krishnamain

Lord Krishna is worshipped in hundreds of temples across the world. Few of them are important as they are associated with the life of the Lord and some have the aura of spirituality that attracts thousands of pilgrims. Sri Krishna Janmashtami is celebrated with great fanfare as people throng to the temples of worship to catch a glimpse of the Lord.

Let us take a look at some of the very popular Krishna temples in India.

Jagannath Temple, Puri

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The Puri Jagannath temple is one of the most sacred places of Hindu worship. Constructed by Raja Ananta Varman Chodaganga of Ganga Dynasty, this temple has a beautiful wooden image of Krishna along with his brother Balabhadra and sister Subhadra.  People flock from across the world to witness the famous Rath Yatra festival.

Sri Krishna Matha, Udupi

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This is a temple founded by saint Shri Madhwacharya in the 13th century. Located in Udupi, Karnataka, the temple is one of the earliest pilgrimage centers in Karnataka. The Lord is worshipped through a nine-holed window known as as ‘Navagraha Kitaki’.

Krishna Janmabhoomi Temple, Mathura

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The birth city of Lord Krishna, Mathura is one of the most devout centers in Mathura. Sri Krishna Janmabhoomi temple is more prominent over other temples with the belief that the temple-spot is the same place where the Lord Krishna was born to Devaki and Vasudev.

The prison where the Lord was born has been converted into the present temple.

ISKON temple, Bangalore

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Sri Radha Krishnachandra temple in Bangalore, Karnataka is one of the largest ISKON temples in the world. This temple is one of the initiated activities of Krishna devotees from across the world.

The main shrine includes Krishna Balaram, Nitai Gauranga, Srinivasa Govinda, Prahlada Narasimha and Srila Prabhupada.

Dwarakadheesh Temple, Dwaraka

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It is believed that this temple was built when the kingdom of Krishna submerged in the water, after Mahabharata. Lord Krishna is worshipped by the name Dwarakadeesh, meaning, King of Dwaraka.

The shrine is over 2,500 years old built by the grandson of Lord Krishna, Vajranabha. The steps, outside the doorway leads to the Gomati river.

Guruvayur Sri Krishna Temple, Thrissur

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The Dwaraka of the South, Guruvayur, in Kerala is one of the world famous pilgrimage centers in India.

This temple’s icon is the four-armed Krishna carrying the Panchajanya (conch), the Sudarshana Chakra (discus), the Kaumodaki (mace), and a lotus with a basil garland.

Thousands of pilgrims visit the temple to worship and solemnize their weddings. The temple is also referred as as “Bhuloka Vaikunta” which means “Holy Abode of Vishnu on Earth”

Srinathji Temple, Nathdwara

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Nathdwara in Rajasthan features the temple of Krishna which was built during the 14th century. The idol of Krishna is the 7 year old ‘infant’ incarnation of Lord Krishna. Nathdwara means, Gateway to Srinathji. The temple is an important place of worship for the Vaishnavas.

One of the legend of the temple is when the idol of Lord Krishna was removed to protect against the atrocities of Aurangzeb, the wheels of bullock cart sunk in the sand, indicating that Lord wished to stay in the same place.

Shri Gopala Krishna Temple, Mangalore

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Located in a beautiful and serene land in Shaktinagar, this temple has the designs of Tamilnadu architecture. The temple is a marvel with 108 steps that leads to the Garba Griha. Splendid carvings, magnificent gopurams and decorative motifs on the wall attract thousands of pilgrims throughout the year.

Banke Bihari Mandir, Vrindavan

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This temple is dedicated to Lord Krishna, in the city of Vrindavan, Mathura. Lord Krishna in this temples stands in the Tribhanga posture.

The image in the temple was granted to Swami Haridas. The Lord is believed to have appeared with his consort casting a spell of charm in Nidhivan.

Except for the continuous chant of “Radha naam”, the temple does not have conch or bells since Bankey Bihari does not like the sounds of them.