Temples for living politicians in India are rare, but they are not new. Over the last decade, news outlets have reported shrines and temples for Narendra Modi, Sonia Gandhi and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy. Most were built or planned by supporters, not by governments. This page lists the cases we could check in published reports and explains the pattern behind them.
The topic is back in the news because of the proposal in Patna. We cover that story in other articles. Here we look wider, at other leaders and other places, so you can see how the Patna idea compares.
Key takeaways
- Reported cases of temples or shrines for living political leaders exist in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
- In nearly every case we found, supporters or local party workers paid for the building, usually a few lakh rupees.
- Supporters usually say they are giving thanks for a policy, a state or a personal benefit.
- Narendra Modi and his own party have objected to temples for him in the past. Rajkot in 2015 and Pune in 2021 are the clearest examples.
- This page covers only cases with a news report behind them. Where we could not confirm what happened later, we say so.
What counts as a temple for a living leader?
For this page, we mean a building or shrine where a statue, bust or picture of a living political figure is placed for prayer or worship. We leave out memorials, statues in parks and museums. Those honour a person without asking people to worship them. We also leave out film-star fan temples, which are a separate topic, although some news reports mention them in passing.
Two more points help. First, a "temple" built by a few supporters is a private project. It is not the same as a state-backed building. Second, a temple for someone who has died is a very old tradition in India. This page is only about people who were alive when the project began.
Which temples for living politicians in India have been reported?
The table below lists the cases we checked. Each row points to a report we opened. The costs are what the reports said, and they are not audited figures.
| Year | Leader | Place | Who was behind it | What happened |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Sonia Gandhi | Near the Bangalore-Hyderabad highway | Congress legislator Shankar Rao | A nine-foot bronze idol was ordered. Rao said it was thanks for the decision to create Telangana. |
| 2015 | Narendra Modi | Kothariya, Rajkot, Gujarat | Supporters of the Om Yuva Group | Opening was cancelled after Modi said he was "appalled". Reports differ on the final outcome. |
| 2020 | Jagan Mohan Reddy | Rajampalem, West Godavari, Andhra Pradesh | Local party leader K. Nageswara Rao and his wife | Foundation stone laid in August 2020. We could not confirm if it was finished. |
| 2021 | Narendra Modi | Aundh, Pune, Maharashtra | BJP worker Mayur Munde | Built for about ₹1.6 lakh. Munde said he removed the idol after BJP leaders objected. |
| 2024 | Sonia Gandhi | Yellareddypet, Rajanna Sircilla, Telangana | Congress district general secretary Nevuri Venkat Reddy and his wife Mamatha | A white marble temple was inaugurated on 2 June 2024. |
This is not a full list. Other proposals, such as the 2017 Meerut announcement and a small shrine in Tamil Nadu, are covered on their own pages. Small village shrines often go unreported, so the real number is likely higher than any list can show.
The Sonia Gandhi temples in Telangana
Al Jazeera reported on 9 January 2014 that Shankar Rao, a Congress legislator from Andhra Pradesh, had ordered a nine-foot bronze idol of Sonia Gandhi weighing 500 kg. It was to stand in a place called "Sonia Gandhi Shanti Vanam" on land owned by his family. The land belonged to his family, near the Bangalore-Hyderabad highway. Rao said the idol was a way to thank the central government for creating Telangana as a separate state.
The same report said Congress leaders in Karimnagar district set up a temporary shrine, called Sonia Gandhi the goddess of Telangana, and held prayers. Al Jazeera did not report any reaction from Sonia Gandhi herself, and we found none in the sources we opened.
Ten years later, Deccan Chronicle reported a second temple. On 2 June 2024, Telangana Formation Day, a white marble temple for Sonia Gandhi was inaugurated at Yellareddypet in Rajanna Sircilla district. Congress district general secretary Nevuri Venkat Reddy and his wife Mamatha, a former village head, built it. Again, the stated reason was thanks for giving Telangana statehood.
The Jagan Mohan Reddy temple in Andhra Pradesh
The News Minute reported on 7 August 2020 that supporters in Rajampalem village, West Godavari district, were building a temple for Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy. A local party leader, K. Nageswara Rao, and his wife Dhana Lakshmi were behind it. The plan was a temple on about 250 square yards, with a cost of around ₹10 lakh, plus a statue of around ₹3 lakh.
The local MLA, Talari Venkatarao, laid the foundation stone. He said Jagan was like a god who answers prayers, and he pointed to welfare schemes. The report also recalled that in June 2019 another MLA had taken his oath in Jagan's name, and the pro-tem Speaker made him retake it under Assembly rules. We have not found a report that the temple was completed, so we do not say that it was.
What did Narendra Modi's own supporters build, and how did he respond?
Two cases show how Modi and his party have responded. Our deeper pages cover them in detail: see the Rajkot temple history and the Pune Aundh temple of 2021. For what Modi has said about being called a god, read why some people call Modi "bhagwan".
Rajkot, 2015
Daily Excelsior reported on 12 February 2015 that supporters from the Om Yuva Group, led by Jayesh Patel, had built a temple in Rajkot. It said the idol cost ₹1.7 lakh and the whole building about ₹7 lakh. More than 350 members gave small donations. Patel called it "a first of its kind in Gujarat, temple of a living person."
Dunya News reported the same day that Modi said he was "appalled" and wrote that building such temples "is not what our culture teaches us". The supporters cancelled the opening ceremony and rededicated the temple to "Mother India". Dunya said the statue was covered with a tarpaulin and gives the cost as about ₹5 lakh, so the two reports differ on money. Other reports about what finally happened to the building and the statue also differ, so we do not state a final outcome.
