Govardhan Temples: The Sacred Temples of Giriraj, Their Timings and How to See Them

Key takeaways

• The chief Govardhan temple is the Haridev temple of Giriraj Maharaj.

• Other great temples are the Daan Ghati and the Mukharvind at Jatipura.

• Mansi Ganga, Radha Kund, Shyam Kund and Kusum Sarovar are the holy waters.

• The temples lie along the 21 km parikrama of the sacred hill.

• Most keep a morning and evening darshan with a midday break.

• Darshan is free; the hill is circled, never climbed.

I am Gurudutt, born in Gokul in the Mathura district, and Govardhan and its parikrama are part of my own devotional home ground. I have walked many times. Guiding pilgrims through Braj since 2018, more than 50,000 of them, I bring many to the sacred hill of Govardhan and its temples. Govardhan is not one temple but a whole holy landscape, the sacred hill of Giriraj ringed by temples and kunds along its parikrama, each with its own leela and its own worship. Here is my complete guide to the temples of Govardhan, their stories, their timings and how to see them all, told by someone from this land. Plan it with our Mathura Vrindavan Tour Package, message on WhatsApp at +91 7302265809, any day from 8 AM to 9 PM.

The temples of Govardhan: an overview

Govardhan, about twenty two kilometres west of Mathura, is one of the four great centres of Braj, and its temples are unlike those of any other place, for here the object of worship is above all the sacred hill itself, Giriraj Govardhan, revered as a living form of Krishna, the very hill that the Lord lifted upon his finger to shelter Braj from the storm of Indra. Because the hill is the Lord, the temples of Govardhan are ranged around it along the great parikrama, the circle of about twenty one kilometres that the pilgrims walk, and they are visited in the course of that sacred round rather than in a single town centre. They include grand temples of Giriraj, the leela shrines of the pastimes, and the holy kunds, the sacred ponds, which are as revered as the temples. The table gives the chief temples and sacred sites of Govardhan.

The chief temples and sacred sites of Govardhan.

Haridev temple: the temple of Giriraj Maharaj

The chief temple of Govardhan town is the Haridev temple, the great temple of Giriraj Govardhan Maharaj, where the Lord is worshipped in the form of the hill. It is an ancient and revered temple, one of the important old temples of Braj, and it is here that the pilgrims come to take the darshan of Giriraj and to hear the tale of Krishna lifting the hill. The name Haridev, it is told, arose when Radha Rani and the gopis and cowherds, waiting to meet Krishna by the Mansi Ganga and finding him late, began to call upon Haridev, the Lord, and he appeared to them here. It is the natural heart of a visit to Govardhan and a chief place of its worship.

Daan Ghati: the temple of the toll pass

The Daan Ghati temple is one of the most important and popular temples of Govardhan, and a chief starting point of the parikrama. Its name comes from the beloved leela of the daan, the toll, in which the young Krishna, in play, blocked the mountain pass here and demanded a toll of milk and butter and curd from the gopis as they passed with their wares, teasing and delighting them. The temple marks this spot of the toll pass, and here many pilgrims begin and end their circling of the hill, taking the darshan of Giriraj and offering their prayers before setting out. It is one of the busiest and most joyful of the Govardhan temples.

Mukharvind, Jatipura: the face of Giriraj

At Jatipura, on the parikrama, stands the Mukharvind, the sacred mukharvind or lotus face of Giriraj Govardhan, one of the holiest points of the whole hill and the great shringar sthali of the Pushti Marg, the path of Vallabhacharya. Here the sacred hill is worshipped as the face of the Lord, and the devotees pour milk over the Giriraj shila in loving abhishek and offer flowers, serving the Lord of the hill with their own hands. It is a place of deep and continuous worship, especially by the followers of the Vallabh tradition, and one of the most moving of all the Govardhan darshans. Our Giriraj Mukharvind, Jatipura guide tells its full story.

Mansi Ganga and Chakleshwar Mahadev

In the heart of Govardhan town lies the Mansi Ganga, the sacred lake that, it is told, Krishna created from his own mind, his manas, at the wish of the gopis, so that the holy Ganga herself might be present in Braj; its water is revered as holier even than the Ganga. The evening aarti of lamps upon the Mansi Ganga is one of the loveliest sights of Govardhan. On its bank stands the Chakleshwar Mahadev, the temple of Shiva as the guardian of Govardhan, for Shiva is held to guard every holy place of Krishna. Together the lake and its Shiva temple are a serene and sacred heart to the town, and a natural pause on the parikrama.

The holy kunds: Radha Kund, Shyam Kund and Kusum Sarovar

Among the very holiest places of Govardhan, revered as much as any temple, are the sacred kunds, the holy ponds. The Radha Kund and the Shyam Kund, the twin ponds at the village of Arita near the hill, are held the most sacred waters in all of Braj, beloved above all of the Gaudiya tradition, the bathing places of Radha and Krishna and revered as the eyes of Govardhan hill; to bathe or to sit by them, especially on the holy night of Ahoi Ashtami, is of the deepest merit. And the beautiful Kusum Sarovar, the lake of flowers where Radha came to gather blossoms to meet Krishna, with its graceful sandstone ghats and pavilions, is loveliest at sunset. These sacred waters are an essential part of the Govardhan pilgrimage. Our places to visit in Govardhan guide covers the hill and its sites in full.

