Temple

Survivors blame poor management, narrow gate for Andhra temple tragedy

Survivors of the Venkateswara Swamy temple tragedy in Srikakulam district blamed the use of a singe narrow gate for both entry and exit and the lack of crowd management, which resulted in a stampede-like situation that killed nine people and injured several others on Saturday. At least nine devotees--eight women and a boy--were killed at the temple in Kasibugga town. Many sustained injuries or suffered breathlessness and were admitted to local hospitals. According to the survivors, chaos broke out when the only fate was abruptly opened, allowing those who had compeleted their darshan to come out, while another group waiting below tried to enter. This resulted in people falling on one another and a weak steel grill gave way, trapping many devotees underneath. The approach to the temple is narrow. There were many people and only single entry and exit point. As people jostled, we fell down. The steel grill was also very weak. The grill people were holding onto broke and everybody fell,

Three temple tragedies kill 22, injure nearly 100 across Andhra in 2025

As many as 22 people died and nearly 100 were injured in three major temple tragedies in Andhra Pradesh in 2025, with the Kasibugga temple mishap on Saturday being the latest. The Venkateswara temple disaster at Kasibugga town in Srikakulam district on Saturday claimed nine lives and injured over two dozen others, when a staircase railing collapsed, causing people to fall on one another in a packed crowd. Before this, seven people were killed in April when a rain-soaked wall collapsed at the Sri Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple in Simhachalam near Visakhapatnam. Earlier in January, six devotees had died and nearly 40 injured during a stampede at Bairagi Patteda in Tirupati, where hundreds had gathered for tickets to the Vaikunta Dwara Darshanam at the Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple on Tirumala hills. In less than a week, Andhra Pradesh has been battered by a series of calamities, which included a bus inferno in Kurnool district that left 19 dead, at least Rs 5,244-crore loss ...

Guruvayur Devaswom audits reveal missing gold checks, ₹25 cr discrepancy

Lack of physical verification of temple valuables, including gold and silver, significant discrepancies between income and expenditure figures, and poor record keeping were among the findings of successive Kerala government audits of the Guruvayur Devaswom for 2019-20 and 2020-21. The audit reports also stated that after July 2012, the Devaswom's decisions were not made available for scrutiny. In 2015, the temple management decided that its decisions need not be submitted for audit, the reports said. Regarding the temple's finances for 2019-20, the report noted major differences between the budgeted and audited revenue and expenditure statements. The discrepancies were observed under several heads, including revenue from investments, capital receipts, donations, taxes, capital expenditure, and recovery remittances, the 2019-20 audit report said. It further stated that physical verification of temple valuables, including gold and silver, was not being conducted properly. According

New chief priest appointed for Sabarimala ahead of pilgrimage season

With the annual Manadalam-Makaravilakku pilgrimage season just weeks away, Prasad E D from Thrissur was selected on Saturday as the new 'melsanthi' (chief priest) of the famed Sabarimala Lord Ayyappa temple here. Manu Namboothiri M G, a native of Mayyanadu in Kollam district, was chosen as the melsanthi of Malikappuram shrine, situated just 100 meters away from Lord Ayyappa temple. The selection was made through a traditional draw after the 'Ushapooj' (morning prayer) at hill temple which was opened for the 'thulam' month poojas on Friday, Travancore Devaswom Board sources here said. TDB is the body which manages several temples in the state, including Sabarimala. Hailing from Chalakudy in Thrissur, Prasad has been serving as a priest in Areswaram Dharmasastha Temple for the past three years. Speaking to a TV channel, he expressed happiness over his selection as the chief priest at the Lord Ayyappa temple. An ardent Ayyappa devotee, Prasad said he would like to reach the shrine a

Sabarimala gold-plating row heats up Kerala politics: What we know so far

The Sabarimala gold-plating controversy has shaken Kerala politics, with the high court ordering a Special Investigation Team to probe missing gold and temple management lapses

