People keep asking one thing: modi mandir kaun banayega, or who will build the Modi temple? The honest answer is that nobody has been named. The idea was proposed by one board member, Rajan Singh, and approved by the Bihar State Transgender Welfare Board on 29 July 2026. In the reports we read, no builder, no trust, no architect and no contractor is named, and we found no registered trust for the project.
This article separates three questions that often get mixed up: who had the idea, who can say yes, and who would actually build and pay. They have different answers, and only the first one is clear.
Key takeaways
- Board member Rajan Singh proposed the temple at the board's first meeting on 29 July 2026, and the board approved the proposal.
- Building it needs land and money. By Singh's account, the state government would provide both, but no government order has been reported.
- No builder, trust, architect or design has been named in the reports we checked.
- The Rs 112 crore figure and the 5 acres are what the board asked for, according to Singh. They are not a sanctioned budget.
- Names, trusts and "official plans" shared on social media without a source should not be trusted.
Short answer: nobody has been named as the builder
A temple needs a few things before anyone can build it: a plot of land, money, a legal body that owns the temple, and a team to design and build it. Reports so far describe none of these as settled. They describe a request.
The Free Press Journal reported on 29 July 2026 that, according to Singh, the state government would identify land and bear the cost. PTI, reported by ThePrint the same day, quotes him on why he proposed it but does not say who would pay. ETV Bharat reported on 11 August 2026 that the board asked the government for 5 acres and Rs 112 crore. None of the three names a builder or a trust.
Who proposed the Modi temple on 29 July 2026?
The Bihar State Transgender Welfare Board held its first meeting on 29 July 2026 at the Social Welfare Department in Patna. Member Rajan Singh put forward the idea. PTI and ThePrint spell the name "Ranjan". PTI quotes Singh as saying: "I proposed to build a temple for Narendra Modi because he gave us respect and rights."
Singh told PTI: "The proposal received the support of all members and was approved by the board." That is his account, and we have no second source for it. Queerbeat reported on 21 August 2026 that another board member, Anupriya Singh, disputed the claim of unanimous backing. She called the idea Rajan Singh's personal agenda, and Queerbeat said the minutes of the 29 July meeting that it saw did not mention the temple. We could not see those minutes ourselves. Singh has said his reason is respect and rights; the Free Press Journal also quotes him as saying the community did not have a temple of its own. Neither side's view of his motives can be checked from public records. Our profile of Rajan Singh has more on the person.
The Drishti IAS note of 31 July 2026 describes the board as a 28-member body under the Social Welfare Department, formed in August 2025. This was its first meeting.
Who decides: the board or the state government?
These are two different steps. A board vote is a recommendation from a body that advises the government. It does not give anyone land or money. The state government would have to agree to give both.
ETV Bharat reported Singh saying the proposal would go to the Cabinet Secretariat. That is his statement. We found no report that the proposal has reached the Cabinet, and no statement from the Bihar government, the Chief Minister's office or the Prime Minister's Office. The Navbharat Live report of 1 August 2026 said the PMO had not responded.
Our article on what the board approved goes through the vote in more detail.
Who would pay: what each outlet reports
Outlets do not agree on the money, and in each case the source is Singh himself. The table puts them side by side.
| Outlet and date | Who pays, as reported | Amount | Land |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free Press Journal, 29 July 2026 | State government, according to Singh | Not given | Government to identify |
| PTI via ThePrint, 29 July 2026 | Not stated | Not given | Not stated |
| Navbharat Live, 1 August 2026 | Government support plus community donations | Not given | No site chosen |
| ETV Bharat, 11 August 2026 | Singh expects the government to pay; asked about a gold statue, he said that if money falls short, "we'll arrange it" | Rs 112 crore requested | 5 acres requested |
So the reports do not tell one story. One says the state will pay, one adds donations, and one says the board has only asked for money. We explain the full comparison in why the cost reports disagree and trace the single figure in our Rs 112 crore fact-check.
Is any trust or company registered?
We searched for a trust, society or company set up for this temple and did not find one. We also found no trust deed, no list of trustees and no registration number in any news report.
This matters because of how temples work in Bihar. The Bihar Hindu Religious Trusts Act, 1950 requires public temples, mutts and trusts to register with the Bihar State Board of Religious Trusts. A Drishti IAS note dated 9 August 2024 says the state told officials to make unregistered temples register and submit details of their property. That note is about temples in general and does not mention a Modi temple. Our guide to the 1950 Act and temple registration explains what a legitimate trust would normally need to show.
What we could and could not find
- Searched: news reports from PTI, ThePrint, Free Press Journal, ETV Bharat, Navbharat Live, PatnaPress and Queerbeat for any named trust, builder or architect. None is named.
- Not found: any government order, land allotment, tender, or registration record.
- Not checked: private registers that are not public online. A trust could exist without being reported.
