Deity's modern attire stirs row

AGRA: Priests at the Bankey Bihari temple in Vrindavan, dressed up the main deity in modern attire, sparking massive protests.

Priests at the temple dedicated to Hindu god Krishna, at the request of some fun-loving devotees, gave the deity on Thursday a modern look, complete with jeans and a shirt and wielding a mobile phone.

Activists of groups like Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) termed the move blasphemy and burnt effigies of the priests.

They demanded that those who defiled the sanctity of the temple be punished.

Sanskrit scholars like Chandan Lal Parasher and Nirmal Giri of the Kailash temple here criticised the wanton callousness of the Vrindavan priests.

The Rashtriya Lok Dal and Brahmin Sabha also organized similar protests. Some have called for the sacking of the priests.