Banke Bihari Temple’s Darshan’ hours extended, new queue plans to curb crowds

Under the revised schedule, summer darshan will now be held from 7 am to 12:30 pm and from 4.15 pm to 9:30 pm. The Shringar aarti will be observed from 7 am to 7.15 am, while doors will close after the Rajbhog aarti and again following the Shayan aarti at 9.30 pm.
Winter timings have also been lengthened: darshan will run from 8 am to 1.30 pm and 4 pm to 9 pm, with the Shringar aarti set for 8 am to 8.15 am.

To streamline movement inside the temple complex, which covers 870 square metres with around 365 sq m of viewing courtyard, the committee approved a new entry-exit arrangement. Devotees will enter through Gates 2 and 3 and exit via Gates 1 and 4; steel railings will form three queues at each entry point to ensure orderly darshan, officials said.

Addressing concerns about misuse of VIP passes, chairman Ashok Kumar said the practice of issuing duplicate or photocopied VIP slips has been stopped. “This has been completely stopped. VIP darshan will only be conducted as per protocol,” he told reporters after the meeting.
Saturday’s meeting lasted more than an hour and a half and was attended by retired District Judge Mukesh Mishra, District Judge Vikas Kumar, DM Chandra Prakash Singh, SP City Rajiv Kumar Singh, CO Sadar Sandeep Singh, members of the Goswami community and temple management officials.

The new measures follow a scuffle earlier this month between two women and security staff over long VIP queues, which prompted the district administration to convene consultations and set up an inquiry committee to recommend both short- and long-term crowd-control measures.
Temple notice boards now display the revised order, and officials said implementation would begin immediately to ensure smoother darshan for lakhs of daily visitors, particularly during the busy festival season.