Madan Mohan Temple

Of all the Holy Places in Vrindavan, the Madan Mohan Temple is one of those most revered because it has the distinction of being the oldest temple in Vrindavan. On Tours to Vrindavan, one cannot possible let go the chance of visiting it. It is not just simply a place of worship, it is an old structure that has stood the test of times. The Madan Mohan Temple was positioned on top of a 50 feet hill known as Aditya Tila. It opened its doors for the devotees' way back in 1580. Till today it is visited by a large number of devotees even though unfortunately the deity that is now worshipped here is not the original one. It is just a replica of the original which was transferred from Vrindavan to a place called Karoli located to the south east of Jaipur in Rajasthan. This was done in the year 1670 to protect it from the invasions of the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb. At the foothills, there is yet another Madan Mohan Temple that is far newer and is believed to have been built by Sri Nand Kumar Bose of Bengal. Here too Madan Mohan deities are worshipped. The Madan Mohan Temple located near the Kali Ghat which was built by Kapur Ram Das of Multan. This is the oldest existent temple in Vrindavan today. The temple is closely associated with the saint Chaitanya. The original idol of Lord Madan Gopal was shifted from the shrine to Karauli in Rajasthan for safe keeping, during Aurangzeb's rule. Today, a replica of the image is worshipped at the temple. The Banke-Bihari Temple built in 1864 is the most popular shrine at Vrindavan. The image of Banke-Bihari was discovered in Nidhi Vana by Swami Haridas, the great Krishna devotee, belonging to the Nimbarka sect. The famous Radha Vallabh Temple set up by the Radha-Vallabh sect, has the crown of Radha-Rani placed next to the Shri Krishna idol in the sanctum. The Jaipur Temple which was built by Sawai Madhav Singh, the Maharaja of Jaipur in 1917, is a richly embellished and opulent temple. The fine hand - carved sandstone is of unparalleled workmanship. The temple is dedicated to Shri Radha Madhav. The Shahji Temple, another popular temple at Vrindavan, was designed and built in 1876 by a wealthy jeweller, Shah Kundan Lal of Lucknow. The deities at the temple are popularly known as the Chhote Radha Raman. Noted for its magnificent architecture and beautiful marble sculpture, the temple has twelve spiral columns each 15 feet high. The 'Basanti Kamra' - The darbar hall is famed for its Belgian glass chandeliers and fine paintings.