No, sparsh darshan fee not raised at Kashi Vishwanath, Akhilesh Yadav spreads rumour

On March 14, 2022, the Samajwadi party national president and the former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, Akhilesh Yadav, criticizing the BJP government claimed that the fee for sparsh-darshan of Kashi Vishwanath Temple has been raised. Further, targetting the BJP he added in future the BJP might raise the fee for even Ganga ji’s darshan.

Besides, the Twitter user Chandradeo Yadav, the Samajwadi supporter and the socialist activist, also made the same claim taking a jibe at the BJP.

Another media outlet, Sach Tak News, also claimed that the for the sparsh darshan of the temple, the devotees will have to pay a fees. Moreover, the fee for special sparsh darshan could be raised from Rs 500 to Rs 1000.

Not only that, apart from these Twitter accounts media outlet like Pipa News reported that the management of the Kashi Vishwanath shrine has begun asking worshippers Rs 500 as a trial.

So, is it true that the fee has been increased for the sparsh darshan at the Kashi Vishwanath Temple or people are just spreading rumour to target the BJP government?

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Fact Check

To verify whether these claims are true or not, our team contacted the Kashi Vishwanath Temple trust at the outset of our research. We got the contact information from the temple’s website.

During our conversation with a temple trust member, he refuted the rumours, stating that devotees do not have to pay for the sparsh darshan and no fee was ever imposed. At present, no fee is being charged for the darshan. So, the claims that the fee for sparsh darshan has been increased from Rs 500 to Rs 1000 are merely rumours. Further, he went on to say that worshippers only need to purchase a ticket for the Sugam darshan if they don’t want to wait in queue.

Moreover, we checked the ticket cost for the Sugam darshan on the Temple’s website. As per the information on the website, the fee for Sugam darshan is Rs 300. In addition, the Sugam darshan is free for kids below the 12 years.

Besides, we further found the statement of the Varanasi Commissioner Kaushal Raj Sharma. While clarifying the rumours, he said that, “In India, various temples have distinct methods. A comparison discussion was conducted by the temple trust. It was discussed that different sort of fee is levied in other temples. However, no fee has been imposed in the Varanasi Temple, and if such a choice is made in the future, devotees will be notified.”

Furthermore, while researching whether any action had been done against those spreading rumours, we came across the Aaj Tak report. According to the report, the Kashi Vishwanath temple management has filed a written complaint at the police station. Following that, the police took action by filing a case against nine people.

Hence, as per our conversation with the temple trust member and the statement of Kaushal Raj clarifies that there is no fee charged for the sparsh darshan at Kashi Vishwanath Temple. Thus, the claims that is going viral on social media since the past few days are fake rumours.

Claim	The fee for spars darshan at Kashi Vishwanath temple is raised from Rs 500 to Rs 1000.
Claimed by	Akhilesh Yadav, Pipa News and other Twitter users
Fact Check	Fake

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