Radha Damodar Temple, Vrindavan: Timings, Aarti, the Govardhan Shila and History

Radha Damodar Temple at a glance

Radha Damodar Temple, Vrindavan, at a glance.

Key takeaways

• Radha Damodar is one of the seven great Goswami temples of Vrindavan.

• It was founded by Jiva Goswami, one of the Six Goswamis.

• It holds a Govardhan Shila: four circuits equal one hill parikrama.

• It keeps morning and evening darshan on seasonal hours; entry is free.

• It is where Srila Prabhupada of ISKCON lived and wrote.

• It sits on the Parikrama Marg near Seva Kunj and Radha Raman.

I am Gurudutt, born in Gokul in the Mathura district, guiding pilgrims through Braj since 2018: more than 50,000 of them. Radha Damodar is a small temple that carries an enormous weight of history and I take particular care to bring pilgrims here because so many walk straight past it on the Parikrama Marg without knowing what is inside. It is a temple of the Goswamis, the great scholar saints of Vrindavan; it holds a Govardhan stone that grants the blessing of the whole hill; and it is the room where the founder of the worldwide Hare Krishna movement sat and wrote. Here are the timings, the story and how to find it. Add it to your Vrindavan day with our Mathura Vrindavan Tour Package, message on WhatsApp at +91 7302265809, any day from 8 AM to 9 PM.

One of the seven Goswami temples

Radha Damodar is one of the seven principal temples founded by the Goswamis of Vrindavan, the circle of scholar saints sent by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu to recover and record the sacred places of Braj in the sixteenth century. It was established under Jiva Goswami, nephew of the great Rupa and Sanatana and himself one of the most learned of the six and the deity of Damodar, a form of Krishna bound at the waist by mother Yashoda, was worshipped here with Radha at his side. The temple stands alongside the other Goswami foundations, our guides to Radha Raman and Madan Mohan covering two of its great companions and together they form the devotional and scholarly heart of old Vrindavan.

The Govardhan Shila: the hill in a stone

This is the treasure of Radha Damodar and the reason many pilgrims come. The temple holds a Govardhan Shila, a sacred stone from Govardhan hill, given by Sanatana Goswami and bearing, in the tradition, the very footprint of Krishna. Its power is this: to circle this stone four times is held to equal one full parikrama of Govardhan hill itself.

Understand what that means for a pilgrim. The Govardhan parikrama is a walk of some twenty one kilometres around the hill, taking five to seven hours and Govardhan is circled and never climbed because the hill itself is the deity. Not everyone can walk that far: the elderly, the unwell, those short of days. At Radha Damodar, four circuits of this stone, a matter of minutes, are held to grant the same blessing. For those who long to honour Govardhan but cannot walk it, this is a gift and I bring many an elderly pilgrim here for exactly that reason.

Where Srila Prabhupada wrote

Radha Damodar holds one more thing of worldwide importance. In the years before he travelled to America to found the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, the movement the world knows as Hare Krishna, Srila Prabhupada lived in a small room in this temple. Here he did much of his early writing and translation of the Bhagavata Purana, the work he would carry to the West, sitting in these rooms and walking the Radha Damodar parikrama daily. For the millions of devotees of ISKCON around the world, this room is therefore a place of deep pilgrimage, the very cradle of their movement and they come to Radha Damodar to sit where their founder sat. His rooms are preserved and may be seen.

The samadhis of the Goswamis

Within the temple compound rest the samadhis, the memorial shrines, of several of the Goswamis, among them Rupa Goswami, the foremost of the six and the author of the tradition’s central works and Jiva Goswami who founded the temple. To stand in this small compound is to stand among the memorials of the very saints who gave Vrindavan back its sacred geography and for those who know the history it is one of the most moving spots in the whole town, quiet and unadorned and dense with presence.

Radha Damodar Temple timings

The temple keeps morning and evening darshan with a midday break, on hours that change between summer and winter. The table gives both.

Radha Damodar Temple darshan timings by season. Verify on the day, as festival hours differ.

Aarti schedule

The Mangala Aarti at dawn is the most beautiful and the least crowded. The morning aartis are given below.

