Jaipur Govind Dev Ji Temple

Address

Jalebi Chowk, Jai Niwas Garden,

Jaipur, Rajasthan 302002

Moolavar

Govind Dev (Krishna)

Amman

Radha

Introduction

The historic Govind Dev Ji temple of Gaudiya Vaishnavism tradition is situated in City Palace of Jaipur in Rajasthan, India. The temple is dedicated to Govind Dev (Krishna) and his consort Radha. The deities of the temple were brought from Vrindavan by Raja Sawai Jai Singh II, the founder of Jaipur. This Vaishnav temple is considered to be one of the most sacred and significant temple for devotees.

Puranic Significance

The temple was built in 1735 by Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh II and houses the idol of Lord Krishna’s form, Govind Dev ji, which was the main deity of Amber’s Kachawaha Dynasty. According to the popular legend, the image of Govind Devji is also called “Bajrakrit” because it was created by Bajranabh – The great-grandson of Krishna. Around 5,000 years ago when Bajranabh was around 13 years old, he asked his Grandmother (daughter-in-law of Krishna) as to how Krishna looked like. Then based on her description, he made three images. In first image, the feet show the resemblance with the Krishna’s feet. In second image, chest area looked like Krishna’s. In third image, the face showed complete resemblance with Krishna’s face when he was incarnated on Earth.

The first one image is known as Lord “Madan Mohan ji”. The second image is called as “Gopinath ji” and the third image is popular with the name of “Govind Devji”. With the passing of ages, these pious divine images were also lost. Some 500 years ago, Vaishnava Acharya Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu asked one of his disciples Sri Rupa Goswami to excavate the divine icon of Govinda, which had been buried to protect it from the invaders.

This is the place where Vedānta-ācārya Śrīla Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa commenced writing the Govinda-bhasya (commentary on the Brahma Sutras). It is said that Govind Devji himself instructed the acharya in his dreams to write the commentary. The famous commentary is the root of legitimacy for the Gaudiya-Vaishnavas. It was after delivering this commentary, Srila Baladeva Vidyabhusana’s arguments proved victorious, defeating and convincing the Ramanandis during the famous Shastrartha (debate) at Galtaji, Jaipur. He was then given the honorific title “Vedāntācārya”.

For all Vaishnavas, Sri Radha Govind Dev ji temple is one of the most important temples outside Vrindavan.

In this temple, “Aartis” and “Bhog” are offered seven times a day when the deity is unveiled for “Darshan”. Thousands of devotees visit the temple daily and an even larger number visit during Janmashtami.

Special Features

The Govind Ji Temple is built in sandstone and marble with ceilings covered with gold. The architecture of the temple building has a mix of Rajasthani, Muslim as well as Classical Indian elements to it. Since it was built beside a royal residence, the walls are adorned with chandeliers as well as paintings. The temple is also surrounded by a lush green garden and the garden is known by the name, ‘Talkatora’.