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Shahji Temple, Vrindavan
The Shahji Temple in old Vrindavan is the marble Krishna temple with twelve spiral pillars, built in the 1860s by two Lucknow brothers, Shah Kundan Lal and Shah Phundan Lal. Entry is free; inside are stone inlay panels, founders' portraits set in the floor and the chandeliered Basanti Kamra, opened only on certain festival days.
Twelve marble columns, each about fifteen feet tall and twisted like drawn sugar, hold up a temple that two Lucknow jewellers, the brothers Shah Kundan Lal and Phundan Lal, built in 1876. Everyone in town calls it Tedhe Khambe Wala Mandir, the temple of crooked pillars. Inside, the Basanti Kamra durbar hall carries Belgian chandeliers and painted scenes of the Raas Lila, and opens only on certain festival days; Chhote Radha Raman presides. Mughal arches, Rajasthani detail and European classical order share one building, which happens nowhere else in Braj. Shoes come off at the gate.
A jeweller's daydream in white marble, with twelve spiral pillars and Belgian chandeliers
What the Shahji Temple is
The Shahji Temple is a Krishna temple in old Vrindavan, near Nidhivan, built by two brothers from Lucknow, Shah Kundan Lal and Shah Phundan Lal. According to the temple, construction began in 1860 and took eight years, and in 1866 the brothers registered a waqf (a religious endowment) in favour of the deity, Sri Thakur Radha Raman Ji Maharaj, known here as Chhote Radha Raman.
Locally it is called Tedhe Khambe Wala Mandir, the temple of crooked pillars, after the twelve spiral marble columns, each about fifteen feet tall. The building mixes Mughal arches, Rajasthani detail and European classical order, a combination not seen elsewhere in Braj. Entry is free.
What to look for
Beyond the pillars, the details inside reward a slower look.
The twisted pillars
Twelve white marble columns carved in a spiral, the reason for the temple's popular name.
Founders' portraits in the floor
In the right verandah, portraits of the founders and their family are carved into the floor, not hung on a wall, so that devotees walk over them barefoot. In Braj the dust of the land (braj raj) is held sacred, and this way the founders would always receive it from the feet of pilgrims.
Stone inlay panels
Fourteen panels about five feet high around the lower sanctum, inlaid like enlarged miniatures: gopis (Krishna's cowherd companions) as musicians in Lucknow court dress, a girl flying pigeons, and another wringing water from her hair onto a peacock's beak.
The sanctum hall
About 40 by 35 feet under a forty-foot dome, with nine chandeliers and twelve life-size statues: eleven gopis in dance poses and one of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah performing seva (service) to the deity.
Basanti Kamra
The yellow durbar hall (also called Rituraj Bhawan) with painted walls and ceiling, gold-plated throne, doors and mirrors up to ten feet tall, fifteen Belgian glass chandeliers, and three fountains carved from a single block of white marble. It is opened only on certain festival days.
Festivals and when to go
The temple keeps the Braj festival year. Its own list includes Basant Panchami, Holi, Akshaya Tritiya, Jal Yatra, Rath Yatra, Jhulan Yatra, Janmashtami, Radha Ashtami, Sharad Purnima, Diwali with Annakut and Khichdi Bhog, as well as Phool Bangla, when the deity is decorated with flowers. Festival days are also when the Basanti Kamra may be open, so they are worth aiming for if you want to see it.
The brothers also wrote devotional poetry about the leelas (divine plays) of Radha and Krishna, collected as Abhilash Madhuri; the temple still publishes the book in Hindi and sends it by courier within India for ₹501 plus shipping.
✅ Etiquette
- Shoes off at the gate.
- It is a working temple: dress modestly and keep phones quiet in the sanctum.
- On the right verandah, the portraits under your feet are meant to be walked over barefoot: that is their purpose.
❓ FAQ
Who built the Shahji Temple in Vrindavan?
Two brothers from Lucknow, Shah Kundan Lal and Shah Phundan Lal. The temple dates construction to 1860–1868.
Why is it called the temple of crooked pillars?
Because of its twelve spiral marble columns; locally it is Tedhe Khambe Wala Mandir.
Is there an entry fee at the Shahji Temple?
No, entry is free. Shoes come off at the gate.
When is the Basanti Kamra open?
Only on certain festival days; it stays closed the rest of the year.
Which deity is worshipped at the Shahji Temple?
Sri Thakur Radha Raman Ji Maharaj, called Chhote Radha Raman, a form of Krishna.