke Bihari. Swami Haridas named the deity as Kunj Bihari or Banke Bihari, and subsequently, the idol was relocated from Nidhivan to the Banke Bihari temple in Vrindavan.
‘Bānke’ signifies the state of being bent, while ‘Bihāri’ or ‘Vihāri’ denotes the one who enjoys. This is how Kṛiṣhṇa, who possesses a threefold-bending form, acquired the name “Bānke Bihāri”. As per the words of Brahma in Śrī Brahma-saḿhitā (verse 5.31), he describes Kṛishna in the following manner:
I offer my worship to Govinda, the original Lord, who adorns a garland of flowers embellished with a moon-shaped locket around his neck, whose hands are adorned with a flute and precious ornaments, who perpetually indulges in loving pastimes, and whose graceful form as Śyāmasundara, with threefold-bending, is eternally manifested.
Rituals
The deity in Banke Bihari Mandir is a child form of God. No early morning aarti is conducted and bells don’t chime within the temple premises to avoid disturbing the lord. It’s only on Krishna Janmashtami that the mangala aarti (early morning aarti) takes place. The curtains are repeatedly drawn every five minutes to ensure the uninterrupted darshan of Banke Bihari.
If the darshan remains uninterrupted, it is believed Banke Bihari may accompany devotees to their homes, leaving the temple empty. Once a year, on the occasion of Sharad Purnima, Banke Bihari holds the flute in his hands.
