Shri Radha Damodar Temple is a

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

temple dedicated to

Hindu deities Hindu deities are the gods and goddesses in Hinduism. The terms and epithets for deities within the diverse traditions of Hinduism vary, and include Deva, Devi, Ishvara, Ishvari, Bhagavān and Bhagavati. The deities of Hinduism have evolved ...

Radha Radha ( sa, राधा, ), also called Radhika, is a Hindu goddess and the chief consort of the god Krishna. She is worshiped as the goddess of love, tenderness, compassion, and devotion. She is the avatar of goddess Lakshmi and is also de ...

and

Krishna Krishna (; sa, कृष्ण ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme god in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is one ...

. The temple is situated in

Vrindavan Vrindavan (; ), also spelt Vrindaban and Brindaban, is a historical city in the Mathura district of Uttar Pradesh, India. It is located in the Braj Bhoomi region and holds religious importance in Hinduism as Krishna spent most of his childho ...

Indian state India is a federal union comprising 28 states and 8 union territories, with a total of 36 entities. The states and union territories are further subdivided into districts and smaller administrative divisions. History Pre-indepen ...

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 1950 ...

. In the temple, Krishna is worshiped in the form of ''Damodar'' with his consort Radha. It is one of the main seven Goswami temples of Vrindavan.

History

Shri Radha Damodar Temple was first established by Jiva Goswami in the year 1542 C.E and was located at Seva Kunj of Vrindavan. Later, In 1670, when the Muslim emperor Aurangazeb invaded Vrindavana, the original deities Radha Damodar were shifted to Jaipur for sometime and when the social conditions became favorable, deities were brought back to Vrindavan in the year 1739 C.E. The deities Radha Damodar have been served in Vrindavan since then. Before the disappearance of Jiva Goswami in 1596, he left the deities in the care of his successor Krishna Dasa, the head priest. Presently, the descendants of Krishna Dasa are serving the deities.

Significance

The temple is one of the ancient temple of Vrindavan. It is among the seven significant temples of Vrindavan which includes Radha Madan Mohan temple, Radha Gokulnanda temple,

Radha Raman temple Sri Radha Raman Temple, is a Hindu temple situated in Vrindavan, India. It is dedicated to Krishna who is worshiped as Radha Ramana. This temple is counted as one of the Seven most revered ancient temples of Vrindavan along with Radha Vallabh ...

, Radha Govinda temple, Radha Gopinath temple and Radha Shyamsundar temple. The temple also houses the ''Giriraj Shila'' having the footprints of Krishna which was believed to be given to

Sanatana Goswami Sanatana Goswami ( sa, सनातन गोस्वामी, ; bn, সনাতন গোস্বামী; 1488–1558) was a principal follower of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Sanatana wrote a number of important works in the bhakti tradition ...

himself. According to popular belief, four ''parikramas'' (circumambulation) of the Radha Damodar Temple is equal to one circumambulation of

Govardhana Hill Govardhan also called Giriraj, is a key pilgrimage centre in India and a municipal town; a nagar panchayat; seat of a MLA Member of Legislative Assembly of Uttar Pradesh; a Tehsil, in Mathura district in the India in state of Uttar Pradesh. Ab ...

. There are also samadhis of many Gaudiya saints including Rupa Goswami Samadhi and Jiva Goswami Samadhi inside the premises of the temple. Founder of

ISKCON The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), known colloquially as the Hare Krishna movement or Hare Krishnas, is a Gaudiya Vaishnava Hindu religious organization. ISKCON was founded in 1966 in New York City by A. C. Bhaktive ...

, Srila Prabhpada also stayed in this temple for six years before heading to United States of America for preaching about Krishna.

Temple deities

Deities of Radha Damodar Temple Along with Shri Radha Damodar ji and Giriraj Shila, the other deities worshiped in the temple are - Shri Radha Vrindavanchandra Ji, Shri Radha Madhav Ji, Shri

Gaur The gaur (''Bos gaurus''; ), also known as the Indian bison, is a bovine native to South Asia and Southeast Asia, and has been listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List since 1986. The global population was estimated at a maximum of 21,000 m ...

Nitai and Shri Jagannath Dev Ji.

Temple timings

The time zone ( UTC+05:30) observed through India by the priest - Morning - 4:30 AM to 1:00 PM Evening - 4:30 PM to 9:00 PM

References

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External Links