Shah Ji Temple, Vrindavan: The Temple of Twisted Pillars, Its Timings, the Basanti Kamra and How to Reach

Key takeaways

• Shah Ji Temple is a marble temple in Vrindavan, built in 1876.

• It is famous for its twelve twisted spiral pillars of marble.

• It is loved as the Tedhe Khambe wala Mandir, the crooked pillar temple.

• The deity is Krishna as Chhote Radha Raman, a small idol.

• Its jewel, the Basanti Kamra, opens only on Basant Panchami.

• Entry is free; it is in Gotam Nagar, Vrindavan.

I am Gurudutt, born in Gokul in the Mathura district, guiding pilgrims through Braj since 2018: more than 50,000 of them. Among the many temples of Vrindavan, Shah Ji Temple stands apart for its beauty, one of the loveliest works of art in the whole town, famous above all for its extraordinary twisted marble pillars and for the jewelled hall called the Basanti Kamra. It is a temple where devotion and breathtaking craftsmanship meet. Here is everything you need: the timings, the architecture, the story, the location and how to reach it, told by someone from this land. Add it to your trip with our Mathura Vrindavan Tour Package, message on WhatsApp at +91 7302265809, any day from 8 AM to 9 PM.

What is Shah Ji Temple?

Shah Ji Temple is a beautiful marble temple in Vrindavan, dedicated to Lord Krishna and one of the most admired and visited temples of the town, sought out by devotees and by lovers of art and architecture alike. It was built in the year 1876 by a wealthy merchant of Lucknow named Shah Kundan Lal, together with his brother Phundan Lal and it takes its name, Shah Ji, from its founder. The deity worshipped here is Krishna in a small and lovely form known as Chhote Radha Raman, the little Radha Raman. But it is for its astonishing beauty that Shah Ji Temple is most famous: built of gleaming Italian marble, adorned with the finest carving and standing upon its unique twisted pillars, it is a work of art as much as a place of worship and it enchants everyone who enters. The table gives the essentials at a glance.

Shah Ji Temple, Vrindavan, at a glance.

The twisted pillars: the Tedhe Khambe wala Mandir

The great glory of Shah Ji Temple and what draws visitors from across the world, is its extraordinary pillars. The temple stands upon twelve spiral, twisted columns of marble, each about thirteen feet high and some thirty five inches across, carved so that they seem to turn and rise like great screws of stone, an astonishing feat of the carver’s art in a style recalling the temple architecture of the south. Because of these remarkable columns the temple is affectionately known throughout Braj as the Tedhe Khambe wala Mandir, the temple of the crooked or twisted pillars and this is the name by which many pilgrims ask for it. To stand among these spiral marble pillars, gleaming and impossibly graceful, is to understand why Shah Ji Temple is counted among the architectural treasures not only of Vrindavan but of north India and it is a delight for every lover of beauty.

The Basanti Kamra

The other great wonder of Shah Ji Temple and its most precious jewel, is the Basanti Kamra, the spring room, a magnificent and richly illuminated hall of astonishing beauty. It is adorned with exquisite Belgian glass, glittering chandeliers and beautiful paintings that portray the love pastimes of Radha and Krishna and the whole room glows with colour and light like a vision of heaven. But its wonder is heightened by its rarity, for the Basanti Kamra is opened only twice a year, on the festival of Basant Panchami, the coming of spring and at no other time; so to see it is a rare blessing granted only to those who come on that special day. Pilgrims who have beheld the Basanti Kamra speak of it as one of the most beautiful sights in all of Vrindavan and its once a year opening makes Basant Panchami a very special day to visit Shah Ji Temple.

The temple and its compound

Beyond the pillars and the Basanti Kamra, Shah Ji Temple is a delight throughout. The main shrine, with its small and beloved deity of Chhote Radha Raman, is richly and lovingly adorned and the whole marble structure is covered in fine carving and detail that rewards a slow and careful look. In the large compound of the temple stands a gorgeous fountain, adding to the beauty and the peace of the place and the courtyards and halls are gracious and cool. It is a temple to be lingered in and admired, not merely glanced at and those who give it time find in it one of the loveliest and most tranquil corners of Vrindavan, where art and devotion are woven together in marble.

Timings and aarti

Shah Ji Temple opens for a morning and an evening darshan each day, with a long midday and afternoon break and the aarti times shift a little between the summer and the winter, as the box above and the tables below set out. The morning Mangala Aarti and the evening aarti are both lovely to attend. Remember above all that the Basanti Kamra, the jewelled hall, opens only on Basant Panchami; on ordinary days you may admire the temple, the pillars and the main shrine, but not that room. As with every temple, treat these hours as the pattern and confirm on the day, for they vary with the season and on festivals. The tables give the timings.

