Mirabai Temple, Vrindavan: The Temple of the Saint Poetess of Krishna, Its Timings and How to Reach

Key takeaways

• Mirabai Temple honours the saint poetess Mira Bai in Vrindavan.

• Mira Bai left the palace of Chittorgarh for the love of Krishna.

• She lived in Vrindavan for a time in the 16th century.

• The shaligram she worshiped is still enshrined at the temple.

• It stands in the old lanes near Radha Damodar and Shah Ji.

• It is open morning and evening; darshan is free.

I am Gurudutt, born in Gokul in the Mathura district, guiding pilgrims through Braj since 2018: more than 50,000 of them. Among the temples of Vrindavan, tucked away in the old lanes, is one dear above all to those who love the saints of Krishna: the Mirabai Temple, honouring the great saint poetess Mira Bai, the princess who gave up a throne for the love of the Lord. It is a quiet and deeply devotional place, off the crowded path, where the very shaligram that Mira worshipped is enshrined to this day. Here is everything you need: her story, the temple’s significance, its timings, its location and how to reach it, told by someone from this land. See it on our Mathura Vrindavan Tour Package, message on WhatsApp at +91 7302265809, any day from 8 AM to 9 PM.

Who was Mira Bai?

To know the temple one must know Mira Bai, one of the best loved of all the saints of Krishna. Mira Bai, who lived in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, was a princess of the Rajputs, married into the royal house of Mewar at Chittorgarh in Rajasthan, and from her childhood she was given wholly to the love of Krishna, whom she worshipped as her only true husband and Lord, the Giridhar Gopal, the lifter of Govardhan. So complete was her devotion that she cared nothing for the comforts and the honours of her palace, and sang and danced in ecstasy before Krishna in the company of holy men, which scandalised her royal family; and it is told that she was persecuted for her devotion, even, in the legends, given poison, which by the Lord’s grace did not harm her. In the end she left the palace and the throne altogether and gave herself to a wandering life of devotion, singing the bhajans, the songs of love for Krishna, that are cherished and sung across India to this day. Her famous words say all of her: mere to Giridhar Gopal, dusro na koi, meaning nobody is mine except Giridhar Gopal, Sri Krishna.

Mira Bai in Vrindavan

In her wandering life of devotion, Mira Bai came to Vrindavan, the land of Krishna’s love, and lived here for a time, drawn to the holy town where her beloved Lord had played out his leelas. It is told that here she met and conversed with the great saints of the Vrindavan of her day, the Goswamis who were revealing the holy places of Braj, and that a famous meeting took place between Mira and the great Jiva Goswami or, in some tellings, Rupa Goswami, in which the saint, who kept apart from women, was won by Mira’s devotion and wisdom. Her time in Vrindavan is a cherished part of her story, and the Mirabai Temple marks and honours her dwelling here, keeping alive the memory of the princess saint who came to the land of Krishna for the love of him. It is this that makes the temple so dear to the devout.

The temple and the shaligram of Mira

The especial treasure of the Mirabai Temple is the shaligram shila, the sacred stone form of the Lord, that Mira Bai herself worshipped, which is enshrined and worshipped in the temple to this day, a living link across five centuries to the hands and the heart of the saint. The deities of the temple are Radha and Krishna, with Mira Bai herself, and this sacred shaligram of hers. It is told that the temple is cared for by the descendants of the very family that hosted Mira Bai during her stay in Vrindavan in the fifteenth century, so that both the sacred stone and the loving care of the temple reach back in an unbroken line to the saint’s own time. To take the darshan here, before the very shaligram that Mira adored, is a moving experience for every lover of the saints, and it is the heart of a visit to the temple.

Timings and darshan

The Mirabai Temple keeps a morning and an evening darshan, as the box above and the table below set out, closing in the middle of the day as is the way of the Vrindavan temples. The times shift a little with the summer and the winter, so treat them as the pattern and confirm on the day. It is a quiet and secluded temple, off the crowded path, so the darshan here is peaceful and unhurried, a place to sit a while and remember the devotion of Mira. There is no entry fee. The table gives the timings.

Mirabai Temple darshan timings. Verify on the day; times vary a little by season.

Location and how to reach the Mirabai Temple

The Mirabai Temple stands in the old lanes of Vrindavan, in the Mathura district of Uttar Pradesh, in a secluded street near the famous Radha Damodar Temple and close by the Shah Ji Temple and the Nidhivan, in the heart of the old temple quarter. Vrindavan is about twelve to fifteen kilometres from Mathura, the nearest railway junction, and about a hundred and eighty kilometres from Delhi, the nearest airport, by the Yamuna Expressway. Within Vrindavan the temple is reached on foot or by cycle rickshaw or e rickshaw through the narrow lanes; a good way, as the local devotees say, is to reach the Nidhivan and ask from there, for the temple is a short walk away through the old streets. Beware the monkeys of these lanes, who may snatch at spectacles or phones. The table gives the distances.

