How we select sources
We rank sources in three tiers and always prefer the highest tier available for a claim.
- Primary sources. The official Shri Banke Bihari Mandir website, the Government of Uttar Pradesh and the Mathura district administration, court orders and official notifications, and official transport authorities.
- Secondary sources. Established newspapers and news agencies, law reporters that summarise court orders, academic work and books from credible publishers.
- Tertiary sources. Encyclopedias such as Wikipedia, travel and aggregator websites, and blogs. We use these with caution, mark them as tertiary wherever they are cited, and never rely on one alone for an important claim when a primary source exists.
How temple timings are verified
The timetable on the official temple website is our primary source for darshan timings. We record the exact rows it publishes, the date range it gives, and the date we last checked it. Where the official site has not yet published a schedule, as with winter 2026 to 2027 at the time of writing, we say so and mark any secondary figures as unconfirmed. When reliable reports conflict with the official timetable, we describe the conflict rather than choosing one silently. We do not provide real-time information about whether the temple is open.
How dates are verified
Festival dates come from the temple's published festival calendar for the year. Dates of court orders and administrative decisions come from the orders themselves where they are available, or from law reporters and established newspapers. Every time-sensitive fact on the site records the date it was last checked.
History, tradition and belief
We label claims so that readers can tell what kind of statement they are reading.
- Historical record Supported by historical or documentary sources.
- Temple tradition An account preserved by the temple or the Haridasi tradition, such as the appearance of Banke Bihari at Nidhivan.
- Religious belief A devotional or theological belief, such as the belief about Nidhivan at night.
- Reported Reported by established media and not independently confirmed by us.
- Secondary sources Widely stated in secondary sources but not confirmed by a primary source.
- First-hand observation Seen by a named contributor on a recorded date. We have not yet published any first-hand observations.
Respect for a tradition does not mean presenting it as historical fact, and we do not.
Corrections
When we find or are told about an error, we check it against the sources above, fix it, and record substantive corrections in our correction log.
Source directory
Every source cited on this website, grouped by type. Links open the source in a new tab.
Official temple sources
Shri Banke Bihari Mandir, Vrindavan: home page timetable (opens in a new tab)
Used for: Current published darshan schedule ("Summer: 5th Mar - 10th Nov"), opening, Shringar Aarti, bhog and closing times.
Used for: Timings change for eclipses and certain festivals, and are announced on the home page and FAQ.
Mandir History & Shri Banke Bihari Ji (opens in a new tab)
Used for: Construction in 1862 AD by the Goswamis; first installation near Nidhivan; Rajasthani style; seva by descendants of Goswami Jagannath; no Mangala tradition; curtain drawn regularly.
Swami Shree Haridas Ji (opens in a new tab)
Used for: Temple account of Swami Haridas's birth (Radha Ashtami, 1535 Vikrami / 1478 AD, Haridaspur near Aligarh) and parents.
Historic Visitors (opens in a new tab)
Used for: Temple account of Tansen, Akbar's visit and Nidhivan.
Festivals (opens in a new tab)
Used for: Festival names, lunar dates and 2026 to 2027 Gregorian dates; Charan and Sarvang darshan; Mangla Aarti only on Janmashtami; Phool Bangla season.
Visit Temple (opens in a new tab)
Used for: Distances to Mathura Junction, Agra and Delhi airports; parking; no VIP darshan system; busy days.
Used for: No registration required; no VIP darshan; wheelchair assistance outside Sneh Bihari Mandir; busiest days.
Do's and Don'ts in Temple (opens in a new tab)
Used for: Visitor rules, including not carrying mobile phones, electronic gadgets, umbrellas or leather items.
Mandir Trust & Management (opens in a new tab)
Used for: Management committee composition as published by the temple; Goswami trustees; online activities run separately from the management committee.
Court and administrative sources
Supreme Court forms committee to supervise Banke Bihari Temple functioning (opens in a new tab)
Used for: Order of 8 August 2025 in Management Committee of Thakur Shree Bankey Bihari Ji Maharaj Temple v. State of Uttar Pradesh: High-Powered Committee chaired by Justice Ashok Kumar (retd.); trust under the 2025 Ordinance kept in abeyance.
Used for: Committee resolution of 11 September 2025 extending darshan hours; District Magistrate office memorandum of 19 September 2025; contempt plea dismissed.
Used for: Supreme Court notice to the High-Powered Committee on the challenge to revised darshan timings.
Used for: Supreme Court direction of 25 August 2026 that donations be deposited through the temple's donation boxes or online, directly into the temple treasury, under a transparent mechanism.
News reporting
Used for: Sevayats' challenge to the committee's decisions on darshan hours and Dehri Puja listed for 16 June 2026.
Two die during Janmashtami celebrations at Mathura's Banke Bihari temple (opens in a new tab)
Used for: Two devotees died of suffocation in the crowd during the Janmashtami mangla aarti, August 2022.
Transport
Noida International Airport in Jewar to start commercial flights from June 15 (opens in a new tab)
Used for: Commercial flights at Noida International Airport, Jewar, from 15 June 2026.
Local institutions
Ramakrishna Mission Sevashrama Charitable Hospital, Vrindavan (opens in a new tab)
Used for: Existence and location of the hospital in Vrindavan; postal code 281121.
Reference and secondary listings
Banke Bihari Temple (opens in a new tab) (tertiary)
Used for: Approximate map coordinates; the construction date (its infobox gives 1862, while its article text says the temple was constructed "around 1864"); widely reported customs (flute on Sharad Purnima, curtain, absence of bells). Not used as the sole source for any important claim where a primary source exists.
Banke Bihari Temple timing in winter (opens in a new tab) (tertiary)
Used for: Winter hours of previous seasons (8:45 AM to 1:00 PM, 4:30 PM to 8:30 PM). Used only until the official site publishes the 2026 to 2027 winter table.