MATHURA: Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday said the state government plans to develop grand temple complexes in Mathura-Vrindavan on the lines of those in Ayodhya and Kashi.The statement by the chief minister came on the second day of his visit to Mathura. He arrived at the Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi Temple on Friday morning on the occasion of Shri Krishna Janmashtami.The chief minister first performed ritual worship of cows in the Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi complex. Following the gau pujan, Adityanath offered special prayers and sought blessings from ‘Lala’ (Lord Krishna), who is enshrined in the main sanctum sanctorum.After offering prayers in the main sanctum, Adityanath also visited the Yogmaya Temple, Keshavdev Temple and Bhagwat Bhavan, located within the complex.Speaking to the press after his visit, the CM said, “Today, you will not even be able to find invaders. They have all disappeared. A grand temple of Lord Ram has been built in Ayodhya. One of the world’s largest temples has come up in Ayodhya. Those who do not like all this are trying to defame Ayodhya. After a wait of 500 years, that work has finally been accomplished… Keeping in mind the spiritual and cultural significance of this Braj region, the Braj Teerth Vikas Parishad, along with public representatives, is working to develop it in a manner befitting its importance and to provide better facilities for devotees. Our effort is to create a similar devotee-friendly environment and infrastructure in Mathura and Vrindavan as has been developed in Ayodhya and Kashi, so that no devotee faces any inconvenience and there is no obstacle or threat to their faith.”Taking a swipe at political opponents, Adityanath said his government believed in “Krishna Kanhaiya, Lord Ram, Baba Vishwanath and Maa Vindhyavasini” and respected the faith of the people.“But can those whose faith lies in Babur and Aurangzeb respect your faith?” he asked, accusing the “followers of Babur and Aurangzeb” of attempting to create divisions in society.Adityanath alleged that such forces wanted to weaken social harmony, compromise security, play with the future of young people and threaten the safety of women. He said the BJP’s “double-engine government” would not allow such designs to succeed.The chief minister also contrasted the present government’s approach with that of previous administrations, claiming that earlier governments avoided visiting such places because of “vote-bank concerns”.Referring to the changing identity of the Braj region, Adityanath said it was now being associated with religious and cultural celebrations, including Rangotsav, Braj Raj Utsav and Vaishnav Kumbh, rather than incidents of violence and disorder.Extending Janmashtami greetings to people across Uttar Pradesh, Adityanath called upon citizens to remain committed to their duties towards the country, society, Sanatan Dharma and their families.“If everyone fulfils their responsibilities honestly, it will not take long for India to become a developed nation and Uttar Pradesh a developed state,” he said.Notably, this is not the first time that the CM has spoken about developing temple complexes in Mathura on the lines of those in Ayodhya and Varanasi. He has repeatedly linked Mathura-Vrindavan’s religious development with the transformation of Ayodhya and Kashi, including in 2021-22 when he spoke about Mathura and Vrindavan after the Ram Temple and Kashi Vishwanath projects.“There were numerous invasions, and many attempted to impose their own faiths upon India, yet no one could erase Sanatan Dharma. Those who had the audacity to try and obliterate Sanatan Dharma were themselves reduced to dust and faded into oblivion. However, not only in Braj Bhoomi but across all of India, the memory of Shri Krishna and Radha Rani serves as an inspiration for us today and fosters an atmosphere of enthusiasm and progress for future generations,” Yogi Adityanath said.Janmashtami, also known as Krishna Janmashtami or Gokulashtami, is observed to mark the birth of Lord Krishna, regarded as the eighth avatar of Lord Vishnu.The festival is observed on the eighth day, or Ashtami, of the Krishna Paksha in the month of Bhadrapada, according to the Hindu lunisolar calendar.
