Banke Bihari Temple

The Banke Bihari temple, situated in the holy city of Vrindavan in the Mathura district, is one of the most famous Krishna temples in India. Dedicated to Lord Banke Bihari (a form of Lord Krishna), the temple was founded by Shri Swami Haridas in 1864. Here Lord Krishna is observed in his childhood phase, with the rituals and offerings made to the deity reflecting this.
Thousands of devotees visit the Banke Bihari temple each and every day where worshipping Bihari is expressed in three daily ‘sewas’ – Shringar, Rajbhog and Shayan. Shringar involves bathing and dressing the deity, Rajbhog means feeding/offering food, while Shayan in the evenings involves the preparation for sleep.
During the monsoon months in north India, the temple is decorated with flowers and lights. Unlike other Hindu places of worship, the Banke Bihari temple doesn't comprise any bells because the sound is said to disturb Lord Bihari.

Practical Info

The major railway station near the temple is Mathura on the Delhi-Chennai and Delhi-Mumbai main line. The temple runs to a different timetable in the summer to that in the winter months. In the summer, worship occurs from 7:45am to noon and from 5:30 to 9:30pm. In the winter, it’s 8:45am to 1pm and 4:30 to 8:30pm.