Janmasthana
A Comprehensive Guide to Śrī Vṛndāvana Dhāma
This is the birthplace of Lord Krishna. The temple here is called the Kesava Deva Temple. The main Deities in this temple are Radha and Krishna (Lord Kesava). Lord Kesava, one of the four presiding “Deva” Deities of Vraja, was installed here by Vajranabha, the great grandson of Krishna. Vajranabha was the son of Aniruddha, whose father, Pradyumna, was the son of Krishna. The other main “Deva” Deities are Govindadeva at Vrindavana, Harideva at Govardhana, and Baladeva at Dauji (Baladeva), near Gokula.
The original Deity of Keshava was moved to Rajdhani, a small village near Kanpur. This Deity is no longer at Rajdhani. The people there say that someone has taken the Deity to Mumbai.
The central Deities in the temple are Radha-Keshava. On the left altar, by the entrance door, are Lord Jagannath, Balarama, and Subhadra, being looked at by Sri Caitanya. On the right altar are Sita, Rama, and Laksman. Across from them is Hanuman.
There is a Siva-linga called Sri Keshavesvara in front of the Deities of Sita-Rama. Directly across from this Siva-linga is Durga Devi. In the back of the temple room are statues of the three men who financed the construction of the temple: Yugala-kisora Birla, Madan Mohan Malavir, and Hanuman Prasada Poddar.
There have been several major temples built on this site. The first temple here was constructed almost 5,000 years ago by Vajranabha, the great-grandson of Lord Krishna. The next big temple was constructed here during the time of the Gupta Emperor Chandragupta Vikra-maditya around 400 AD. This temple was so grand that it was said that neither painting nor description could describe it. Mahmud of Ghazni destroyed this temple in 1017 AD.
Another temple was built here in 1150. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu visited this temple. It was destroyed in the 16th century during the reign of Sikander Lodi.
During the reign of Jahangir, Raja Veer Singh Bundela of Orchha constructed another temple about 75m (250 ft) high at the cost of Rs 3.3 million. In 1669 Aurangzeb destroyed this temple and had a mosque, which is still here, built from the materials of the temple.
Construction started on the present temple in 1965. The temple cost Rs 15 million to construct. Next to the temple is a small room that looks like a prison cell, where it is said that Lord Krishna appeared. Aurangzeb’s mosque is directly next to the temple, but it is normally closed.
How To Get There This temple is located away from the main business area of Mathura, in northwest Mathura. Everyone knows where this temple is located. It is a large temple, which you cannot miss from the outside. You can take a tempo to the intersection near this temple.
Temple Timings The Deities can be viewed from April to October 5 am to 12 noon and 4 pm to 9 pm and from November to March 5.30 am to 12 noon and 3 pm to 8 pm.
Lord Krishna’s Appearance Place
Next to the Kesava Deva Temple is the room where it is said that Lord Krishna appeared. There is also another temple near this one that claims to be the real appearance place of Krishna. It is about 250m away, to the north of Potra Kunda. At this other temple, there are deities of Vasudeva, Devaki, and four-armed Krishna. Darshan is from 8 am to 8 pm at this temple. Growse, who was a famous historian, wrote in his book about Mathura that the appearance place of Krishna was north of Potra Kunda, which is where this temple is located.
Lord Krishna descends, in His original form, once in a day of Brahma, which is 4 billion, 320 million years. Lord Krishna took birth here about 5,000 years ago in Dvapara-yuga. Krishna appeared at midnight, on the eighth day of the waning moon, in the month of Bhadra (Aug-Sept), in the jailhouse of King Kamsa, in Mathura. The leader of the demons, Kamsa, had imprisoned Krishna’s father, Vasudeva, and mother, Devaki. Devaki was the cousin (sister) of Kamsa. They were imprisoned because there was a prophecy that the eighth son of Devaki would kill Kamsa.
Before Krishna had appeared, Kamsa had already killed the first six sons of Devaki.
How To Get Here To get to the other place that claims to be the real appearance place of Lord Krishna, if you are on the main street facing the main Kesava Deva Temple complex, you make a left and go toward Potra Kunda. When you reach Potra Kunda, you make a right. You then make a left, to go around the kunda and go about 40m (125 feet). You then turn right at the road here and go about 40m (125 feet), and the yard that this temple is located in is on your left. From the outside, looking in the yard, there is no way you would think there was a temple here. The temple is in a small concrete building, about 3m (9 feet) tall, 6m (20 feet) wide and 3m (10 feet) deep. There is a sign, near the entrance to the yard that says this is the real appearance place of Lord Krishna.