PMO starts probe after lawyer claims gold gone from Kashi Vishwanath spire; temple denies
An advocate has alleged that gold is missing from the temple's spire; the temple administration has rejected the charge and says a kalash fell after monkeys jumped on it.
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A complaint that gold has disappeared from the golden spire of the Kashi Vishwanath temple in Varanasi has drawn the attention of the Prime Minister's Office, which has opened an inquiry of its own. Officials there have taken down the complainant's version by telephone. The temple's management has also begun an internal review, acting on instructions from the Chief Minister's Office.
The row surfaces while a special investigation team is already looking into reports that donations, along with gold and silver jewellery, were stolen from the Ram temple in Ayodhya.
The complainant is Nityanand Rai, an advocate living in Teliyabagh, Varanasi. On September 29 he wrote to the Divisional Commissioner, the PMO and the Chief Minister's Office. His letter says two golden kalash that sat above the northern gateway of the shrine can no longer be found. He says he asked the temple management for details and never got an answer. He adds that nothing on the temple's website says any gold was taken off the spire.
Rai also claims that gold is absent from small pieces elsewhere on the spire. According to him, the gold coating has worked loose in places and may drop off in a strong gust or for another reason. He wants the whole matter probed and suitable action taken.
The temple management gives a different account. It says that one golden kalash on the northern gateway came down a few days ago after monkeys leapt onto it, and that it now lies in a secure storeroom. Putting it back without a technical assessment would be improper, the management says, which is why IIT Madras was brought in. A team from the institute has done a first round of inspection and suggested that the whole golden spire be repaired.
Divisional Commissioner S. Rajalingam backed this version, confirming that a golden kalash fell in an incident. He said it is being held safely and will be fixed back in place shortly, with help from IIT Madras.
Rai has further asked the temple to publish a white paper listing exactly where gold and silver have been used across the complex, and to put the same details on its official website. The temple administration has rejected all the allegations outright.
