Temporary ban on touch darshan at Kashi Vishwanath temple

The Chief Executive Officer of the Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple Trust, Vishwabhushan Mishra, said on Thursday that an excessive number of devotees are visiting the temple during the winter season, especially during the last days of the year and the holiday season.

Due to the increasing crowds since December 24, certain decisions have been made. It is not possible to provide special arrangements for darshan, or to accept any kind of protocol or special requests. Devotees are being offered only visual darshan (darshan from a distance). Touch darshan has been temporarily suspended.

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This arrangement will remain in effect until January 3. Further decisions will be made after a review.

The temple administration has clarified that this decision has been taken to ensure the safety of the devotees. Devotees are requested not to insist on touch darshan or any other special facilities and to cooperate with the normal darshan arrangements.

The temple trust stated that the situation will be reviewed again on January 3. If the crowd is found to be manageable at that time, further necessary decisions will be taken according to the circumstances. Until then, special darshan arrangements will remain suspended.

It has also been stated that darshan at the temple is a matter of faith, not convenience or prestige. Therefore, all devotees are repeatedly appealed to cooperate.