Govind Dev Ji Temple is situated in the City Palace complex of Jaipur in Rajasthan, India. The temple is a famous tourist spot in Rajasthan along with high religious value.
The Hindu temple Govind Dev Ji is considered to be one of the famous temples in Rajasthan, India. The temple is devoted to Govind Dev Ji or Lord Krishna and is one of the 7 temples of Thakur of Vrindavan that includes temples of Shri Bankey Bihari Ji, Shri Govind Dev Ji, Shri Radhavallabh Ji and four others. The murti or the idol of the deity was brought to Jaipur from vrindavan by Raja Sawai Jai Singh II who was the founder of Jaipur. But the temple was constructed by Akbar, the Mughal Emperor. It is also believed that the idol of Lord Krishna in the temple look exactly like the form Krishna took during his incarnation on Earth.
Originally the idol belonged to one of the disciples of Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Srila Rupa Goswami. Also the legend says that the idol is called as Bajrakrit because it was created by the great grandson of Lord Krishna Bajranabh. The temple is one of the important temples for Vaishnavites or followers of Krishna outside Vrindavan. Here in the temple the deity is offered aarti and bhog seven times a day when unveiled for Darshan. On daily basis a thousand numbers of devotees visit this temple and on the occasion of Janmashtami even a larger number of people visit the temple. During aarti, the devotees can have a darshan of the lord.
History of the Attraction
As per legends, some 5,000 years ago, Lord Bajranabh who was only 13 years old asked his grandmother about Lord Krishna’s look. He was given a detail description of the Lord and as per the description he started making an idol. After the completion of the idol, his grandmother told him that only the feet resembled to that of Lord Krishna. Then he made another idol whose chest resembled to that of the god. Then he made the third idol whose face resembled to that of Lord Krishna. Like this the first one was named Govind Dev Ji, the second one Lord Gopinath Ji and the third one Lord Madan Mohanji. With time everything was lost but around 500 years ago the idol of Govinda was excavated by one of the disciples of Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu which was buried underneath to be protected from Mughal marauders.
Getting There
Jaipur city is well connected with roads, railways and airports and hence reaching the temple is not a difficult task. One can easily get transport to reach the temple.
Things to Do in and around
The temple is famous for the multiple aartis and jhankis that take place every day. One can visit the temple to seek blessing from the Lord. Apart from that sightseeing can be done and the temple can also be visited which is well constructed and designed.
Opening/Closing Timings and days
The temple opens for puja and aarti and to general public at 04:30 AM early in the morning and closes down at 09:15 PM in the evening every day.
Entry Fees
There is no entry fee needed to get into the temple.
Best Time to Visit
Any time of the year is best to visit the temple but if one wants to see the temple at its best then visiting it during Janmashtami is ideal. The temple is decorated with lights and flowers and the Lord is also dressed with jewelries and dresses made specifically for the Lord which gives a mesmerizing view to the devotees.