Priests at the Banke Bihari temple in Uttar Pradesh’s Vrindavan have rejected a Hindutva group’s demand to stop using clothes made by Muslim artisans for its deity, reported PTI. They asserted that religious discrimination has no place in temple traditions.

The demand was made by the Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi Mukti Sangharsh Nyas, whose leader Dinesh Sharma urged the temple to boycott the services of Muslim artisans and ensure that the deity Krishna’s attires are crafted only by those who adhere to “religious purity”.

In a letter to the temple priests, the group claimed that the deity’s attire should not be made by those who “consume meat and do not respect Hindu traditions or cow protection”, warning that it would launch a protest if its demand were not met, reported PTI.

“The temple management met and decided not to accept the weird demand,” Gyanendra Kishore Goswami, a senior temple priest, told reporters on Thursday. “It is simply not practical. Moreover, we do not discriminate against any community. Devotees who offer attires for the deity ensure purity themselves before getting them made.”

Goswami added: “Most of those who stitch clothes for the idol are Muslim. They are the best tailors and the most disciplined. They understand our needs and work with devotion.”

He noted that “there is tremendous pressure on us to keep changing the idol’s clothes”, particularly during festivals, and that Muslim tailors had been supplying them reliably. “We cannot change the tradition just because some people dislike it,” Goswami said.

The Sri Krishna Janmabhoomi Mukti Sangharsh Nyas, also known as the Sri Krishna Janmabhoomi Sangharsh Nyas, has urged all temples in Mathura district to stop buying clothes for their deities from Muslims, reported The Telegraph.

Nyas president Dinesh Falahari said: “God’s clothes need to be pure; they shouldn’t be stitched by people who don’t respect Mother Cow and the Hindu religion.”

Goswami, however, said that artisans cannot be judged based on religion, citing historical examples from Hindu scriptures.

“If Kansa, a sinner, was born in the same lineage as Lord Krishna's grandfather Ugrasen, and if Prahlad, a great devotee of Vishnu, was born to the demon Hiranyakashipu, how can we judge artisans based on their faith,” he said.

He added: “In Vrindavan, most of the intricate crowns and dresses for the deity are made by Muslim artisans. Similarly, in Kashi, Rudraksha garlands, sacred to Lord Shiva, are crafted by Muslim families.”

Goswami also said that Mughal emperor Akbar once gifted the poet and musician Haridas, who is associated with the Banke Bihari temple, an offering of perfume for Krishna’s worship. “Even today, musicians from the Muslim community play the ‘nafiri’ [a traditional wind instrument] during special occasions,” he was quoted as saying by PTI.

Another priest, Anant Bihari Goswami, said: “Muslims have been supplying over 99% of the clothes for the deity since the beginning…We refuse to discontinue the temple’s tradition and culture. Those making such demands want to hurt Muslims financially, but we respect every religion and every person.”

Speaking on condition of anonymity to PTI, another priest said that around 80% of the skilled artisans making the deity’s attires and crowns were Muslims. “Not just attire, but even the temple's iron railings, grills and other structures are crafted by them,” he said. “How can we inspect the personal purity of every artisan?”

“Lord Krishna requires about a dozen outfits daily and thousands over a year,” the priest was quoted as saying by the news agency. “Other communities simply do not have the same level of expertise in crafting these attires.”

Temple administrator Umesh Saraswat said decisions related to the deity’s clothes and temple rituals lay solely with the temple’s priests. “Our role is limited to managing the temple premises and logistical arrangements,” Saraswat said.

The development comes amid a spurt in communal comments from Bharatiya Janata Party leaders ahead of Holi. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Adityanath recently told Muslims to offer Friday prayers at home on March 14 to avoid being smeared with colours. “Holi comes once a year but Jumma Namaz is offered every Friday,” he said.

State minister Raghuraj Singh suggested Muslims use tarpaulin sheets to avoid colours while stepping out for prayers, while ruling party MLA Ketakee Singh demanded a separate ward for Muslims at a medical college under construction in Bansdih, claiming “they have a problem playing Holi with us” and “maybe they have a problem receiving treatment on premises where Hindus are treated”.

Muslim clerics have, however, stated that there was no conflict between Holi celebrations and the offering of congregational Friday prayers. Many in the state delayed the prayers to allow festivities to continue without disruption.

Mathura district – where Vrindavan is located – has seen increasing Hindutva activity in recent months. Some right-wing groups have been seeking relocation of the Shahi Idgah mosque near the Sri Krishna Janmasthan temple in Mathura, with several court cases demanding the mosque site be handed over to Hindus. Petitioners claim Mughal emperor Aurangzeb demolished part of the original Krishna temple and built the mosque on the site.