Haryana Government Shrine Board to Manage Mahabharata Era Temple

Important Decision by Haryana Government

The Haryana Government has made a significant decision to bring the historically and religiously important Shri Mata Bhimeshwari Devi Temple (Beri) under a well-structured institutional administrative framework. A notification was issued in this regard after receiving approval from the President, as announced by Ritu Garg, Secretary of the Law and Legislative Department.

According to the Haryana Government's notification, the ownership and operation of the Beri Mata Temple and all associated movable and immovable properties will now officially be under the Shrine Board. The board will manage the temple's income, donations, religious activities, appointments of priests, enforcement of rules, and facilities for pilgrims. The notification clarifies that the traditional rights of the priests will now be terminated.

The priests will be given compensation or an option for adjustment within the board. All the temple’s shops, donation boxes, land, buildings, and jewelry will be registered in the Shrine Fund. The board will prepare an annual budget, and a mandatory audit of the temple's management will be conducted every year.

The notification also specifies that other applicable laws will no longer be effective on this temple, and this new act will be considered supreme. As a result, the Beri Mata Temple becomes the third religious site in Haryana to be managed under the Shrine Board model. The Shri Mata Mansa Devi Temple in Panchkula and the Shri Mata Sheetla Devi Temple in Gurgaon are already operating under this model. The Bhimeshwari Devi Temple in Beri is of significant religious and cultural importance and is believed to have connections with the Mahabharata era.