Bengaluru court orders removal of defamatory content on Dharmasthala Temple

A court here on Friday ordered the immediate removal of defamatory content targeting the Dharmasthala temple and its hereditary head, D Veerendra Heggade and his family in connection with the mass burial case. The 17th Additional City Civil and Sessions court's ruling follows the Supreme Court's earlier directions in a related petition. The order comes after a civil defamation suit was filed by Heggade's brother D Harshendra Kumar, who sought relief against defamatory remarks circulated by activist Mahesh Shetty Timarodi, Girish Mattannavar, Jayanth T, and others allegedly linked to the so-called 'Burude (skull) Gang'. The court, after examining videos, WhatsApp chats, Instagram posts, and Facebook reels, held that the allegations were baseless and damaging. It granted an injunction against further defamatory activity and directed platforms to delete objectionable videos and posts. Earlier, the Karnataka High Court had set aside an interim injunction, prompting Harshendra Kumar to

UP says Banke Bihari Temple ordinance for better administration

The Uttar Pradesh government informed the Supreme Court on Tuesday that its objective for enacting an ordinance for Banke Bihari Temple trust was aimed at better administration of the religious place at Vrindavan in Mathura. On August 4, the top court said it would keep in abeyance its May 15 nod to the ambitious scheme to develop the Shri Banke Bihari Temple Corridor at Vrindavan in Mathura for the benefit of devotees as key stakeholders were not heard. Appearing before a bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi, Additional Solicitor General KM Nataraj said the 2025 ordinance had nothing to do with the pending litigation of ownership of the temple administration. "Let me clarify at the outset that the ordinance has nothing to do with the pending writ petition. There was a PIL filed for better administration of the temple before the high court and directions were passed," Nataraj said. He said the ordinance was issued for better administration of the temple which witnesses

Barabanki stampede: 2 dead, 47 injured; UP govt announces ₹5 lakh ex-gratia

Two people were killed and 47 injured as a stampede broke out at a temple here early on Monday after a live electric wire, broken by monkeys, fell onto a tin shed, leading to panic among devotees. DGP Rajeev Krishna said that the casualties were caused by electrocution. The incident occurred at the Avsaneshwar temple in the Haidergarh area during the holy month of Shravan on Monday. Barabanki District Magistrate Shashank Tripathi said that during the 'jalabhishek' ritual, monkeys had damaged an electric wire, which caused current to flow through three tin sheds in the temple complex. The resulting panic led to a stampede in which two people lost their lives and more than two dozen were injured, he added. Prashant Kumar (17) from the Mubarakpura village under the Lonikatra police station area, and another devotee, Ramesh Kumar (28), succumbed to their injuries while undergoing treatment at the Trivediganj Community Health Centre (CHC), officials said. An official of the UP governme

6 killed, many injured in stampede at Mansa Devi temple in Haridwar

The stampede reportedly occurred after a rumour about an electric current near the start of the temple stairs sent devotees into a panic

Gyanvapi case: Court rejects plea to transfer 1991 suit to another court

A district court here has dismissed a plea seeking the transfer of the original 1991 Gyanvapi suit from the court of the civil judge to another court. Advocate Vijay Shankar Rastogi, who is a party to the case, said District Judge Jay Prakash Tiwari rejected the transfer application on Monday, stating that the petitioners were not parties to the original suit and hence had no legal standing to seek such a transfer. The plea was filed by Manikuntala Tiwari, Neelima Mishra and Renu Pandey. They are the daughters of late Harihar Pandey, one of the litigants who filed the original suit. According to Rastogi, the plea submitted that they were not being given adequate time to present their side before the civil judge (senior division) fast track where the original suit is pending since 1991 and sought the case to be transferred to another court. Rastogi argued that the three sisters were not listed as parties in the 1991 suit and therefore did not have the locus standi to file a transfer

Krishna Janmabhoomi: HC junks plea to rename mosque as 'disputed structure'

The Allahabad High Court dismissed a plea to replace 'Shahi Idgah Mosque' with 'disputed structure' in the ongoing Krishna Janmabhoomi cases

Sambhal temple-mosque row: Court to hear plea for namaz ban on July 21

A Chandausi court in Sambhal district on Thursday set July 21 to hear a plea seeking ban on offering of namaz at the disputed Shahi Jama Masjid, which is claimed to be Harihar Temple. The petition sought the ban on offering of Islamic prayers citing its "disputed status". Civil Judge (Senior Division) Aditya Singh took on record the plea filed by one Simran Gupta. The dispute had previously reached the Allahabad High Court, where the Muslim side challenged the subordinate court's order for a survey of the mosque premises. On May 19, however, the high court upheld the trial court's decision and directed that proceedings continue there. The petitioner argued that since the site was deemed disputed by the court, Muslims too should be barred from offering prayers, just as Hindus were restricted from worship. The plea requested that the mosque be sealed and placed under the custody of the Sambhal District Magistrate. Gupta also sought to be made a petitioner on behalf of the Hindu ..

