Banke Bihari Temple is a famous Hindu shrine dedicated to Lord Krishna and is located in the holy city Vrindavan of Mathura District in Uttar Pradesh. It is a highly revered shrine of Vrindavan and is visited by ten of thousands of devotees.
The term ‘Banke’ means ‘bent in three places’, while ‘Bihari’ means ‘the supreme enjoyer’. Lord Banke Bihari is also known Thakurji, the owner of everything. Here the image of Lord Krishna stands in the Tribhanga posture.
Banke Bihari Temple History
The idol of lord Banke Bihari Ji was originally discovered by Swami Haridas of the Nimbarka Sect at Nidhivana in 16th century. He consecrated the idol in a temple and worshipped the deity in the form of Lord Kunj Bihari. The present temple was constructed in 1864 with the contribution of Goswamis. After constructing of temple, the idol of the presiding deity was moved from Nidhivana to this temple. Originally, the Lord Banke Bihari was worshiped alone but later on a small idol of Devi Radha rani was also enshrined on the side of Lord Krishna.
Swami Haridas Ji is the guru of Tansen who is a very famous singer. Swami Haridas was the reincarnation of Lalita ‘sakhi' (female friend), of the inner consortium of Lord Krishna in the Dwapara Yuga. He was staunch devotee of Banke Bihari and he dedicated all his devotional songs to Bake Bihari Ji.
Banke Bihari Temple : Customs and Rituals
The chant of 'radhe radhe' reverberates throughout the temple because it is said that Lord loves the name of 'Radha'.
The curtain before the deities is not left open for long time. Every few minutes the curtain is pulled shut and then opened again. It is said that the charm and beauty of Shri Banke Bihariji is such that if one stares long enough into the eyes of Shri Banke Bihariji, the person would lose his self-consciousness.
Here the Lord is worshiped and looked after just like a child. It is the only temple where loud temple bells are not used to wake Krishna in the morning. The Deities do not get up until 9 am. Even the Aarti is performed in a quiet environment without bells. Mangala Aarti is performed only once a year on Janmashtami Day while the lotus feet of Lord Krishna can be seen only on Akshaya Tritiya Day. The autumn full moon day is the only day that the Deity holds a flute. His full view can be perceived only for last five days of falgun month.
The deity is dressed up with all the colourful ornaments and offered bhog and Prasad which are according to the season. Many famous annual festivals are organized and celebrated with great pomp and glory in this temple. The temple adorns a special look during the month of Sravana. The entire premise is covered with flowers and other decorative items. During the month of Shravana i.e. from July-August, a swing festival of Lord Krishna called Jhulan Yatra is held. In this festival, a number of silver-plated and solid silver swings are displayed all over. The main day of Jhulan Yatra is the third day of the waxing moon. On this day Banke Bihari is placed on a golden swing called the hindola. The festival of Janmashtami is also celebrated with great religious fervour here. The whole temple is festooned with flowers and lights during this festival. On this day mangala aarti is performed very early in the morning and thousands of people flock the temple to attend this rare Mangala Aarti which is performed only once in a year.
How to reach Vrindavan
The closest major railway station to Vrindavan is at Mathura which is about 14 km from Vrindavan. Vrindavan also has a small railway station in which passenger train stops. Agra is the nearest airport which is 67 kms from Vrindavan. Regular flights connect Agra to important destinations in India such as Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata. The nearest international airport is Delhi and is at a distance of 142 km from Vrindavan. Vrindavan is placed on direct road link from Delhi and Agra. State road transport corporation buses connect Vrindavan with neighbouring cities including Mathura, Agra and Haridwar. Frequent buses, shared tempos or taxis are available throughout the day from Mathura to Vrindavan.