Keshav Dev Temple, Mathura: The Ancient Temple at Krishna’s Birthplace, Its History, Timings and How to Reach

Key takeaways

• Keshav Dev Temple stands at Krishna’s birthplace in Mathura.

• It lies within the Shri Krishna Janmasthan or Janmabhoomi complex.

• Keshav Dev is one of the thousand names of Lord Krishna.

• The temple was destroyed and rebuilt many times across history.

• The present temple was completed in 1958 with industrialist support.

• Darshan is free; it opens for morning and evening sessions.

I am Gurudutt, born in Gokul in the Mathura district, guiding pilgrims through Braj since 2018: more than 50,000 of them. Keshav Dev Temple is not one temple among many but the temple at the very heart of Mathura’s meaning, for it stands at the birthplace of Krishna himself and its long history of destruction and rebuilding is the history of the devotion of Braj through the ages. Here is its story, its unique deity, the timings and aarti schedule and how to reach it, told by someone from this district. Add it to your Mathura trip with our Mathura Vrindavan Tour Package, message on WhatsApp at +91 7302265809, any day from 8 AM to 9 PM.

What is Keshav Dev Temple?

Keshav Dev Temple is the ancient temple of Lord Krishna at his very birthplace in Mathura, standing within the great Shri Krishna Janmasthan complex, close to the sacred prison cell where, tradition holds, Krishna was born to Devaki and Vasudeva under the tyranny of King Kansa. Its deity is Keshav Dev, which is one of the thousand names of Krishna, worshipped here in a beloved long haired form that devotees believe fulfils the wishes of those who take darshan. It is, in a sense, the original temple of the birthplace and though its structure has been raised, thrown down and raised again across the centuries, the sanctity of the ground has never changed. The table gives the essentials at a glance.

Keshav Dev Temple, Mathura, at a glance.

The long history of the temple

Few temples in India have a history so long or so marked by destruction and devotion as this one and it is worth knowing before you visit. Tradition holds that the first temple at the birthplace was built by Vajranabha, the great grandson of Krishna himself, some five thousand years ago. It was rebuilt in grander form around the fourth century, in the age of the Gupta emperor Chandragupta Vikramaditya and the great Bhakti saint Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is said to have come here in the sixteenth century. Across the long centuries the temple was destroyed by successive invaders and each time rebuilt by the faithful, a cycle repeated again and again: thrown down and raised once more.

In the reign of the Mughal emperor Jahangir, Raja Bir Singh Bundela of Orchha built a magnificent temple here at great cost, which stood for some decades. In 1669 to 1670, in the reign of Aurangzeb, this temple was demolished and the Shahi Idgah was raised on the site and this is the historical fact of the place, plainly recorded. In the centuries that followed the ground passed through many hands and at last, in the twentieth century, the present Keshav Dev temple was built within the Janmasthan complex with the support of the industrialist families of Dalmia and Birla and the efforts of devotees such as Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya and Hanuman Prasad Poddar and it was inaugurated in 1958. That a temple stands and thrives here again today, after so many centuries of destruction and rebuilding, is itself the deepest testament to the devotion of Braj.

The deity: the long haired Keshav Dev

The deity of the temple is Krishna worshipped as Keshav Dev, one of his thousand sacred names. He is shown here in a beloved long haired form, richly adorned and there is a tender belief among devotees that to take darshan of the long haired Keshav Dev with a true heart brings the fulfilment of one’s wish. Many who come speak of a powerful sense of the Lord’s presence at this spot above all others, for it is his very birthplace and it is not unusual to see pilgrims moved to tears before the deity. Whatever one seeks, to stand before Keshav Dev at the place where Krishna was born is, for the devout, the summit of a Mathura pilgrimage.

The Janmasthan complex around it

Keshav Dev Temple does not stand alone but within the wider Shri Krishna Janmasthan complex, the cluster of sacred places at the birthplace and a visit takes them together. Close by is the Garbha Griha, the sanctum built over the actual prison cell of Krishna’s birth, the holiest point of all and the grand Bhagavata Bhavan with its shrines of Radha and Krishna and other deities. Nearby too is the Potra Kund, the sacred tank where the infant Krishna’s baby clothes are said to have been washed. Seen together, these make the birthplace complex the spiritual heart of Mathura and Keshav Dev the ancient temple at its centre. Our Krishna Janmabhoomi guide covers the whole complex in detail.

