Banke Bihari temple’s treasury room opens after 54 years amid controversy

The Banke Bihari temple’s Toshkhana in Mathura, locked since 1971, was opened under Supreme Court-appointed committee supervision. Brass utensils and wooden items were found, sparking concerns from the Goswami community over transparency and committee authority

Mathura (UP): The ‘Toshkhana’ (treasury) of the Banke Bihari temple in Mathura, which had been locked since 1971, was opened on Saturday on the orders of a high-powered committee constituted by the Supreme Court.

The ‘Toshkhana’ is the room located adjacent to the temple’s sanctum sanctorum. The Supreme Court, in its August 2025 order, had constituted a 12-member high-powered interim committee headed by retired Allahabad High Court judge Ashok Kumar to look after the day-to-day affairs of the temple.

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” The room was opened under the supervision of a civil judge junior division with other members, including four Goswami members. There was some difficulty in opening the room. The process started at 1 pm and was finished at 5 pm, when the room was sealed again. Some brass utensils and wooden items were found, but no precious metal was found. Some boxes and wooden boxes were also found,” ADM (Finance and Revenue) Dr Pankaj Kumar Verma said.

Most of the work is complete, the room may be opened on the next date decided by the civil judge junior division for completion of the remaining work, the ADM said. The auditor’s team has made an inventory of the items found in the room, he added.

The Goswami community was opposing the move. A member of the high-powered committee, Shailendra Goswami, said the room shouldn’t have been opened in the first place. “I have opposed the move and even wrote letters,” he said.

“This is an interim committee, not a permanent one; the Honourable Supreme Court constituted it to ensure facilitation of ‘darshans’ to devotees only. The committee should not interfere elsewhere. They are taking undue advantage and usurping authority. Why are they opening the room, and what do they want to prove?” Shailendra Goswami said.

Echoing their concern, Supreme Court lawyer and temple sewayat (servitor) Sumit Goswami said this interim committee was not given the powers to open the ‘Toshkhana’; they were supposed to look after the devotees’ concerns, and ensure the ease of ‘darshan’ of Shree Bankey Bihari Thakur.

Moreover, live streaming of the process was not done, he claimed. However, Shailendra Goswami said that videography was done. One Goswami member of the high-powered committee, Srivardhan Goswami, was not present due to health reasons, he added.

Gyanendra Goswami, a functionary at the Banke Bihari temple, raised concerns about the opening of the room and said the process should have been undertaken more transparently.

He also asked why the media was not allowed. The committee forgot the prime objective laid by the honourable apex court during its formation, that is to upgrade the facility for devotees, he said.