Pilgrims can now offer Phool Bungla prayers in the morning at Bankey Bihari temple

Pilgrims visiting the Bankey Bihari Temple in Vrindavan, can now pay their obeisance even in the morning during the Phool Bungla season, officials said.

So far, the Phool Bungla Seva was only allowed in the evening. But, following a Allahabad High Court order, pilgrims can now offer it to the temple's principal deity during the morning hours, Rajat Goswami, a sevakar (priest) of the temple, said.

During the Phool Bungla season people pay obeisance with the purpose of providing relief to the deity from the heat, he said.

"The seva was limited to the evening hours, roughly for 105 days, from ekadasi of the Chaitra month (first month of the Hindu calendar) to amavasya of Savan (fifth month of the Hindu calendar)," Goswami said.

The practice was allowed in the morning hours after the high court disposed of a 15-year-old case. The case was heard by the high court after a person challenged a order of a Mathura court that had allowed devotees to offer the sewa in the morning, the priest said.

Paying obeisance in the morning had started after the Mathura court's order, but was stayed after it was challenged, Goswami said.

On August 2, a double bench of the high court dismissed a petition, which claimed that allowing the practice in the morning would be against the tradition of the temple and affect priests.

Reacting to the order, the petitioner Gaurav Goswami said, he would challenge the order in the apex court, as the point raised by him wasnot properly taken into account.

Deputy Manager of Bankey Bihari temple Umesh Saraswat, "We have received the order and submitted it in the court of Civil Judge (Junior Division).