Reaching the Mirabai Temple, Vrindavan. Distances are approximate; verify on the day.

It pairs naturally with the other places to visit in Vrindavan, and our Mathura Vrindavan taxi service brings you to Vrindavan and its old town.

Nearby temples in Vrindavan

The Mirabai Temple sits among some of the greatest of the old Goswami temples of Vrindavan, and is best seen with them, for they lie close together in the old lanes. Nearest is the Radha Damodar Temple, the great seat of the Goswamis with its Giriraj shila given by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu; close by is the Shah Ji Temple with its famous twisted pillars; and a little further the mysterious Nidhivan, the Radha Raman, and the beloved Banke Bihari. Seen together, these make the old town of Vrindavan a profound pilgrimage of the saints and the deities of Krishna, with the Mirabai Temple among its tender and quiet treasures. Our Radha Damodar Temple guide covers the great temple beside it, and the three day Mathura Vrindavan pilgrimage tour takes in Vrindavan with the whole of Braj.

When to visit

The cool months of October to March are the most comfortable for a visit, and within the day the morning and the evening darshan are the loveliest and most peaceful times. Mira Bai’s own festival, the Mira Bai Jayanti, which falls around the autumn full moon of Sharad Purnima, is a specially beautiful time to honour her, and the great festivals of Krishna, Janmashtami and Holi and Radhashtami, fill the whole of Vrindavan with joy. The peak summer of May and June is very hot in the old town, so the cool season is far kinder. Our best time to visit Mathura Vrindavan guide is the seasons.

The honest bit

Honest words on the Mirabai Temple, from one born in Braj. Darshan is free, and no official VIP pass exists here or anywhere in Braj. This is a small, quiet and deeply devotional temple of a beloved saint, tucked in the old lanes off the crowded path, rather than a grand or famous monument, so come to it in that loving and unhurried spirit, to remember the devotion of Mira and to take the darshan of the shaligram she adored, and it will move you far more than a hurried glance can. Because it is secluded, it is best found by reaching the Nidhivan or the Radha Damodar Temple first and asking from there, or by taking a local who knows the lanes. Beware the monkeys of the old streets, who may snatch spectacles or phones, and hold your belongings close. Dress modestly, as everywhere in Braj. Come softly, in the mood of Mira’s own pure love for Krishna, and this tender temple will give you one of the sweetest and most peaceful moments in all of Vrindavan.

Why Experience My India is the right choice

I was born in Gokul Mahaban Bangar, and the temples and the lanes of Vrindavan are part of my own 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 Mirabai Temple is above all the finding of it, for it is secluded and easily missed, and then the full story of Mira Bai told on the ground, the meaning of the shaligram she worshipped, the honest word on the darshan, and the pairing of the temple with the Radha Damodar, the Shah Ji and the Nidhivan close by in the right order. One clear fare, and never a charge for free darshan.

Tip from Gurudutt: do not try to find the Mirabai Temple in a hurry or alone the first time, for it hides in the secluded old lanes and is easily missed, and the monkeys can trouble the unwary. Reach the Radha Damodar Temple or the Nidhivan first, and come to Mira’s temple from there, softly and unhurried. And come to know her story, for it is everything: the princess who gave up a throne, who cared nothing for poison or persecution, whose whole heart was in her words, nobody is mine except Giridhar Gopal. To take the darshan of the very shaligram she worshiped, with her story alive in your heart, is one of the tenderest experiences a lover of Krishna can have in Vrindavan.

Related guides

• Shah Ji Temple, Vrindavan: the twisted pillars temple

• Nidhivan and Sevakunj, Vrindavan: timings and history

• Madan Mohan Temple, Vrindavan: a complete guide

• Cheer Ghat, Vrindavan: the ghat of the cheer haran

• Vrindavan tourism: a complete travel guide

Plan your Vrindavan visit

Tell me your dates and your group, and I will build the Mirabai Temple and the great old temples of Vrindavan into your Braj trip, the hidden temple found, the story of Mira told on the ground, the Radha Damodar and the Shah Ji and the Nidhivan seen in the right order, with a car and a guide born on this soil, for one clear price. WhatsApp +91 7302265809, any day 8 AM to 9 PM. Packages from Rs 5,999 per person, 4.5 stars from 204 Google reviews. Born in Gokul, Mathura.