Bijjat Temple Jewellery Row Opens Bigger Questions: Devotees Demand Independent Probe Into Deity’s Entire Treasure
SHIMLA/CHOPAL: The reported disappearance of gold ornaments worth around ₹10 lakh from the Bijjat Maharaj Temple at Pabaas in Chopal has now triggered demands for an independent and comprehensive investigation into the entire treasury and asset records of Bijjat Sarain and Churdhar temples.
The matter assumes greater significance because the treasuries of Bijjat Sarain and Churdhar temples are reportedly under the custody of the SDM, Chopal.
Devotees are now urging the SDM to personally initiate a thorough, independent verification of the assets, jewellery, cash, religious artefacts and other valuables associated with the two revered deities and document them and make it public.
They say this is not merely a dispute involving temple management but a matter of faith involving lakhs of devotees spread across Shimla, Sirmaur and adjoining parts of Solan.
Demand to open the entire asset register
Devotees want the authorities to prepare and verify a complete inventory of the Bijjat Bhandar, including:
Gold and silver ornaments and other jewellery.
Cash kept in the temple treasury.
Diyakra collections made during the Bijjat Chari’s visits to villages and households.
Cash and valuables offered by devotees at temples.
Religious artefacts and other items belonging to the deity.
Offerings received from pilgrims visiting Bijjat and Churdhar temples.
Existing records of purchases, donations, deposits and withdrawals.
The Bijjat Chari travels extensively through villages across Shimla and Sirmaur and parts of Solan, visiting thousands of households. Devotees traditionally contribute ₹50, ₹100, ₹500 or more as Kooth/ Diyakra, apart from other offerings.
The demand for an audit has gained urgency because devotees say there is no transparent, comprehensive and publicly verifiable accounting mechanism covering the entire corpus of cash and valuables collected during these religious journeys.
Churdhar CCTV monitoring also under scrutiny
Questions are also being raised over security arrangements at the Churdhar temple.
According to the concerns being raised by devotees, CCTV cameras at Churdhar are monitored by a Sadhu, whose role has come under scrutiny after a priest reportedly levelled serious allegations against him in a video circulating on social media.
The allegations remain subject to verification and should not be treated as established facts. However, devotees say the controversy makes it even more important that CCTV access, recordings, monitoring protocols and custody of footage are independently reviewed.
Bijjat temple has no CCTV, say devotees
The situation at the Bijjat temple has raised another concern. Devotees claim that there is currently no CCTV surveillance at the temple, with one of the temples reportedly undergoing renovation/revamping.
They argue that at a place where valuable jewellery, cash and religious artefacts are kept, the absence of CCTV creates an obvious security and accountability gap.
SDM Chopal faces a test of trust
Devotees are now looking towards the SDM, Chopal, as the custodian of the temple treasury, to ensure that the investigation is not restricted merely to the reported disappearance of ornaments.
They want an independent physical verification of the entire Bhandar, matching every article with existing records and documenting items that may not have been properly recorded.
They also want the authorities to reconcile Diyakra collections, temple offerings and expenditure records over a reasonable period and establish who has had custody and access to the deity’s valuables.
For devotees, the issue is bigger than missing jewellery.
It is about restoring confidence in the management of the wealth of Bijjat and Churdhar deities—and ensuring that faith is not left at the mercy of individuals without transparent accounting, documentation and institutional oversight.