Which names circulate online without a source?
Some websites and social posts describe a named trust, trustees, architects, a design, a building schedule or a donation account. We could not match any of these to a credible report or an official record, so we do not repeat them here. PatnaPress also noted that images of the temple in circulation were AI-generated.
A quick test helps. Before trusting a claim about who is building the temple, ask these questions:
- Does it name a news report or an official document you can open?
- Does the report say where the information came from?
- Is there a registration number or government order you can check?
- Is anyone asking you for money or personal details?
If a page fails these, treat it as unconfirmed. Our guide on spotting viral misinformation has more.
Be careful with donation requests. We found no official donation account for a Modi temple in Patna. Queerbeat reports that on 14 August lawyer Prashant Kumar asked the Prime Minister's Office to look into whether Singh was using the Prime Minister's name or photo in a private activity to suggest government backing and raise money. That is a complaint, not a finding, and we have seen no reply or response from Singh on it. Do not send money to anyone claiming to collect for it without checking a registered body.
Who-did-what table: proposer, approver, builder, funder
| Role | Who, as reported | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proposer | Rajan Singh, board member | Confirmed by several outlets | PTI via ThePrint, 29 July 2026 |
| Board approval | Bihar State Transgender Welfare Board | Reported; disputed by another member as Singh's personal agenda | ThePrint; Queerbeat, 21 August 2026 |
| Land provider | State government, by Singh's account | Not allotted; no site chosen | FPJ; Navbharat Live |
| Funder | State government and donations, by Singh's account | Rs 112 crore requested, not sanctioned | ETV Bharat, 11 August 2026 |
| Government approval | Cabinet Secretariat, by Singh's account | No confirmation found | ETV Bharat |
| Owner or trust | None named | No registration found | All reports checked |
| Builder or architect | None named | No design or tender found | All reports checked |
How earlier Modi temples were built
Looking at older cases shows what "who built it" has meant before. In every case below, a private person or group did it, not a government board.
- Rajkot, 2015: followers built a temple in Kothariya village. Modi said he was appalled. Reports differ on what followed: the Tribune reported demolition on 12 February 2015, while Daily Excelsior said the bust would be replaced by an image of Bharat Mata.
- Meerut, 2017: retired engineer J. P. Singh announced a Modi temple. Outlook reported a cost of Rs 30 crore, while The Statesman said Rs 19 crore. We found no evidence that it was built.
- Pune, 2021: Mayur Munde of Namo Pratishthan built a temple costing Rs 1.6 lakh, according to Punekar News. The idol was removed after BJP leaders objected.
The Patna case differs because a member of a state board, not a private person outside government, put the proposal forward. Our comparison of Modi temples in India covers all of them.
What we do not know yet
- Whether the state government will agree to give land or money.
- Whether any trust or society will be formed to own the temple.
- Who would design or build it, and how a builder would be chosen.
- Whether the Prime Minister or his office supports the idea. No statement has been reported.
- Whether the proposal has legal obstacles. This is general information, not legal advice. Article 27 of the Constitution bars forcing citizens to pay taxes for a particular religion, and no court has ruled on the Patna proposal.
What to watch for next
If the project becomes real, the first signs will be paper, not pictures. Look for these, roughly in this order:
- A written government order or letter that names the department handling it.
- An announced plot of land, with a district and a plot record.
- A registered trust or society, with a name and a registration number.
- A public tender or a named architect.
- A date for any ground-breaking ceremony.
For timing questions see when the Modi temple could be built, and for the topic as a whole visit our Patna proposal hub and the timeline.
Common questions
Modi mandir kaun banayega?
No builder has been named. Rajan Singh proposed it and the Bihar State Transgender Welfare Board approved it on 29 July 2026. Building would need state land and money, which have not been confirmed.
Is there a Modi mandir trust?
We found no registered trust, trustees or registration number in any report. Claims of a named trust online are unconfirmed.
Who will pay for the Modi temple?
Rajan Singh says the state government would pay, and that the board asked for Rs 112 crore. Other reports mention community donations. No funds have been sanctioned.
Did the Prime Minister or the Bihar government approve it?
We found no statement from the Prime Minister's Office or the Bihar government. Claims of their support come from Singh.
Sources
- ThePrint, citing PTI: Bihar transgender board approves proposal to construct temple in Modi's name
- Free Press Journal: Bihar's Transgender Welfare Board approves construction of temple dedicated to Modi
- ETV Bharat: Bihar Kinnar Board proposes to build temple for Modi
- Queerbeat: A Bihar transgender welfare board member hosts a Modi Chalisa at the Press Club of India, 21 August 2026
- Drishti IAS: Bihar mandates registration of temples, mutts and trusts
- PatnaPress: Golden Modi temple proposal
Last checked on 24 October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us through our contact page.