Shri Banke Bihari Mandir

Historical Background

The worship of Banke Bihari Ji began in the 16th century with Swami Haridas, the saint-musician of Vrindavan and guru of Tansen, who lived in the grove of Nidhivan. In tradition, Radha and Krishna appeared to him there in a single form, which he worshipped as Kunj Bihari. Haridas founded a distinct devotional tradition, known as the Haridasi sampradaya, focused on the eternal play of Radha and Krishna in the groves of Vrindavan, and his compositions are sung to this day. After him, the deity was served by Goswamis descended from his family, and the seva remained centred on Nidhivan for centuries. In the 19th century, following differences among Haridas’s followers, the Goswamis built the present temple near Nidhivan, completed around 1862-1864, and the deity was moved there. Built in Rajasthani style with arches, carved stonework and a large courtyard, the temple became one of the most visited shrines in Vrindavan. Its customs, the drawn curtain, the absence of bells and the yearly Mangala Aarti, became famous across India. Rising crowds in the narrow lanes led to concerns about safety, and in August 2022 two devotees died in the crush at the Janmashtami Mangala Aarti. The Uttar Pradesh government proposed a temple corridor to improve access, and in 2025 the Supreme Court appointed a high-powered committee, chaired by a retired judge of the Allahabad High Court, to oversee the temple’s management, while the Goswami families continue the seva. In September 2025 the committee extended the darshan hours and introduced a new queue system, a change that has been debated in the courts. Today Banke Bihari Mandir remains the heart of Vrindavan’s devotion, drawing lakhs of pilgrims on festivals.