Vrindavan, the holy playground of Lord Krishna is just about 11 km from Mathura, another pilgrimage city. Vrindavan is also known as Brajbhoomi and it lay lost to the world until Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu visited the place around 1515 and set about uncovering the important temples here. Vrindavan is known as the grove of Tulsi plants and it is a place of pilgrimage. Devotees circumambulate the place and make it a point to visit its many temples that have roots in antiquity and some of the more recently set up temples.
Sri Radha Shyamsundar Temple
This is an old temple said to have been established by Sri Shyamananda Pandit. The temple houses a deity gifted to the Swami by Radha, the consort of Lord Krishna.
Sri Sri Radha Madan Mohan Temple
Built around 1580 on the 50 foot high Dvadasaditya Tila hill adjoining the river Yamuna, it ranks as one of the first such temples to Lord Krishna to be built in Vrindavan. Sanatana Goswami is said to have discovered the idol of Madan Mohan and installed it in the 60 foot high temple. Radha and Lalita Shakti are worshipped along with Lord Krishna.
Sri Radha Damodar Temple
This is another ancient temple dating back to 1540. Built by Jiva Goswami at Seva Kunj, the temple’s claim to fame is that Shri Prabhupada, the founder of ISKCON spent his early years here.
Sri Radha Raman Temple
The Radha Raman temple was constructed in the sixteenth century and it is one of the more finely carved temples of Vrindavan. It was built on the request of Gopala Bhatta Goswami and the temple houses the original idol of the deity found in the forest.
Sri Radha Govind Temple
Built by Maharaja Man Singh, who was a disciple of Raghunath Bhatta Goswami, this is one of the grandest temples of Vrindavan with an altar of gold, marble and silver. The main hall has a giant sculpted lotus flower in its ceiling. Built of red sandstone donated by Emperor Akbar, work started in 1670 and took more than a decade to complete. Sadly the temple was plundered by Aurangzeb who destroyed most of it, leaving intact only three stories of the original sevan. This is a must visit temple in Vrindavan for Krishna Bhakts.
Sri Radha Gopinath Temple
Not far from the Govind temple is the Sri Radha Gopinath temple built by Madhu Pandit Goswami and it is said to have an idol dating back to 5000 years, the same one that Vajranabh, grandson of Lord Krishna is said to have created. The idol was discovered by Parmanand Goswami at Vamsi Vata.
Sri Radha Gokulananda Temple
Another old temple, this one was built by Vishwanath Chakravarti and it houses the deity of Radha Vinod as well as a Govardhan Shila gifted by Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu to Raghunath Das Goswami.
ISKCON Temple
The first in the series of temples constructed by ISKCON all over the world is the Balaram temple in Vrindavan. It was built in 1966 by Swami Prabhupada. The temple houses idols of Krishna and Balaram as well as Gaura-Nitai and Radha Shyamsundar.
Bankey Bihari Temple
The Bankey Bihari temple is one of the most visited temples in Vrindavan. It dates back to to 1864 when it was built by Swami Haridas and it houses an idol of Lord Krishna in the Tribhanga pose. The unique fact about this temple is that the curtain in front of the idol is raised and lowered every few minutes because it is believed none can withstand the brilliance emanating from the eyes of Bankey Bihari.
Prem Mandir
This is another major attraction in Vrindavan. Located in the heart of the city it is the main ashram of Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat. Of recent origins, the temple is built on sprawling grounds of 54 acres. The two storey temple is built of fine Italian white marble and houses the idols of Krishna and Radha as well as those of Sita and Ram. The temple walls carry carvings depicting episodes from the life of Radha and Krishna.
Rangaji Temple
The Rangaji temple in Vrindavan is unique in that it follows the Dravidian style of architecture. Dedicated to Lord Rangaji also known as Ranganathan, it has a 50 foot high flat post with gold plating and a six storey high Gopuram. The temple was built in 1851 and it is one of the more charming attractions in Vrindavan with its water tank and a beautiful garden.
Seva Kunj and Nidhuban
It is said that the garden and temple in Nidhuban were the place where Lord Krishna and Radha played their Raslila and he spent time dancing with the Gopis here. It is believed the Lord and Radha still play their Leela at night, which is one reason the premises are locked and no one is allowed to stay. If anyone does stay, and if he witnesses the Ras Leela, he goes mad. Nidhuban has other temples nearby such as Radha Vrindavan Chandra temple, Radha Shyamsundar temple and Radha Damodar temple.
Jaipur Temple
The Jaipur temple was built in 1917 by Sawai Madho Singh II, the Maharaja of Jaipur and it is one of the more beautifully carved temples of Vrindavan. The temple is dedicated to Radha and Madhav.
Shahji Temple
The Shahji temple was built by Shah Kundan Lal, a jeweller of Lucknow and it houses an idol of Lord Krishna. It has beautifully carved marble sculptures and spiral columns with the highlight being the Darbar hall with Belgian glass chandeliers.
Radha Ras Bihari Ashta Sakhi Temple
This temple is dedicated not only to Radha and Krishna but also to her eight companions or Ashta Sakhi. The temple represents the Leela of Lord Krishna with Radha and her companions and should be on your list of temples to visit in Vrindavan.
Round off your trip to temples in Vrindavan with a visit to the Yamuna River. The Lord played on the banks and in the river with his Gsopis so it is worth a visit to the holy river of Vrindavan.