I loved Vrindavan

I have heard about Vrindavan since my childhood. But a chance to visit the place somehow always eluded me. My heart leaped in joy when my friends made a plan to tour Vrindavan and asked me to join them.


Located at a distance of fifteen kilometers from Mathura, Vrindavan is a major place of pilgrimage. It is famous for its numerous temples, both modern and ancient.


The name “Vrindavan” evokes the charm and playfulness of Lord Krishna. This is the wilderness where he flirted with the “gopi”s and tenderly charmed Radhika.


Our first day at Vrindavan started with a visit to the famous Madan Mohan Temple.

Your post reminds me of my trip to Vrindavan. Though I was quite young at that time, I remember it quite vividly.

The Madan Mohan Temple is located near the Kali Ghat. One of the locals told us that it was built by, Kapur Ram Das of Multan. The Madan Mohan Temple is the oldest temple that exists in Vrindavan today. The temple had close associations with Shree Chaitanya.

The original image of Lord Madan Gopal was shifted from the shrine to Karauli in Rajasthan for safe upkeep, during Aurangzeb’s rule. Presently, a replica of the idol is worshipped at the temple.

From the Madan Mohan Temple, we went to the Banke Bihari Temple. It was built in 1864 and is the most popular shrine at Vrindavan. The image of Banke Bihari was found by, Swami Haridas Ji, the renowned Krishna devotee, who belonged to the Nimbarka Sect. The image was discovered in Nidhi Vana.

From this place, we went to the renowned Radha Vallab Temple established by the Radha-Vallab sect. It has the sacred crown of Radharani placed next to the Shri Krishna idol on the sanctum.

The next morning, we went to the Jaipur Temple, built by Sawai Madhav Singh, the Maharaja of Jaipur. This opulent and richly embellished temple was built in the year 1917.

The Jaipur Temple exhibits unique craftsmanship. The hand-carved sandstone is a treat to watch. The temple is dedicated to Shri Radha-Madhav.

Another temple, which I will always remember is the Shahji Temple. This temple is very popular and was designed and built in 1876 by a wealthy jeweler, Shah Kundan Lal of Lucknow. The deities at the temple are referred to as Chhote Radha Raman. This temple is famous for its beautiful marble sculpture and magnificent architecture. The temple has twelve spiral columns each of which is fifteen feet high.
The darbar hall is called the “Basanti Kamra” and is noted for its fine paintings and Belgian glass chandeliers.

We visited the Rangaji temple on the second day of our stay at Vrindavan. This temple was built in 1851. It is dedicated to Lord Ranganatha or Rangaji who is depicted as Lord Vishnu in his Sheshashayi pose, resting on the coils of the sacred Shesha-Nag. The temple is built in Dravidian style and it has a tall gateway or gopuram. The gopuram is six-storied. The gold-plated Dhwaja Stambha is 50 feet high. A picturesque garden and a water tank lie within the temple enclosure.

The yearly festival of Jal Vihar of the presiding deity is performed with great festivities at the tank.

The Rangaji Temple is popular for the “Brahmotsav” celebration in March-April. This festival is also famous as the “Rath Ka Mela”. It continues for ten days and is marked by the pulling of the “rath” or chariot car by the devotees from the temple to the adjacent gardens.

I will remember my Vrindavan tour for all these temples, but I do remember the Govind Deo Temple the most. It was once a magnificent seven-storied structure, which was built in the form of a Greek cross. Emperor Akbar is believed to have donated some of the red sandstone, of this temple, that had been brought primarily for the construction of the Red Fort at Agra.

I like your posts. There are package tours to Mathura, Vrindaban available from Delhi as it is only a few hours journey by road from Delhi.
I remembr, that soon after my marriage, my husband who is great Krishna-bhakt suggested that we take a package tour to the city. There was another reason for the same - he had never seen the Taj Mahal at Agra. The package tour took us to Agra, Mathura and Vrindaban.

We have many happy memories of the trip particularly because it took place just after our honeymoon and was quite unplanned. I remember the Bankey- Bihari temple which you have just described, the chamber of the idol is covered with a curtain, and the priest parts the curtain to let you have a glimpse.

The Govind Deo Temple was built at the cost of One Crore Rupees, in 1590 by, General Man Singh. The temple combines Hindu, Muslim and Western architectural elements in its structure.

Another temple that attracted me was the Shri Krishna Balram Temple built by the International Society for Shri Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON). It is one of the most charming temples in Vrindavan presently. The main deities of the temple are Shri Krishna Balaram and Shri Radha Shyam Sundar. Beside the temple is the “samadhi” of Shrila Prabhupaad, the founder of the ISKCON sect. The samadhi is built in pure white marble.

In Vrindavan, we also visited the Sriji Temple, Jugal Kishore Temple and Kesi Ghat. I remember offering pujas at the Lal Babu Temple and Meera Bai Temple. We took a large number of photographs at Raj Ghat, Imli Tal, Kaliya Ghat, Raman Reti, Chir Ghat and Varah Ghat.

We went to the Seva Kunj where Lord Krishna had once performed Raaslila with Radharani and the Gopis. We also visited the Nidhi Van where the couple rested. “Samadhi” of Swami Haridasji is situated here.

The temple I remember the most is the Sri Radha Shyam Sundar Temple at Parikrama Marg. It was built by, Sri Anand Swarup Kela, in 2001.