Shah Ji Temple daily darshan timings. Verify on the day.

Shah Ji Temple aarti timings. Verify on the day; times vary by season.

Basant Panchami at Shah Ji Temple

The greatest day of the year at Shah Ji Temple is Basant Panchami, the festival that welcomes the spring, in the late winter, for it is the one day or the few days around it, when the Basanti Kamra is opened to the devotees. On this day the temple is at its most joyful and most crowded and pilgrims come from far to behold the jewelled hall in all its glory, glowing with Belgian glass and chandeliers and the paintings of Radha and Krishna. If you wish to see the Basanti Kamra, the very heart of the temple’s fame, you must plan your visit for Basant Panchami; at any other time of year the room is closed. Our festivals of Braj page has the calendar of the Braj festivals.

Location and how to reach Shah Ji Temple

Shah Ji Temple stands in Gotam Nagar, in Vrindavan, in the Mathura district of Uttar Pradesh, pin code 281121, in the old temple heart of the town near the other great temples such as the Radha Vallabh and the Nidhivan. 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 best reached on foot or by cycle rickshaw or e rickshaw through the old town lanes, which are too narrow for large vehicles. It is best seen together with the nearby temples on a walk of the old town. The table gives the distances.

Reaching Shah Ji 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 temple quarter.

Nearby temples in Vrindavan

Shah Ji Temple sits among the great temples of Vrindavan and is best woven into a walk of the town. Nearby stand the beloved Banke Bihari temple; the Radha Vallabh, the Radha Damodar and the other Goswami temples; the mysterious Nidhivan of the Maharaas; the grand Rangji temple; and the modern marvels of the Prem Mandir and the ISKCON temple a little further out. Seen together, these make Vrindavan a profound and beautiful day of the love of Radha and Krishna and Shah Ji Temple, with its twisted pillars and its jewelled hall, is among the loveliest of them for the eye as well as the heart. Our Madan Mohan temple guide covers another of the old temples 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 and aarti are the loveliest times. For Shah Ji Temple above all, Basant Panchami, in the late winter, is the supreme day, the one time the Basanti Kamra opens, so if you wish to see that jewelled hall, plan your visit for then. The peak summer of May and June is very hot in the old town lanes, so the cool season is kindest. Our best time to visit Mathura Vrindavan guide is the seasons.

The honest bit

Honest words on Shah Ji Temple. Entry is free and no official VIP pass exists here or anywhere in Braj; simply come and take darshan and admire the beauty. Know before you come that the famous Basanti Kamra, the jewelled hall, opens only on Basant Panchami; on any ordinary day you will see the lovely temple, the twisted pillars and the main shrine, but not that room, so if the Basanti Kamra is your wish, you must time your visit for that festival. The temple lies in the narrow old town lanes, best reached on foot or by rickshaw, not by a large car. It keeps a long midday and afternoon break, so come in the morning or the evening darshan hours, not the closed middle of the day. Come with time to spare, for this is a temple to be admired slowly and its beauty and its peace will reward you as few in Vrindavan can.

Why Experience My India is the right choice

I was born in Gokul Mahaban Bangar and the temples of Vrindavan 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 Shah Ji Temple is the timing for the morning or evening darshan around the midday closure, the knowledge of when the Basanti Kamra opens so you do not miss it, the story of the pillars and the founder told on the spot, the way through the old lanes and the pairing of Shah Ji Temple with the other treasures of old Vrindavan in the right order. One clear fare and never a charge for free darshan.

Tip from Gurudutt: give Shah Ji Temple time and do not rush it as one temple among many, for it is a work of art to be savoured. Stand among the twisted marble pillars and marvel at the carver’s skill, admire the fountain in the compound and take darshan of the little Chhote Radha Raman in peace. And if you can possibly come on Basant Panchami, do, for then the Basanti Kamra opens and to behold that jewelled hall of Belgian glass and chandeliers, only once a year, is among the rarest and loveliest sights in all of Vrindavan.

Related guides

• Radha Damodar temple, Vrindavan: a complete guide

• Banshivat, Vrindavan: the Maharaas Sthali

• Nidhivan and Sevakunj, Vrindavan: timings and history

• Vrindavan parikrama: route, timings and distance

• Vrindavan tourism: a complete travel guide

Plan your Vrindavan visit

Tell me your dates and your group and I will build Shah Ji Temple and the treasures of old Vrindavan into your Braj trip, the darshan timed around the midday closure, the old temples walked in the right order, with a guide and a car to the edge of the old town, 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.