10 Most Popular Temples of Lord Krishna in India
On June 02, 2023Krishna is a major Hindu god and an incarnation of Vishnu. There are many Krishna temples all over the globe, as he is a popular deity. India has many beautiful Krishna temples that attract many devotees who come to experience the spiritual power and architectural grandeur of these temples.
Prem Mandir, Vrindavan
Prem Mandir is in Vrindavan town. Its founder is the spiritual Guru Kripalu Maharaj. This Sri Krishna temple’s main structure is of white marble. It is a spiritual as well as educational site that covers 54 acres. The main temple has idols of Krishna and his followers. They depict various major events.
ISKCON Temple
ISKCON is a worldwide movement based on Krishna worship. There are many ISKCON temples worldwide. ISKCON is the abbreviation of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. These beautiful temples of Krishna attract devotees from different castes and religions. There are ISKCON temples in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Vrindavan, Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Baroda, etc. There are ISKCON temples abroad, too.
Dwarkadhish Temple, Dwarka
Dwarkadhish Temple is in Dwarka, a city in Gujarat. It is an elegant Hindu temple dedicated to Krishna. It has a 5-story structure with 72 pillars. This Sri Krishna temple is also called Jagat Mandir. The Archeological Survey of India claims that the temple is 2,500 years old.
Guruvayur Sri Krishna Temple, Guruvayur
Devotees refer to Guruvayur Temple as Bhooloka Vaikunta or the earthly abode of Vishnu. The main deity of this temple is Vishnu. Dedicated to Krishna, an avatar of Vishnu, another name for the temple is the Dwarka of South India. It is in Thrissur, Kerala. The story goes that Brahma himself worshipped the idol of Krishna here. The main deity is Vishnu. He has 4 arms and is in a standing posture. He has the Panchajanya (conch), Sudarshana chakra (discus), Kaumodaki (mace), and a lotus with a tulsi garland in his hands. This image supposedly represents Vishnu’s form as revealed to Krishna's parents Vasudeva and Devaki, at the time of his birth.
Jugal Kishore Temple, Mathura
This Sri Krishna temple in the holy town of Mathura was built by the Gaudiya Vaishnava sect. Krishna was born in Mathura, as per mythology. The temple is one of the most popular and oldest Krishna temples in the city. Another name for the temple is Kesi Ghata. Supposedly, the temple stands at the spot where Krishna killed the horse demon Keshi along the Yamuna River. The temple is of red sandstone.
Jagannath Temple, Ahmedabad
Jagannath Temple is in the state of Gujarat. One can find the idols of Krishna and his siblings, Balram and Subhadra, here. Every 12 or 19 years, the wooden idols are replaced. The temple that stands in the Jamalpur locality was established by Sadhu Sarangdasji around 450 years ago. This Sri Krishna temple is famous for its annual chariot festival, the Rath Yatra. It is the 3rd most important and largest after the Puri (Odisha) Ratha Yatra.
Bankey Bihari Temple, Vrindavan
Bankey Bihari is also in Vrindavan. The Krishna idol here stands in the Tribhanga posture. This Sri Krishna e temple enshrines Banke Bihari, the combined form of Radha and Krishna. The deity was originally worshipped at Nidhivan, Vrindavan. Later, when this temple was built around 1864, the idol of Banke Bihari was shifted to the new temple.
Udupi Sri Krishna Matha, Udupi
Udupi Sri Krishna Matha is a famous temple in Udupi, Karnataka. The temple is dedicated to Krishna and Dvaita Matha. The Matha area is like a living ashram. The Vaishnavite Saint and founder of the Dwaita school of Vedant, Jagadguru Shri Madhwacharya, established this Sri Krishna temple in the 13th century. Devotees have darshan of Krishna through an inner window called Navagraha Kindi.
Shrinathji Temple, Nathdwara
Shrinathji Temple is a famous Sri Krishna temple in Rajasthan. The main deity here is Shrinathji, a form of Krishna. The statue of Krishna was brought to the Nathdwara during the late 17th century. The deity is supposedly self-manifested from stone and emerged from the Govardhan Hills. Historically, the deity’s image was first worshipped at Govardhan Hill, which is near Mathura. Initially, the image was shifted from Mathura in 1672 CE along the Yamuna river. It was retained at Agra for nearly 6 months to safeguard it from the Mughal ruler Aurangzeb, who wanted to keep it with him in Agra.