Timings and aarti

Keshav Dev Temple opens for a morning and an evening darshan, with the temple closed in the middle of the day and its aarti sewas run through these sessions. The morning brings the Mangla Aarti and, later, the Rajbhog Aarti; the evening brings the Sandhya Aarti, whose hour shifts between summer and winter and the day closes with the Sayan Aarti. The full schedule is given in the box above and the tables below. As with every temple, the exact times shift a little with the season and on festival days, so treat these as the pattern and confirm on the day. Allow about an hour for a full and unhurried visit.

Keshav Dev Temple darshan timings. Verify on the day; times vary by season and festival.

Keshav Dev Temple aarti and sewa timings. Verify on the day; times vary by season.

Festivals at the temple

The great day of Keshav Dev Temple, as of all the birthplace, is Janmashtami, the birth of Krishna in late summer, when the Janmasthan becomes the very centre of the nation’s devotion and the celebrations of the midnight birth are of an intensity found nowhere else on earth, for this is the actual spot. The temple also holds special occasions such as the Chhappan Bhog, the offering of fifty six delicacies, on Vasant Panchami and the darshan of the many forms of Keshav Dev on Akshaya Teej. To be at the birthplace on Janmashtami is the dream of every Krishna devotee, though the crowds are immense; for a calmer darshan, an ordinary day is far gentler. Our festivals of Braj page has a calendar.

Location and how to reach Keshav Dev Temple

Keshav Dev Temple stands at Chowk Bazar, within the Krishna Janmabhoomi complex, in the old city of Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, pin code 281001. It is in the heart of Mathura, easily reached by local auto rickshaw or e rickshaw from the Mathura Junction railway station and the bus stand, both a short ride away and it sits close to the other great sights of the old city, the Dwarkadhish temple, the Vishram Ghat and the Potra Kund. Mathura is about 150 kilometres from Delhi by the Yamuna Expressway and about 60 from Agra. Security at the Janmabhoomi is strict and phones, cameras and bags are not allowed inside, so leave them in your vehicle. The table gives the essentials.

Reaching Keshav Dev Temple. Distances are approximate; verify on the day.

It sits at the heart of any Mathura sightseeing day and our Mathura Vrindavan taxi service drives you around the old city’s sights.

When to visit

The cool months of October to March are the most comfortable for a visit to the birthplace and the old city around it and during the day the early morning, for the Mangla Aarti and the evening, for the Sandhya Aarti, are the most beautiful and devotional times. Janmashtami in late summer is the supreme occasion here, the birth of Krishna at his very birthplace, magnificent beyond words but overwhelmingly crowded. For a calm and unhurried darshan, a cool weekday morning outside festival time is ideal. Our best time to visit Mathura Vrindavan guide is the seasons.

The honest bit

Honest words on Keshav Dev Temple. Darshan is free and no official VIP pass exists here or anywhere in Braj; at the Janmabhoomi security is strict and phones, cameras and bags are not allowed inside, so leave them behind and do not let a tout mind them for a fee or sell you special access. The temple closes in the middle of the day, so time your visit for the morning or evening session rather than the closed midday. The history of this place includes its destruction and rebuilding across many centuries, which I have set down plainly as recorded fact; I tell the history and leave the present matters of the site to others, for my purpose is to help you take darshan in peace. Come early, come reverent and the birthplace of Krishna will move you as few places can.

Why Experience My India is the right choice

I was born in Gokul Mahaban Bangar, in this district and the birthplace of Krishna at Mathura is the heart of my own homeland’s faith. 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 Janmabhoomi is the timing for the Mangla or Sandhya Aarti when the darshan is at its most beautiful; the knowledge of the security so you arrive without phones and lose no time; the story of the ancient temple told with care; and the weaving of Keshav Dev into a full day of old Mathura with the Dwarkadhish and the ghats. One clear fare and never a charge for free darshan.

Tip from Gurudutt: come to Keshav Dev for the early morning Mangla Aarti if you can and leave your phone and bag in the car before you reach the gate. The birthplace is at its most peaceful and most powerful in the early morning, before the crowds and being unencumbered by the things security forbids means you walk straight in and give yourself wholly to the darshan. To stand before the long haired Keshav Dev at dawn, at the very place of Krishna’s birth, is the summit of a Mathura pilgrimage.

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Plan your Mathura visit

Tell me your dates and your group and I will build Keshav Dev and the Janmabhoomi into your Mathura day, timed for the aarti and the security, woven together with the Dwarkadhish and the ghats, with a car that drives you and a guide who knows the old city, 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.