Pune, 2021
Punekar News reported in August 2021 that BJP worker Mayur Munde built a small roadside temple with a Modi bust in Aundh, Pune, for about ₹1.6 lakh. Munde said senior BJP leaders called him and told him that worshipping a living person did not fit the party's principles, and that admiration for Modi should be kept private. He moved the idol to a local corporator's office. The same article also says talk of the removal followed an order from the Prime Minister's Office, but it names no source for that, so we do not treat it as confirmed.
Why do these projects appear?
We cannot read anyone's mind, so we rely on what the builders said in their own words. Three reasons come up again and again.
- Gratitude for a decision. Shankar Rao pointed to the creation of Telangana. The Yellareddypet builders said the same. The Patna proposer, board member Rajan Singh, told PTI that Modi "gave us respect and rights".
- Loyalty shown in public. Several builders were local party workers or office holders. A temple is a very visible way to show loyalty, and critics sometimes call it flattery. Builders reject that word.
- A culture of devotion to leaders. The MLA in the Jagan case compared his leader to a god. Politicians in many countries are praised in religious language. Our page on worship of living figures across cultures looks at that history.
These are the builders' stated reasons. They are not proof of anyone's real motive, and we do not claim to know it.
What do the cases have in common?
Looking across the table, a few patterns show up. They come from the reports, but the grouping is our own reading.
- The money was small and private. Costs mentioned were from about ₹1.6 lakh to about ₹13 lakh (temple plus statue in the Andhra case); no cost was given for the Telangana temples. Donations came from members of a group, from a family or from a local leader.
- The builders were local. Village groups, district workers and legislators drove the projects.
- Leaders at the top often stayed quiet or objected. Modi spoke against the Rajkot temple. For Sonia Gandhi, we found no reaction in the reports we opened.
- Follow-up is thin. The first report is usually big. Later news on what became of the building is often missing.
The Patna case is different in one way. According to PTI, the proposal came from a state board, a body set up under the Social Welfare Department. The Free Press Journal reported that the proposer, Rajan Singh, said the state would find the land and pay the construction cost. That is his statement, and we have seen no government order. For the full details, read our report on the board's approval and our fact check of the ₹112 crore figure.
Is it legal to build a temple for a living person?
This is general information, not legal advice. We found no law that bans a private group from putting up a shrine to a living person on its own land. The questions get harder when public land or public money is involved, because Article 27 of the Constitution says no person can be forced to pay taxes for a particular religion. Our explainer on building a temple for a living person and our Article 27 analysis go through this step by step. We are not aware of any court ruling on the Patna proposal.
How does the Patna proposal compare?
| Question | Earlier cases | Patna proposal |
|---|---|---|
| Who proposed it? | Supporters, local workers or a legislator | A member of a state welfare board, at a board meeting on 29 July 2026 (PTI) |
| Who pays? | Private donors or families | The member said the state would pay (Free Press Journal). No official budget is confirmed. |
| Was land chosen? | Yes, usually private or village land | No site has been reported as chosen |
| Was anything built? | Some were built; the Modi shrines in Rajkot and Pune were changed or moved | Nothing has been built, as far as we know |
| Response from the leader | Objection in Rajkot and Pune | We found no reported response from Modi or the PMO |
To follow the Patna story step by step, see our timeline page and the rest of the Modi temples elsewhere topic.
What we do not know yet
- Whether the Jagan Mohan Reddy temple in Rajampalem was finished.
- What exactly happened to the Rajkot statue after the opening was cancelled. Reports differ.
- How many small shrines for living leaders exist across India. No official count is available.
- Whether the Patna proposal will go beyond the board's meeting. We found no report of land, funds or an official order.
Common questions
Are there temples for living politicians in India?
Yes. News reports describe temples or shrines for Narendra Modi in Rajkot and Pune, for Sonia Gandhi in Telangana, and a planned one for Jagan Mohan Reddy in Andhra Pradesh. Most were small projects by supporters.
Did Narendra Modi support the temples built for him?
In Rajkot in 2015 he said he was "appalled" by the temple. In Pune in 2021 the builder said he removed the idol after BJP leaders called him, according to Punekar News. We found no report of him backing such a temple.
Who usually pays for these temples?
In the cases we checked, supporters or local leaders paid, often a few lakh rupees. The Patna proposal differs because the proposer said the state would pay, but no budget has been confirmed.
Is this the same as a statue or memorial?
No. A statue or memorial honours a person. A temple is a place of worship, which is why these projects draw debate about religion and politics.
Sources
- Daily Excelsior: Modi's Rajkot fans build temple (12 February 2015)
- Dunya News: India's Modi "appalled" by temple in his honour (12 February 2015)
- Punekar News: Why was the Modi temple removed in Pune? (August 2021)
- Al Jazeera: India builds temple for Sonia Gandhi (9 January 2014)
- Deccan Chronicle: Sonia Gandhi temple inaugurated in Sircilla (June 2024)
- The News Minute: YSRCP workers want a temple for CM Jagan (7 August 2020)
- ThePrint (PTI): Bihar transgender board approves proposal to construct temple in Modi's name (29 July 2026)
- Free Press Journal: Bihar's Transgender Welfare Board approves construction of temple dedicated to Modi (29 July 2026)
Last checked on 24 October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us through our contact page.