Govind Dev Ji Temple is situated in the City Palace complex of Jaipur in Rajasthan, India. The temple is a famous tourist spot in Rajasthan along with high religious value.
The Hindu temple Govind Dev Ji is considered to be one of the famous temples in Rajasthan, India. The temple is devoted to Govind Dev Ji or Lord Krishna and is one of the 7 temples of Thakur of Vrindavan that includes temples of Shri Bankey Bihari Ji, Shri Govind Dev Ji, Shri Radhavallabh Ji and four others. The murti or the idol of the deity was brought to Jaipur from vrindavan by Raja Sawai Jai Singh II who was the founder of Jaipur. But the temple was constructed by Akbar, the Mughal Emperor. It is also believed that the idol of Lord Krishna in the temple look exactly like the form Krishna took during his incarnation on Earth.
Originally the idol belonged to one of the disciples of Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Srila Rupa Goswami. Also the legend says that the idol is called as Bajrakrit because it was created by the great grandson of Lord Krishna Bajranabh. The temple is one of the important temples for Vaishnavites or followers of Krishna outside Vrindavan. Here in the temple the deity is offered aarti and bhog seven times a day when unveiled for Darshan. On daily basis a thousand numbers of devotees visit this temple and on the occasion of Janmashtami even a larger number of people visit the temple. During aarti, the devotees can have a darshan of the lord.
Govind Dev Ji Temple History
Here the main deity is Sri Krishna and the idol was brought from Vrindavan by the King Sawai Jai Singh II. When the force of Mughal Emporer Aurangzeb was destroying the temples of Vrindavan, the priest kept the idol at a hidden place. Later the king brought the idol to Jaipur from Vrindavan Religious Places in Rajasthan.
Govind Dev Ji Temple Jaipur is located in between the Badal Mahal and Chandra Mahal in the City Palace complex. It was earlier known as Suraj mahal where Sawai Jai Singh II used to stay during the establishment of the city Jaipur. The palace was converted into the temple after the king saw a dream that this Lord Sri Krishna owned this particular place.
The idol of Govind Dev Ji resembles the newborn look of Sri Krishna. Previously the idol belonged to Srila Rupa Goswami a disciple of Lord Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. This idol of Sri Krishna is also known as Bajrakrit as it is believed that the idol was created by Sri Krishna’s grandson Bajranabh 5000 years ago. The idol was buried underneath before Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu excavated it about 500 years ago.
In Govind Dev Ji Temple Jaipur, the deity is offered aarti and Bhog seven times a day. Also, during this time the idol of Sri Krishna is unveiled for Darshan. The temple is visited by thousands of devotees every day and during Janmashtami and other festivals, devotees from all over Rajasthan and other places of India gather here. Devotees also like to witness the auspicious event of Aarti in the evening.
Architecture of the temple
The Temple was built by Sawai Man Singh, the Emperor of Amber at that time (1590) with the help of Emperor Akbar. It is said that Akbar provided the same red marbles that were used in constructing the Agra Fort in Uttar Pradesh. It was regarded as the largest Temple of the world at that time. The Templeis spread from East to West in 117 feet length and 105 feet from North to South. Emperor Akbar also donated 135 acres land for the cows to live and feed.
After the temple was finished an idol of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was also placed at the right side of the Krishna idol.
The ceiling of the temple is beautifully adorned with golden decorations. The position of the temple allowed a direct view of it to the Maharaja who wished to see the idol from his Chandra Mahal palace. The Garden has a special name given to it, which is ‘Takatora’ and is popular among the children and youngsters who find different kinds of activities here.
Best Time To Visit
The best time to visit the Govind Dev Ji Temple is during Janmashtami, a festival which celebrates the birth of Lord Krishna. Devotees can start visiting the temple from 5:00 AM, when the first “Aarti” starts. The temple remains open till 9:00 PM.
The temple of Lord Govind Dev Ji Temple is dedicated to Lord Krishna and boasts of the royal past of Jaipur city. The temple is an extraordinary representation of the architecture of Jaipur as seen during the reign of the Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II, the founder of the city. It is a very important spiritual and religious destination for Hindus, especially the devotees of Lord Krishna.
How To Reach Govind Ji Temple
The City Palace of Jaipur is situated just in the heart of the city, in which the Govind Dev Ji Temple is located. No matter where you are living in Jaipur, you will find direct communicating service till here. You can book a taxi, a shuttle, auto rickshaw or come here by bus- the cheapest mode of transport available in Jaipur. The National Capital of Delhi is also well connected by roads; it is just about 270 kilometers away from the Temple.