Govind Dev Ji Temple, Jaipur
Located in Jaipur, Rajasthan, Govind Dev Ji Temple is a famous Sri Krishna temple in the City Palace of the Pink City. The temple enshrines Govind Dev (Krishna) and his consort Radha. The deities were brought from Vrindavan by Raja Sawai Jai Singh II, who founded Jaipur. This Vaishnav temple is one of the holiest temples for Krishna devotees. Supposedly, the image resembles Krishna’s face at the time of his incarnation on earth.
ISKCON Temple
ISKCON is a worldwide movement based on Krishna worship. There are many ISKCON temples worldwide. ISKCON is the abbreviation of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. These beautiful temples of Krishna attract devotees from different castes and religions. There are ISKCON temples in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Vrindavan, Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Baroda, etc. There are ISKCON temples abroad, too.
Dwarkadhish Temple, Dwarka
Dwarkadhish Temple is in Dwarka, a city in Gujarat. It is an elegant Hindu temple dedicated to Krishna. It has a 5-story structure with 72 pillars. This Sri Krishna temple is also called Jagat Mandir. The Archeological Survey of India claims that the temple is 2,500 years old.
Guruvayur Sri Krishna Temple, Guruvayur
Devotees refer to Guruvayur Temple as Bhooloka Vaikunta or the earthly abode of Vishnu. The main deity of this temple is Vishnu. Dedicated to Krishna, an avatar of Vishnu, another name for the temple is the Dwarka of South India. It is in Thrissur, Kerala. The story goes that Brahma himself worshipped the idol of Krishna here. The main deity is Vishnu. He has 4 arms and is in a standing posture. He has the Panchajanya (conch), Sudarshana chakra (discus), Kaumodaki (mace), and a lotus with a tulsi garland in his hands. This image supposedly represents Vishnu’s form as revealed to Krishna's parents Vasudeva and Devaki, at the time of his birth.
Jugal Kishore Temple, Mathura
This Sri Krishna temple in the holy town of Mathura was built by the Gaudiya Vaishnava sect. Krishna was born in Mathura, as per mythology. The temple is one of the most popular and oldest Krishna temples in the city. Another name for the temple is Kesi Ghata. Supposedly, the temple stands at the spot where Krishna killed the horse demon Keshi along the Yamuna River. The temple is of red sandstone.
Jagannath Temple, Ahmedabad
Jagannath Temple is in the state of Gujarat. One can find the idols of Krishna and his siblings, Balram and Subhadra, here. Every 12 or 19 years, the wooden idols are replaced. The temple that stands in the Jamalpur locality was established by Sadhu Sarangdasji around 450 years ago. This Sri Krishna temple is famous for its annual chariot festival, the Rath Yatra. It is the 3rd most important and largest after the Puri (Odisha) Ratha Yatra.
Bankey Bihari Temple, Vrindavan
Bankey Bihari is also in Vrindavan. The Krishna idol here stands in the Tribhanga posture. This Sri Krishna e temple enshrines Banke Bihari, the combined form of Radha and Krishna. The deity was originally worshipped at Nidhivan, Vrindavan. Later, when this temple was built around 1864, the idol of Banke Bihari was shifted to the new temple.
Udupi Sri Krishna Matha, Udupi
Udupi Sri Krishna Matha is a famous temple in Udupi, Karnataka. The temple is dedicated to Krishna and Dvaita Matha. The Matha area is like a living ashram. The Vaishnavite Saint and founder of the Dwaita school of Vedant, Jagadguru Shri Madhwacharya, established this Sri Krishna temple in the 13th century. Devotees have darshan of Krishna through an inner window called Navagraha Kindi.
Shrinathji Temple, Nathdwara
Shrinathji Temple is a famous Sri Krishna temple in Rajasthan. The main deity here is Shrinathji, a form of Krishna. The statue of Krishna was brought to the Nathdwara during the late 17th century. The deity is supposedly self-manifested from stone and emerged from the Govardhan Hills. Historically, the deity’s image was first worshipped at Govardhan Hill, which is near Mathura. Initially, the image was shifted from Mathura in 1672 CE along the Yamuna river. It was retained at Agra for nearly 6 months to safeguard it from the Mughal ruler Aurangzeb, who wanted to keep it with him in Agra.
Govind Dev Ji Temple, Jaipur
Located in Jaipur, Rajasthan, Govind Dev Ji Temple is a famous Sri Krishna temple in the City Palace of the Pink City. The temple enshrines Govind Dev (Krishna) and his consort Radha. The deities were brought from Vrindavan by Raja Sawai Jai Singh II, who founded Jaipur. This Vaishnav temple is one of the holiest temples for Krishna devotees. Supposedly, the image resembles Krishna’s face at the time of his incarnation on earth.