Morning aarti times at Radha Damodar Temple. Verify on the day, as festival schedules differ.

Entry fee and address

There is no entry fee; darshan is free, as at the Goswami temples generally. The temple sits on the Parikrama Marg, the parikrama road of Vrindavan, near Seva Kunj, which is why so many pilgrims pass it as they walk the town circuit. The table gives the detail and the map link opens the exact spot.

Radha Damodar Temple, Vrindavan: entry and location.

Open the exact location here: Radha Damodar Temple location.

Where it fits in a Vrindavan visit

Radha Damodar sits right on the Parikrama Marg, so it falls naturally into the Vrindavan Parikrama, the town circuit and into any morning spent in the old quarter. It is close to Radha Raman and the lanes of the Goswami temples and within reach of Banke Bihari. A fine morning is Banke Bihari at the opening, then the quiet Goswami temples, Radha Raman and Radha Damodar among them, walk slowly with their stories. Our places to visit in Vrindavan guide have the full route and every temple has its own guide on our temples of Mathura and Vrindavan hub.

When to visit

October to March is the comfortable season and Kartik in autumn, the great month of Govardhan devotion, is an especially meaningful time to circle the Govardhan Shila here. Come for the Mangala Aarti at dawn if you can, when the temple is at its most peaceful and the small compound is quiet. Weekends and the ISKCON pilgrimage seasons bring more devotees, drawn by the Prabhupada connection. Our best time to visit Mathura Vrindavan guide has the seasons and our festivals of Braj page the calendar.

How to reach

The temple is on the Parikrama Marg near Seva Kunj, in the old quarter of Vrindavan and is best reached on foot through the lanes, since vehicles cannot follow you far into that part of town. A car or e-rickshaw brings you to the edge of the old quarter and you walk the last stretch. From Delhi, Vrindavan is about 180 kilometres by the Yamuna Expressway; our distance from Delhi to Vrindavan guide covers the routes. Our Mathura Vrindavan taxi service handles the day and a Same Day Mathura Vrindavan Tour builds it in.

The honest bit

Honest words on this temple. Darshan is free, as everywhere in Braj and no official VIP pass exists here or anywhere in the region. The temple is small, old and quiet, not grand and its treasures are the Govardhan Shila, the Prabhupada rooms and the Goswami samadhis rather than any spectacle, so come knowing that its greatness is in its history. On the Govardhan Shila, four circuits are held in the tradition to equal a hill parikrama; I present that as the living belief and blessing it is. Govardhan itself is always circled and never climbed, because the hill is the deity. And the old lanes around the temple are narrow and best walked, not driven, so wear easy footwear and mind the monkeys.

Why Experience My India is the right choice

I was born in Gokul Mahaban Bangar and the Goswami temples of Vrindavan are the ones I most love to guide, because they ask for the telling. Since 2018 that is more than 50,000 pilgrims, 4.5 stars across 204 Google reviews, WhatsApp first, 8 AM to 9 PM daily. At Radha Damodar a local is the difference between walking past a small door and stepping into one of the great stories of Vrindavan: knowing to circle the Govardhan Shila and why, finding the Prabhupada rooms, telling the Goswamis at their samadhis and bringing an elderly pilgrim here for the Govardhan blessing they cannot walk for. One clear fare and never a charge for free darshan.

Tip from Gurudutt: circle the Govardhan Shila here four times with real attention, especially if you cannot walk the hill itself. Most visitors glance at the stone and move on. The pilgrims who make the four quiet circuits, holding Govardhan in their hearts, come away feeling they have honoured the hill and for many elderly devotees this is the only Govardhan parikrama they will ever be able to make.

Related guides

●        Famous temples of Mathura and Vrindavan

●        Vrindavan Parikrama: route, distance and timings

●        Places to visit in Vrindavan: the full list

●        A guide to Banke Bihari temple timings

●        Plan your perfect Vrindavan Mathura trip

Plan your visit

Tell me your dates and your group and I will build Radha Damodar and the Goswami temples into your Vrindavan trip in the right order and at the right hours, walking at your pace, 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.