Bihar Cabinet okays ₹882.87 cr for developing temple at Sita's birthplace

The Bihar government on Tuesday approved more than Rs 882 crore for the overall development of 'Punaura Dham Janki Mandir', a Hindu pilgrimage site in Sitamarhi district that is considered the birthplace of Goddess Sita. The state Cabinet decided at a meeting chaired by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar here on Tuesday. "I am extremely delighted to inform that the state Cabinet on Tuesday approved a comprehensive plan, worth Rs 882.87 Crore, for the overall development of Punaura Dham, the birthplace of goddess Sita (Janaki), in Sitamarhi district. The plan includes the construction of a grand temple and other structures," Kumar posted on X soon after the meeting. According to the proposal of the state Tourism department, which was approved by the Cabinet, around Rs 137 crore will be spent on the renovation of the old Punaura Dham Janki Mandir and Rs. 728 crore for the development of tourist infrastructure around the temple. The remaining amount will be spent on the maintenance of t

AppsForBharat raises ₹175 crore Series C to scale Sri Mandir platform

AppsForBharat secures ₹175 crore in Series C funding to deepen digital temple services, expand into 20 towns, and enhance AI-driven devotional experiences

Bangladesh clarifies Durga temple built without permission on Railway land

According to the Foreign Ministry, the local Hindu community installed a makeshift Puja Mandap on railway land during Durga Puja last year without prior permission

Allahabad HC upholds survey of Sambhal Mosque amid temple claim dispute

The court dismissed the mosque committee's plea and upheld the trial court's order for a survey after Hindu plaintiffs claimed the site was once a Harihar temple

Goa temple stampede on May 3 was 'entirely preventable,' finds report

A fact-finding committee appointed by the Goa government to investigate the May 3 stampede at a temple in North Goa district has concluded that the tragedy was "entirely preventable." Six persons died and around 100 people were injured in the stampede in the early hours during an annual festival of Sri Lairai Devi temple at Shirgao village. The incident was the result of a combination of poor planning, lack of enforcement, ignored directives and inadequate infrastructure, said the report, a copy of which is with PTI. The committee, headed by revenue secretary Sandip Jacques, has also provided recommendations to ensure that such incidents do not occur in the future. "Based on field visits, interactions with eye-witnesses, injured victims, organisers, executive magistrates, police officials and perusal of available records, the committee found that the stampede was precipitated by a confluence of preventable lapses and oversights among key stakeholders," the report said. The ...

Goa govt cancels all state-backed events for 3 days after temple stampede

The Goa government on Saturday announced that all functions supported by it stand cancelled for the next three days in the wake of a stampede during a temple festival that killed six devotees and injured more than 70. "In view of the tragic stampede incident that occurred during the Shree Devi Lairai Zatra at Shirgao, and as an expression of condolences to the departed and their families, the Government of Goa directs that all Government- supported festive programmes and public celebrations scheduled over the next three days be cancelled or postponed," a circular issued by Shreyas D'Silva, Under Secretary of General Administration Department, stated. "All Heads of Departments, Government Corporations and Autonomous Bodies are hereby instructed to ensure strict compliance with this directive," the circular reads. The stampede occurred at a temple festival at Shirgao village in North Goa in the wee hours of Saturday, officials said. According to the police, thousands of devotees ...

CM announces ₹25 lakh ex gratia for 7 killed in Andhra temple wall collapse

Seven people were killed and several others injured when a rain-soaked wall collapsed at the Sri Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple here, in the early hours of Wednesday, officials said. Andhra Pradesh Home Minister V Anitha said preliminary reports indicated that the wall collapse in the temple in Simchalam was triggered by soil loosening due to heavy rains in the area. Rescue operations are underway, with teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and state authorities pressed into service. The injured have been shifted to a hospital, officials added.

BJP suspends former MLA for 'purifying' temple after Dalit leader's visit

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also slammed the BJP, terming it as an anti-Dalit party