Banke Bihari Temple: why the curtain keeps closing

Stand in the crowd at Shri Banke Bihari Temple and you will notice something unusual. Every few minutes, a curtain is pulled across the deity. A moment later it opens again. The crowd calls out "Bihari ji ki jai!" and waits for the next glimpse.

Who is Banke Bihari?

"Banke" means bent, and it describes Krishna's graceful pose, bent in three places. "Bihari" means the one who enjoys.

The deity was first worshipped by Swami Haridas, a saint and musician, in the grove of Nidhivan. He called him Kunj Bihari. The present temple was built by the Goswamis around 1864, and the deity moved here.

Why the curtain?

There is a sweet belief behind it. Devotees say that if anyone looks at Bihari ji without a break, he may follow that devotee home and leave the temple empty. So the priests draw the curtain every few minutes. It keeps Bihari ji here, with all of us.

Customs you will only see here

• No bells hang anywhere inside the temple.
• The early morning mangala aarti happens only once a year, on Janmashtami.
• Once a year, on Sharad Purnima, Bihari ji holds a flute.
• In the monsoon month of Shravan, he sits on a swing (jhula) for one day.

Tips for your visit

• Go early on a weekday. Weekends and festivals get very crowded.
• Vehicles stop short of the temple lanes, so plan a short walk.
• Carry little. The lanes are narrow and the crowd moves fast.