Is there any temple of Narendra Modi in India? There are five publicly reported attempts to build a Modi temple in India: Rajkot (2015), Meerut (2017), Tamil Nadu (reported around 1 January 2020), Pune (2021) and Patna (2026). Two small shrines (Rajkot and Pune) were built and then taken down or emptied, and a third (Tamil Nadu) has an unconfirmed status. The Meerut plan was announced, but we found no report that it was built. The Patna plan is only a proposal. As far as we can find, no Modi temple is standing and open to the public today.
This page puts all of these modi temples in india side by side so you can compare them. It is a hub page. Each case has a longer article of its own, linked below.
Key takeaways
- Five cases are on record. Four were started by individual supporters or small groups. Only Patna came from an official body, the Bihar State Transgender Welfare Board.
- In the two cases where Narendra Modi or his party reacted (Rajkot and Pune), the shrine was taken down or the idol removed.
- The Meerut temple was announced with a 100-foot statue, but we found no proof it was ever built.
- The Patna proposal has no confirmed site, no sanctioned money and no reported reaction from the Prime Minister or the Bihar government.
- The cost figures in every case come from the people who proposed the temples, so treat them as claims.
Which Modi temples have been reported in India?
The table below lists every case we could verify in news reports. "Status" means what the reports say, and where reports differ or go quiet, we say so.
| Place and year | Who was behind it | What was reported | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kothariya village, near Rajkot, Gujarat (February 2015) | Local followers | A small temple with a Modi bust. Cost given as Rs 5 lakh (The Tribune) or Rs 7 lakh (Daily Excelsior). | Demolished on 12 February 2015 after Modi voiced his unhappiness. Reports differ on who demolished it and why. |
| Sardhana, Meerut, Uttar Pradesh (October 2017) | J. P. Singh, a retired irrigation engineer | A planned temple with a 100-foot statue. Cost given as Rs 30 crore (Outlook) or Rs 19 crore (The Statesman). | Announced. We found no report that it was built. |
| Erakudi, near Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu (reported around 1 January 2020) | P. Sankar, a farmer | A small shrine on his own farm with a Modi bust. Cost given as Rs 1.2 lakh (Organiser). | Current status not confirmed. |
| Aundh, Pune, Maharashtra (August 2021) | Mayur Munde of Namo Pratishthan | A small temple that cost about Rs 1.6 lakh. | Idol removed on 19 August 2021 after BJP leaders objected. |
| Patna, Bihar (July 2026) | Bihar State Transgender Welfare Board, on a proposal by member Rajan Singh | A board approval of the idea. Singh later spoke of 5 acres, Rs 112 crore and a gold statue. | Proposal only. No site, no sanctioned funds. |
What happened at Rajkot in 2015?
This is the best-known case. In February 2015, followers of Narendra Modi built a small "Modi Mandir" in Kothariya village near Rajkot. According to The Tribune, the village panchayat had earmarked the land for a Bharat Mata temple. Revenue officials later said the structure had no clearance, and the Tribune says the followers then pulled it down. The temple was due to open on 15 February.
Modi, then in his first year as Prime Minister, was unhappy about the temple. The Tribune says he was saddened by the reports and asked followers to put their energy into his Clean India campaign. Al Jazeera says he was appalled that fans had built a temple to honour him. Neither report gives his exact words. The Tribune adds that the followers planned to swap his idol for one of Bharat Mata. Al Jazeera quotes the revenue collector saying the site was government land and that local authorities pulled the temple down.
Reports differ on two points. The cost is given as Rs 5 lakh in The Tribune and Rs 7 lakh in the Daily Excelsior. And the two reports we opened disagree on who pulled it down: the followers (The Tribune) or the authorities (Al Jazeera). They agree that Modi objected and the temple did not open. For the full story, read our Rajkot article.
Was a Modi temple ever built in Meerut?
We found no report that it was. In October 2017, Outlook reported that J. P. Singh, a retired engineer of the Uttar Pradesh irrigation department, had announced a temple in Sardhana, Meerut. Singh said it would hold a 100-foot statue of Modi and take about two years to finish. Outlook gave the cost as Rs 30 crore. It also reported that a foundation-stone ceremony was planned for 23 October, with BJP president Amit Shah expected to attend. The Statesman reported a lower figure of Rs 19 crore.
We did not find any later report showing that the ceremony took place or that construction began. So the honest label for Meerut is "announced, not shown to be built". We cannot say whether the plan was dropped, delayed or simply stopped being covered. Our longer piece on the Meerut plan explains what is and is not on record.
What is the story of the Tamil Nadu shrine?
The Organiser reported on 1 January 2020 that P. Sankar, a farmer in Erakudi village near Tiruchirappalli, had built a small temple for Modi on his own farm. It describes an 8 by 8 feet building with a tiled roof and a bust of Modi, built for Rs 1.2 lakh. Sankar said he was grateful for government schemes: PM Kisan, the Ujjwala gas scheme and a toilet scheme.
The Organiser says Sankar is not a BJP member, though he said he would join if the party asked. We could not find recent reporting on whether the shrine is still there, so we do not state its current status. Read more in our article on the Erakudi shrine.
Why was the Pune idol removed in 2021?
