Kashi Vishwanath temple priests & staff to get state govt employee status, 3x pay hike

Priests and devotees offering prayers at Kashi Vishwanath temple in Varanasi. (Courtesy: PTI photo)

In a landmark decision, the Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple Trust has approved new service rules for priests and employees, granting them the status of state government staff along with a substantial pay hike.

Priests, who were until now drawing about Rs 30,000 a month, will see their salaries nearly triple under the new framework. This is the first major improvement in service conditions in more than four decades.

The state government took over the administration of the temple in 1983, but despite being one of the most prominent shrines in the country, little progress had been made in enhancing the service terms of its priests and staff until now.

The revision also extends additional benefits beyond salaries, putting temple workers on par with other categories of government employees in Uttar Pradesh. The move is being seen as a recognition of their long-pending demand for parity and dignity.

Across India, temple administration varies from state to state. In most parts of the country, Hindu priests are not considered government employees. An exception is Telangana, where priests and staff at notified temples under the state endowments department are treated as government employees and receive salaries as per revised state pay scales. In Tamil Nadu and several other states, priests are paid from temple income, and petitions have been filed in courts seeking government employee status, but such recognition has not been uniformly granted.

Since temple administration falls under the concurrent list, states are empowered to regulate appointments and pay, but this does not automatically confer government employee status unless explicitly granted by the state. Uttar Pradesh’s decision for Kashi Vishwanath temple staff thus marks a significant departure from the norm.

At its 108th meeting held at the Commissioner’s office on Thursday evening, the Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple Trust also cleared several other proposals. These include the establishment of a Vedic education and training institute on 46 bighas of temple land in Kakrahi, Mirzapur, aimed at promoting traditional learning.

To ease the movement of devotees, the Trust approved the purchase of buildings to create a direct passage between Kashi Vishwanath Dham and the Shakti Peeth Vishalakshi Mata temple. Development of the Sankat Haran Hanuman temple at Benipur in Sarnath and modernization of the cowshed located there were also given the green light.

Security measures at the dham will be further strengthened with an upgraded control room and modern surveillance cameras. In addition, the Trust approved alternative arrangements for distribution of laddu prasad and rudraksha malas, as well as a plan to connect all Jyotirlingas under the Sangam Tirth water exchange initiative.

The long-pending renewal of identity cards for daily visitors will also be restarted, addressing a persistent grievance of devotees. Dandi sanyasis will continue to receive daily prasad, meals and dakshina.

In a parallel meeting of the Kashi Vishwanath Special Area Development Council, approval was given for setting up a state-of-the-art digital museum inside the dham premises. To boost commercial activity, the council decided to allot vacant spaces in the temple emporium, revise rental rates for properties, and rationalize honorarium rates for different staff categories. Full-time employees will also receive an enhanced dearness allowance, similar to last year’s hike.

The council further resolved to offer its expertise and standard operating procedures (SOPs) as consultancy services, creating new revenue streams for the trust.

The decisions taken are expected to not only improve the working conditions of priests and temple staff but also enhance the overall experience of millions of devotees visiting one of Hinduism’s holiest shrines.