India GO
Krishna temples in Vrindavan
कृष्ण
Almost every temple in Vrindavan belongs to Krishna, but not to the same Krishna. Each keeps a different form of him: the child who must not be tired at Banke Bihari, Radha's beloved at Radha Raman, the boy tied with a rope at Radha Damodar. Planning a temple day is covered on the [Vrindavan temples page](/en/vrindavan/temples/).
Krishna
The eighth avatar of Vishnu; for Gaudiya Vaishnavas and ISKCON, the Supreme himself: cowherd, lover, Arjuna's charioteer and the voice of the Bhagavad Gita.
Why Vrindavan is Krishna's town
Krishna is the eighth avatar of Vishnu, and for Gaudiya Vaishnavas and ISKCON the Supreme himself. By tradition he was born in a prison in Mathura and grew up a cowherd in Braj, the country around Mathura and Vrindavan. That childhood is what Vrindavan worships: the boy who stole butter, played the flute and danced with the gopis (cowherd girls), with Radha almost always beside him. In the 16th century the Goswamis, followers of the saint Chaitanya, settled here to find the places of these stories, and several old temples go back to them. More: Krishna.
Which Krishna is where
Darshan (seeing the deity) at Banke Bihari is free, with no ticket.
Banke Bihari: the child who must not be tired
A self-manifested deity, by tradition given to the saint Swami Haridas, served as a small child: a curtain is drawn across the sanctum every minute or two, and there is no daily dawn service to wake him. The one mangala aarti of the year falls on Janmashtami night. Phones, leather and shoes stay outside. Banke Bihari Mandir.
Radha Raman: Radha's beloved, from a stone
The name means the beloved of Radha. The deity is believed to have emerged by itself from a shalagram, a sacred river stone, for Gopal Bhatta Goswami in the 16th century; Radha has no separate image and is held to stand beside him unseen. Radha Raman Mandir.
Radha Damodar: the boy tied with a rope
Damodara is the child Krishna whom Yashoda tied with a rope; Jiva Goswami founded this courtyard temple for him in 1542. It is his month that Vrindavan keeps in Kartik, with lamps every evening. Radha Damodar Temple.
Krishna and Balarama at ISKCON
Krishna with his elder brother Balarama, installed by Prabhupada on 20 April 1975. Mangala aarti at 4:30 opens the day, and the kirtan (communal singing) is why most people come. ISKCON Vrindavan.
Radha and Krishna together
Jugal Kishore by Keshi Ghat (1627), the quiet Jaipur Temple (1917), the white marble of Prem Mandir, the twisted pillars of Shahji Temple and the unfinished Chandrodaya Mandir.
Radha's own temple in Barsana
About 45 km away, the Shri Radha Rani temple crowns the hill above Barsana, where Radha's family lived. Radha Rani Temple, Barsana.
The temples whose Krishna left
When Vrindavan was sacked on Aurangzeb's orders in 1670, the original deities of two of the oldest temples were carried away and never came back. Govind Dev, whose red sandstone temple dates from 1590, has been worshipped in Jaipur since the early 18th century; the building here is a protected monument with small-scale worship (Govind Dev Temple). Madan Mohan, from the oldest temple still standing in town (1580), went to Jaipur and then to Karauli, and a replica is served beside the old tower (Madan Mohan Temple).
Places of the story, not temples
Four places on the list have no great shrine; they are honoured because a story happened there. Nidhivan is the grove of the rasa-lila, Krishna and Radha's dance, closed after sunset because no one may stay at night. Keshi Ghat is where Krishna killed the horse-demon Keshi; come at dusk for the Yamuna aarti. Seva Kund is a walled garden with a small Radharani temple. Tatiya Sthan is a grove that never took electricity, with slow dhrupad bhajan in the evening.
✅ Krishna's year in Vrindavan
Dates from the India GO festival calendar; projected dates are confirmed nearer the time.
- Kartik, 27 October – 24 November 2026 (projected) — Lamps every evening for Damodara at ISKCON, Radha Damodar and Keshi Ghat. Book rooms two months ahead. Kartik in Vrindavan.
- Holi, March 2027 — Lathmar Holi in Barsana from 16 March (projected), then Holi itself on 22–23 March. Lathmar Holi.
- Janmashtami, 25–26 August 2027 — Banke Bihari reopens at 2:00 for its once-a-year mangala aarti at 3:30; outside vehicles are barred from the morning before, so stay in town. Janmashtami in Vrindavan.
Festival crowds at Banke Bihari
On Janmashtami and Holi the crowd at Banke Bihari becomes genuinely dangerous; there have been fatal crushes. Go only if crowds do not frighten you, never with small children, and keep to the one-way flow. ISKCON and the smaller temples keep the same nights with far smaller crowds.
❓ FAQ
How many Krishna temples are there in Vrindavan?
There is no official count, but most of Vrindavan's temples are Krishna's; the India GO list above gathers 16 of the best known places.
Is there a place in Vrindavan where Krishna comes?
By tradition, Nidhivan: Krishna and Radha are believed to dance the rasa-lila there at night, which is why the grove is closed after sunset.
Sources (11)
- Shri Banke Bihari Temple, official site
- Radha Damodar Temple (District Mathura)
- ISKCON Vrindavan temple timing (official)
- Krishna
- Govind Dev Ji Temple
- Radha Madan Mohan Temple, Vrindavan
- Radha Raman Temple, Vrindavan
- Nidhivan, Vrindavan
- Keshi (demon)
- Shri Banke Bihari Temple: Do's and Don'ts (official)
- Krishna Balaram Mandir