Shri Radha Madan Mohan Temple, is a

Hindu temple A Hindu temple, also known as Mandir, Devasthanam, Pura, or Kovil, is a sacred place where Hindus worship and show their devotion to Hindu deities, deities through worship, sacrifice, and prayers. It is considered the house of the god to who ...

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, Braj Bhoomi region and holds religious importance for Hindus who believe that Krishna, one of ...

Indian state India is a federal union comprising 28 states and 8 union territories, for a total of 36 subnational entities. The states and union territories are further subdivided into 800 districts and smaller administrative divisions by the respe ...

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh ( ; UP) is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. With over 241 million inhabitants, it is the List of states and union territories of India by population, most populated state in In ...

. It is one of the oldest and highly revered temple of Vrindavan. The presiding deity of the temple is Madan Mohan, a form of the god

Krishna Krishna (; Sanskrit language, Sanskrit: कृष्ण, ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme God (Hinduism), Supreme God in his own right. He is the god of protection, c ...

who is present in the central altar of the temple with his consort goddess

Radha Radha (, ), also called Radhika, is a Hindu goddess and the chief consort of the god Krishna. She is the goddess of love, tenderness, compassion, and devotion. In scriptures, Radha is mentioned as the avatar of Lakshmi and also as the Prak� ...

and Lalita gopi on either sides of him. The temple is one of the earliest temples of Vrindavan which has architectural influences from existing Mughal architecture as well as Kalinga Nagara Style of Indian Temple Architecture. The temple is built in the Nagara style of architecture. On the bank of

Yamuna River The Yamuna (; ) is the second-largest tributary river of the Ganges by discharge and the longest tributary in List of major rivers of India, India. Originating from the Yamunotri Glacier at a height of about on the southwestern slopes of B ...

, Radha Madan Mohan Temple stands at a height of 50 feet near Kaliya Ghat. It is also one of the most popular Goswami shrines in Uttar Pradesh.

History

According to popular folklore, Shri Radha Madan Mohan temple in Vrindavan is 5000 years old. It was first believed to be constructed by that the great-grandson of Krishna - Vajranabh. However, with the passage of time, deities were lost. Later, the deity of Madan Mohan was discovered at the base of an old banyan tree by Advaita Acharya, when he visited Vrindavan. He entrusted the worship of Madana Mohan to his disciple, Purusottama Chaube, who then gave the deity to Sanatana Goswami. According to historical sources, it was in 1580 AD that this temple was rebuilt under the guidance of Sri Sanatana Goswami by a Multan trader Kapur Ram Das. As the temple was invaded by Mughal emperor

Aurangzeb Alamgir I (Muhi al-Din Muhammad; 3 November 1618 – 3 March 1707), commonly known by the title Aurangzeb, also called Aurangzeb the Conqueror, was the sixth Mughal emperors, Mughal emperor, reigning from 1658 until his death in 1707, becomi ...

in 1670 AD, the original idol of Madan Mohan was secretly shifted to

Jaipur Jaipur (; , ) is the List of state and union territory capitals in India, capital and the List of cities and towns in Rajasthan, largest city of the north-western States and union territories of India, Indian state of Rajasthan. , the city had ...

by King Jai Singh overnight before the attack of Aurangzeb on Vrindavan and Mathura temples. Later, the deities are shifted to

Karauli Karauli (also formerly spelled Karoli or Karaulee) is a city located in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It is located in the Braj region and holds religious importance in Hinduism. The city is the administrative center of Karauli District, a ...

by King Gopal Singh. The original deities of Shri Radha Madan Mohan temple are presently installed in Madan Mohan temple of Karauli,

Rajasthan Rajasthan (; Literal translation, lit. 'Land of Kings') is a States and union territories of India, state in northwestern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the List of states and union territories of ...

The original deity of Madan Mohan is said to exactly resemble Krishna from the waist down. In 1748 AD, a replica of Madan Mohan was established in the Madan Mohan temple, Vrindavan. In 1819 AD, Nanda Kumar Basu, a zamindar from Baharu rebuilt the temple at the foot of the hill near Yamuna river. Presently, Shri Radha Madan mohan temple of Vrindavan houses the replica of original deities which are installed in the Madan Mohan temple, Karauli.

Architecture

Shri Radha Madan Mohan temple has Nagra style of architecture. It is built in oval shape with red sandstone. The temple is 20 meters high and is situated near river Yamuna.

Temple timings

The time zone ( UTC+05:30) observed through India by the priest. Winter Timings : Morning 7:00 am to 12:00 pm, Evening 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm. Summer Timings : Morning 6:00 am to 11:00 am, Evening 5:00 pm to 9:30 pm.

Gallery

File:Madan Mohan temple, on the Yamuna, Vrindavan, 1789.jpg, Pencil art depicting Shri Radha Madan Mohan temple on banks of Yamuna, 1789. File:Oriental Scenery Fig 2.jpg, Madan Mohan Temple, 1795. File:Madan-Mohan-Mandir-N-UP-A197.jpg, Outer structure of Shri Radha Madan Mohan temple, Vrindavan. File:Courtyard of a temple at Brindaban by Seetaram.jpg, Interior of the Shri Radha Madan Mohan temple, a watercolor by Seeta Ram, c.1814-15. File: MadanMohanmandir.jpg, Front view of temple. File:Vrindavan - India (12955794664).jpg, Devotees worshiping inside the premises of temple. File:*Another_view_of_the_temples,_from_the_river_side,_by_the_Daniells.jpg, Shri Radha Madan Mohan temple, Vrindavan 1789 painting.

Nearby attractions

* Kaliya Ghat * Bankey Bihari Temple * Radha Ramana Temple * Nidhivan * Seva Kunj * Sanatana Goswami Samadhi * Ashta Sakhi Temple.

References