Pune Aundh Modi Temple 2021: Why the Idol Was Removed

The Modi temple in Pune was a small shrine in the Aundh area, built by a BJP worker named Mayur Munde in August 2021. It cost about ₹1.6 lakh. Its idol was taken away within days. Munde says senior BJP leaders had told him that worshipping a living person did not fit the party's ideas. Reports differ on exactly who objected first. This article explains what was reported, what is still unclear, and how the case compares with other Modi temples.

What is the short answer?

A supporter built a small temple for Narendra Modi. The idol stayed on display for only a few days. Munde said he took it down because senior party leaders asked him to. The BJP's Pune city president said the party had nothing to do with building the temple. No report we found says the shrine was part of a registered trust or a government project.

Who built the Modi temple in Pune, and where?

The builder was Mayur Munde. Punekar News describes him as a BJP supporter and the president of an organisation called Namo Pratishthan. The Sentinel (Assam) describes him as a 37-year-old BJP worker who works in real estate. OneIndia also gives his age as 37.

The shrine stood at Parihar Chowk in Aundh, a neighbourhood of Pune in Maharashtra. Punekar News says it was claimed to be on private land. The Sentinel says it was on Munde's own premises. So this was not a temple on public land, and no report we found says any government body helped to build it.

Why did he build it? The Sentinel quotes Munde as saying he felt there should be a temple for the person who built the Ram temple in Ayodhya. OneIndia adds that he also pointed to the end of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, the Ram temple and the end of triple talaq. Punekar News says supporters saw it as inspired by the Ram temple's construction. This is how Munde and his supporters explained it. It is not a finding by any court or official.

How much did it cost, and what did it look like?

All three reports we opened agree on the cost: about ₹1.6 lakh (₹1,60,000). That is small next to the sums discussed for other proposals. For example, the Patna idea has been linked in news reports with a request for ₹112 crore, which is about 7,000 times larger. The Patna figure is only a request by one board member and is not an approved budget. Our fact check of the ₹112 crore figure explains this.

Here is what the reports say about the design.

Different outlets call the figure an idol, a statue or a bust. We use "idol" and mention "bust" when quoting a report that does. Punekar News also says visitors touched the idol's feet, which is a common sign of respect in India.

What happened within days?

The timeline below is built from the reports. Exact dates before 18 August are not given in the articles we opened, so we do not guess them.

1. Early to mid August 2021: The shrine opens. OneIndia says only that the bust was removed "days after" the temple was built. We could not confirm an exact opening date.
2. Before the removal: The story spreads in the media. Munde says senior BJP leaders phoned him the day before the removal.
3. Night of Wednesday 18 August 2021: According to The Sentinel, the idol was taken away late on Wednesday. People who passed by on Thursday morning found it missing.
4. Thursday 19 August 2021: NCP workers arrive at the site. OneIndia reports a mock protest outside the temple. The Sentinel says the NCP workers planned to offer "bhog", a food offering made to a deity.

The Sentinel also notes that the idol was taken away before the matter became more political. It points out that Pune's municipal elections were due early the following year. OneIndia quotes NCP city unit president Prashant Jagtap, who said the "god" was missing and called the project a symbol of "intellectual bankruptcy". That is a political opponent's view, and we report it as such.

What did BJP leaders say?

Two statements matter here. Both were reported by Punekar News.

Mayur Munde's account

Munde said senior BJP leaders called him the day before. He told Punekar News they made him understand that building a temple and worshipping a living person in this way is not in line with the principles and ideology of the BJP. In his account, they also said such feelings for Modi should be kept in the mind, without building temples on the streets and advertising them. He added that the feeling behind building the temple "was and is very good".

The city party's statement

Yogesh Mulik, the BJP's Pune city president, said the party had nothing to do with the construction of the temple.

These are the only party statements we found. We did not find a statement from Narendra Modi himself on the Pune shrine. We also did not find a signed order from any office. Everything about internal party talks comes from Munde's own account.

Where did the idol go?

Munde told Punekar News that he moved the idol to the office of the local corporator. A corporator is an elected member of a city council. He said he did this on the party's instructions. The Sentinel gives a slightly different detail: it says the idol is being kept at the house of a BJP councillor who lives nearby. Both reports agree it went to a local BJP-linked person, not to a museum or a public place.

We did not find a later report showing where the idol is today. We also did not find a report saying the empty shrine was demolished or reopened. If you know of a reliable follow-up, please tell us through our contact page.

Reports differ on who objected

This is the main point where the sources do not match. The table puts them side by side.

So we can say three things safely. First, the idol was removed. Second, Munde said senior BJP leaders asked for it. Third, some media reports linked the removal to the Prime Minister's Office. We cannot say who gave the first order, because none of the reports we opened shows a letter, a named official or a recorded call.

What do we not know yet?

How does it compare with Rajkot and Patna?

Pune is one of a few cases where a Modi temple was announced or built by supporters. The table shows how they differ. Reports on older cases sometimes disagree, so we mark that where it applies.

Three differences stand out. Pune and Rajkot were small, privately paid shrines that were finished quickly. Patna is only a proposal. And the Patna proposal was approved at a meeting of a government board, although one board member disputes that it reflects the board's wishes, as Queerbeat reported on 21 August. According to PTI, as published by ThePrint, board member Rajan Singh (PTI spells the first name Ranjan) said he proposed the temple because Modi "gave us respect and rights". The Free Press Journal reported that Singh said the state government would find land and pay the costs, but gave no amount.

For a wider view, read our summary of Modi temples in India. If you are trying to find out whether any Modi temple stands today, see where the Modi Mandir is. More cases are collected in the Modi temples elsewhere topic page.

What can we learn from the Pune case?

• Cheap does not mean simple. A ₹1.6 lakh shrine still caused a political stir within a day or two.
• Party distance matters. The city party said it had nothing to do with the temple, and the builder said senior leaders had asked him to stop.
• Private land removes some legal questions, not political ones. A temple on private land is a different matter from a temple paid for by taxes. This is general information, not legal advice. Our guide on whether a temple can be built for a living person in India explains the legal side in plain words.
• Early reports can contain gaps. Many claims on the day came from a single person's account.

Common questions

Who built the Modi temple in Pune?

Mayur Munde, a BJP worker who heads Namo Pratishthan, built it at Parihar Chowk in Aundh. Reports say it was on private land.

How much did the Aundh Modi temple cost?

Three news reports give the cost as about ₹1.6 lakh. The idol and red marble came from Jaipur.

Why was the Modi idol removed in Pune?

Munde said senior BJP leaders told him that worshipping a living person did not fit the party's principles. Some media reports also mention an objection from the Prime Minister's Office, but no official was named.

Does the Pune Modi temple still exist?

We found no report of an active temple. The idol was moved to a local corporator's office or home, according to different reports. Nothing confirms what happened to the site since then.

Sources

• Pune: Why was the Modi temple removed? The man who built it reveals, Punekar News, 19 August 2021.
• PM Modi's statue in Pune "temple" disappears overnight, The Sentinel (Assam), 19 August 2021.
• Pune: PM Modi bust removed from temple built for him by BJP worker; NCP workers stage mock protest, OneIndia, 19 August 2021.
• Bihar transgender board approves proposal to construct temple in Modi's name, PTI via ThePrint, 29 July 2026.
• Bihar's Transgender Welfare Board approves construction of temple dedicated to Modi, Free Press Journal, 29 July 2026.

Last checked on 24 October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us through our contact page.