Sri Radha Madan Mohan Temple Vrindavan

Of all the popular tourist attractions in Vrindavan, Madan Mohan Temple is one of the oldest and also a highly revered temple in the city. Despite being old, the appearance of the temple, which is built in the Nagra style of architecture, is quite impressive. Overlooking the holy Yamuna River, Madan Mohan Temple stands at a height of 50 feet near Kaliya Ghat. It is one of the most popular Goswami shrines in Uttar Pradesh. The name of the temple has a beautiful meaning where the term Madan refers to 'Kamadev' (God of love and desire), and Mohan stands for 'One Who Charms'. Quite fittingly, the presiding deity of the temple is Lord Madan Mohan, one who can charm Kamdev.

History of the Temple

Madan Mohan Temple is linked with a fascinating mythological tale, according to which, this popular Hindu temple in Vrindavan is 5000 years old. It is also believed that the great-grandson of Lord Krishna - Vajranabh, built this temple for the first time. However, according to historical sources, it was in 1580 that this temple was rebuilt under the guidance of Sri Sanatana Goswami by Kapur Ram Das - a trader from Multan. As the region was invaded by Mughal emperor Aurangzeb in 1670, the original idol of Madan Mohan was secretly shifted to Jaipur. When Aurangzeb attacked the holy city of Varanasi, the spire of the temple was completely destroyed. Later, in the early 19th century, as the old and destroyed temple was found unfit for worship, a new temple was built by Nand Kumar Bose. Today, this temple houses replicas of the original deities.

Legend

According to the legend associated with Madan Mohan Temple, Lord Krishna rested at the hill where the temple stands today. After conquering Kaliya Nag, Lord Krishna emerged from the waters of River Yamuna, completely drenched and cold. To provide Lord Krishna warmth, 12 suns manifested themselves on the hill. However, as a result of the scorching heat, Lord Krishna began to sweat and consequently formed a lake.