Indore (Madhya Pradesh): A grand wedding organised in the historic Gopal Mandir, has triggered a controversy here. Devotees and priests have expressed outrage, saying the temple, cleared of decades-old tenants in the name of preserving its dignity and sanctity, has now been commercialised for private events.
As per reports, the temple premises were decorated ornately for a wedding in one Rajkumar Agarwal’s family, despite protests from priests and devotees. The decorations extended from the temple’s entrance to the inner sanctum sanctorum, with a wedding mandap (pavilion) set up in front of the Radha-Krishna idols where devotees sit for worship.
A sacred fire (havan kund) for wedding rituals was placed in the usual seating space for devotees, turning the temple into a venue for the guests. The incident has raised questions about who gave permission for the event.
While every city official denied granting permission, temple manager Kaushal said that the temple was run under the divisional commissioner’s office. Reportedly, SDM Vinod Rathore, Mafi Department in charge in the divisional commissioner’s office, granted permission. “They (Agarwals) sought permission for distributing prasad, ‘phere’ and other small rituals.
However, later they turned it into a big programme which was not permitted. We have served notice to them and asked for a detailed report from the temple committee. We will impose a fine on them for this violation. Usually we allow only a few people to participate in a marriage function within a limited time,” said Vinod Rathore.
Strong resentment
The Gopal Mandir underwent restoration under the Smart City initiative. During this process, around 50 long-time tenants were evicted from the temple premises in the name of preserving its historical and religious significance.
The wedding incident has drawn widespread criticism, with devotees accusing the authorities of prioritising revenue generation over the sanctity of the temple. Priests and local devotees have expressed their strong resentment, calling for immediate action to prevent further such instances to preserve the religious significance of the temple.
Official’s take
“We are not in its management and the district administration’s department concerned deals with it. Smart City has only done its renovation work.” –Divyank Singh Smart City CEO
What happened at Gopal Mandir is very wrong. Indore Smart City had spent crores on its renovation. The officials concerned need to take note of this incident and act appropriately. –Zafar Ansari City historian
We took permission from the administration for this event and only did decoration and prasad distribution. All decoration was done with the consent of the temple management. Arun Agrawal Member of Agarwal family
