Varanasi, October 29: The temple administration of the Kashi Vishwanath temple has decided that devotees will be allowed to offer only branded milk and sweets in order to save the Shivalinga of the Kashi Vishwanath temple from damage caused by synthetic milk and impurities in sweet-meats offered.
It was decided in a meeting of the temple administration and UP minister of state for religious affairs Manoj Kumar Mishra on Monday. The minister announced the decision to media after the meeting.
The temple administration will set up a counter to make branded food articles and sweets available to be offered as prasad. Officials also tabled drawings prepared by architects for proposed constructions on KVT premises for introducing facilities like clock room and other facilities. The KVT’s chief executive officer A K Awasthi said that as the issue of identified buildings, which have to be purchased or acquired, is still pending the decision on the drawings was reserved.
The minister said construction work at Goenka Bhawan will start soon. He also directed to replace damaged stone plates from Gyanvapi entry point and said that efforts were being made to ensure all facilities for pilgrims and devotees under an umbrella inside the KVT complex.
On the proposal sent by the temple trust to the state government for replacing civil police by ex-servicemen for the internal security of the temple, the minister said that the ex-servicemen association had also sent a proposal to the government in this regard.
He said that the government will take decision on this issue soon. The talk for such an arrangement arose after complaints of alleged misbehaviour by civil police personnel with devotees during crowd regulation exercises.