The temples and the parikrama

The temples of Govardhan are not seen in a town centre but along the great parikrama, the circle of about twenty one kilometres that the pilgrims walk around the whole sacred hill, and the true way to see them is to walk that circle, pausing at each temple and kund along the way. The devout walk it barefoot, some doing the dandavati parikrama, measuring the whole distance with their prostrate bodies, an austerity of the deepest devotion. Along the circle lie the Daan Ghati, the Mukharvind, the Mansi Ganga, the kunds, the Poonchhari ka Lautha and the rest, so that the parikrama is itself a pilgrimage of all the temples. Those who cannot walk the full round see the chief temples by car. Our Govardhan, Uttar Pradesh guide covers the hill and its parikrama, and the three day Mathura Vrindavan pilgrimage tour takes in Govardhan with the whole of Braj.

Timings of the Govardhan temples

The temples of Govardhan each keep their own hours, but most follow the common pattern of the Braj temples: a morning darshan from the early hours until about midday, then a midday break when the deities rest, and an evening darshan from the late afternoon until night, with the aartis at dawn and dusk. The exact times vary from temple to temple and shift with the summer and the winter, so treat the hours below as the general pattern and confirm at each temple on the day. The kunds and the parikrama, being open ground, may be visited through the day and are loveliest at dawn and dusk. The table gives the general pattern.

General timings of the Govardhan temples. Vary by temple and season; verify on the day.

Location and how to reach Govardhan

Govardhan town lies about twenty two kilometres west of Mathura, in the Mathura district of Uttar Pradesh, an easy drive of about forty minutes by the Mathura Govardhan road. The nearest railway junction is Mathura, well connected across the country, about an hour from Agra and three to four hours from Delhi by the Yamuna Expressway; the nearest airport is Delhi, about a hundred and fifty kilometres, or Agra, about seventy. From Mathura a car or taxi is much the easiest way, and within Govardhan the parikrama is walked or the chief temples seen by car. The table gives the distances.

Reaching Govardhan. Distances are approximate; verify on the day.

Our Mathura to Govardhan distance guide has the routes, and our Mathura Vrindavan taxi service drives you to Govardhan and its temples.

When to visit

The cool months of October to March are much the best for a visit to Govardhan and its temples, pleasant for the darshan and above all for the parikrama, which is a long walk, punishing in the summer heat and lovely in the cool. The supreme day is Govardhan Puja, the day after Diwali, the very festival of the lifting of the hill, when the temples and the Annakut, the mountain of food offered to Giriraj, are at their most glorious; and Guru Purnima, the Mudia Poono, is another great day. These are magnificent but immensely crowded. The early morning is the finest and coolest time to begin. Our best time to visit Mathura Vrindavan guide is the seasons.

The honest bit

Honest words on the temples of Govardhan, from one who has walked its parikrama many times. Darshan everywhere is free, and no official VIP pass exists here or anywhere in Braj, whatever a tout may promise. The most important thing, held dear by every Brajwasi: the hill is circled, never climbed, for to set foot on Govardhan is to tread on Krishna himself, so never climb the hill, and step with care not to tread on its stones. The full parikrama is twenty one kilometres on foot, a real undertaking, so wear easy footwear or go barefoot as the devout do, carry water, start before dawn and pace yourself; the elderly may see the chief temples by car. The kunds are holy but their water is not always clean, so honour them and bathe with care. Plan by the temple hours and the cool of the morning, respect the deep devotion of this place, and the temples of Govardhan will give you one of the profoundest experiences in all of Braj.

Why Experience My India is the right choice

I was born in Gokul Mahaban Bangar, and Govardhan and its parikrama are part of my own devotional home ground. Guiding since 2018, more than 50,000 pilgrims, 4.5 stars across 204 Google reviews, WhatsApp first, 8 AM to 9 PM daily. What a local brings to the temples of Govardhan is the parikrama begun at the right point and paced for your party, the temples and kunds seen and understood in order, the darshan timed around the midday breaks, the leela of each place told on the ground, the honest guidance to circle and never climb, and a car for those who cannot walk the whole. One clear fare, and never a charge for free darshan.

Tip from Gurudutt: see the temples of Govardhan not as separate stops but as the sacred stations of the one great parikrama, and if you can, walk at least a part of that circle rather than only driving between the temples. Begin before dawn at the Daan Ghati, take the darshan of Giriraj, pour milk at the Mukharvind at Jatipura, pause at the Mansi Ganga for the morning light, and bathe your eyes at the Radha Kund. To walk the hill, honouring the Lord who is the mountain and never treading upon him, is a devotion that the hurried car pilgrim never tastes. It is the truest way to know Govardhan.

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Plan your Govardhan temples visit

Tell me your dates and your group, and I will build the temples of Govardhan into your Braj trip, the parikrama planned and paced, the temples and kunds seen in the right order and timed around the darshan hours, with a car and a guide who has walked the hill many times, for one clear price. WhatsApp +91 7302265809, any day 8 AM to 9 PM. Packages from Rs 1,999 per person, 4.5 stars from 204 Google reviews. Born in Gokul, Mathura.