In August 2021, Mayur Munde, who leads a group called Namo Pratishthan, opened a small Modi temple in Aundh, Pune. Punekar News reports that it cost about Rs 1.6 lakh, that it stood at Parihar Chowk, and that the idol was made in Jaipur.
Punekar News, in a report dated 19 August 2021, says the idol was removed at night. It reports that Munde said senior BJP leaders told him that worshipping a living person this way was not in line with the party's principles, and that he moved the idol to the local corporator's office. Pune's city BJP president, Yogesh Mulik, said the party had nothing to do with the temple. The same report links the removal to an order from the Prime Minister's Office, but presents it as a claim, and we could not confirm it independently. See the Pune article for details.
Where does the Patna proposal stand in 2026?
Patna is different from the others because the idea came through a government board, not a private follower. On 29 July 2026, at its first meeting in Patna, the Bihar State Transgender Welfare Board approved a proposal to build a temple for Modi. PTI, as carried by ThePrint, quotes board member Rajan Singh (PTI spells it "Ranjan") saying he proposed it because Modi "gave us respect and rights". He said the community had no temple of its own.
The Free Press Journal reported that Singh said the state government would find the land and pay for construction. No amount was given at that time. In mid-August, ETV Bharat and PatnaPress reported Singh as saying the board had asked for 5 acres, Rs 112 crore and a life-size gold statue. These figures come from Singh's own statements. PatnaPress said it was not a sanctioned project.
The board has not been shown to have the money, the land or a design. Other board members have raised doubts. Queerbeat reported that board member Anupriya Singh called it Rajan Singh's personal agenda. To follow the story as it develops, see our Patna timeline and the page on where the Modi Mandir is.
How do the five cases compare?
| Question | Rajkot | Meerut | Tamil Nadu | Pune | Patna |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Started by a government body? | No | No | No | No | Yes, a state welfare board approved the idea |
| Was anything built? | Yes, briefly | Not shown | Yes, small shrine | Yes, briefly | No |
| Reported cost | Rs 5 or 7 lakh | Rs 19 or 30 crore (plan) | About Rs 1.2 lakh | About Rs 1.6 lakh | Rs 112 crore requested |
| Who would pay? | Followers | Not stated | The farmer | The organiser | Government, according to Singh |
| Reaction from Modi or the BJP | Modi voiced unhappiness | None found | None found. He is not a BJP member. | BJP leaders objected | None found |
The pattern is clear. Private shrines are cheap and quick, and in the cases where the party or the Prime Minister spoke out, they did not last. The big plans (Meerut and Patna) are the ones with large numbers and little proof. If you are reading a new claim about a Modi temple, check whether it has a named site, a named builder and a report from a news outlet that you can open yourself.
What we do not know yet
- Whether the Meerut temple was ever started, and whether the plan was formally dropped.
- Whether the Tamil Nadu shrine in Erakudi still exists.
- Whether the Patna temple will get land, money or approval from the Bihar government.
- Whether the Prime Minister's Office or the BJP will comment on Patna. We found no such statement as of 24 October 2026.
- Whether the Rs 112 crore figure for Patna is a real estimate. It is a request made by one board member.
Be careful with online claims. Many posts show pictures of a finished Modi temple. PatnaPress labelled its Patna image as AI-generated. Always look for a news report that names a place and a builder.
Is it legal to build a temple for a living person?
This is general information, not legal advice. We found no Indian law that bans a private person from putting up a shrine on their own land. The trouble in Rajkot, according to reports, was about land and clearance. Public money is a different matter. Article 27 of the Constitution says no one can be forced to pay taxes meant to support a particular religion. Courts have discussed this in cases such as Shirur Mutt (1954), but no court has ruled on the Patna proposal. Read more in our legal explainer and the wider Modi temples elsewhere topic page.
Common questions
Is there a Modi temple that people can visit today?
We found no report of a Modi temple that is open and standing today. The Tamil Nadu shrine may still exist, but we could not confirm it.
Did Narendra Modi approve any of these temples?
No. In Rajkot he voiced unhappiness and the temple did not open. We found no statement from him about the others, including Patna.
Which Modi temple was the most expensive?
On paper, Patna (Rs 112 crore, requested) and Meerut (Rs 19 to 30 crore, announced). Neither amount has been shown to be sanctioned or spent.
Is there a Modi temple in Ayodhya?
We found no report of any Modi temple in Ayodhya.
For more answers, see our FAQ page and the Modi Mandir FAQ.
Sources
- ThePrint (PTI), 29 July 2026: Bihar transgender board approves proposal for a temple in Modi's name
- Free Press Journal: Bihar's transgender welfare board approves construction of temple dedicated to Modi
- The Tribune, 12 February 2015: Modi appalled, followers demolish Rajkot temple
- Al Jazeera, 12 February 2015: Indian officials demolish temple dedicated to Modi
- Outlook: Modi temple worth Rs 30 crore to be built in UP
- Organiser, 1 January 2020: Farmer builds a temple for the PM in Tamil Nadu
- Punekar News, August 2021: Why was the Modi temple removed in Pune?
- ETV Bharat, 11 August 2026: Bihar Kinnar Board proposes to build temple for Modi
Last checked on 24 October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us through our contact page.