Janmashtami 2024: Top 5 Krishna temples every devotee must visit at least once in their lifetime

Dwarkadhish Temple, Gujarat. Pic/X

Devotees across the world celebrate Janmashtami with great fervor. Lord Krishna's devotees throng temples, especially the ones dedicated to him, to celebrate the birth of the eighth incarnation of Lord Vishnu. This year, Janmashtami will be observed on August 26.

Ahead of Janmashtami, we bring you the top 5 temples of Lord Krishna that every devotee must visit at least once in their lifetime.

Sri Krishna Janmasthan Temple, Mathura, Uttar Pradesh

Mathura, considered to be one of the holiest places in India, is the place where Lord Krishna spent his childhood. Known as Brij Bhoomi, it houses a large number of Hindu temples.

The Shri Krishna Janmasthan Temple or Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi temple is made on the prison cell where Lord Krishna's parents, Devaki and Vasudeva, were imprisoned by his uncle Kansa. The temple is considered to be extremely holy as Lord Vishnu took the incarnation as Lord Krishna.

During Janmashtami, the temple sees lakhs of devotees. It also witnesses heavy crowds on holidays as well as other festivals. Inside the main temple, there are several other shrines dedicates to Lord Krishna and other deities.

During Janmashtami, the temple is decorated with lights and flowers, and Lord Krishna and Radha are decked up in beautiful attires. Artists chant devotional prayers and various scenes from Lord Krishna's childhood are enacted here.

As it is considered that Lord Krishna was born at midnight, the priests in the temple bathe the deity with milk and curd, and then clothe him in new attire and place his idol. They then place his idol in a cradle and devotees rock the cradle while singing his hymns. Lord Krishna is offered the 'Chappan bhog' (a feast of 56 dishes), which is later distributed to his devotees.

Unlike the rest of India, at Mathura, the devotees celebrate the Janmashtami festival for not two but six days.

Banke Bihari Temple, Vrindavan, Uttar Pradesh

Like the Krishna Janmasthan in Mathura, the Banke Bihari Temple in Vrindavan is also considered to be one of the holiest shrines in India.

The Banke Bihari Temple was built in 1863 and the idol was brought from Nidhivan, another holy site in Vrindavan where Lord Krishna and Radha spent their time together.

The Mangal aarti is performed in Banke Bihari Temple only once a year - on the day of Janmashtami.

After the last Aarti of the day at 9.30pm, a Srimad Bhagavatam discourse is conducted. The entire temple and its periphery are decorated with flowers and lights. Inside the temple, a special throne is made of gold and silver.

While devotees cannot witness the midnight Maha Abhishek, they get to see the idol at 2 am.

The deity is offered the panchamrit (a mix of milk, curd, honey, ghee and water) and then distributed to the devotees. Other than this, the deity is also offered several other sweets.

Then, the Mangla aarti is performed at 3.30am, following which another bhog is offered at 5am and the temple is closed at 6am after another aarti and opens later in the day.

Dwarkadhish Temple, Dwarka, Gujarat

The temple has great spiritual significance among Hindu devotees as Lord Krishna had established his kingdom here in Dwarka, Gujarat. The existing Dwarkadhish Temple (Jagat Mandir), is said to have been established more than 2,500 years ago by Lord Krishna's great grandson, Vajranabh. The temple's sanctum has the main Krishna idol and there are other shrines also at the structure. Dwarka is considered one among the Char Dhams or four most revered sites in Hinduism.

Janmashtami and Holi are two days of the year where the temple witnesses heavy footfall. On Janmashtami, not only the temple, but the entire city of Dwarka is decked up with lights and flowers. The markets remain open till midnight to cater to the tourists thronging the city for the auspicious day. On the next day, kids and youth form human pyramids for the Dahi Handi celebrations. At night, the deity is put to sleep during the Shayan Aarti.

ISKCON Temple, Juhu, Mumbai

Located near famous Juhu beach, the ISKCON temple sprawls across a huge area in suburban Mumbai. The temple houses the idols of Radha-Krishna, Shri Ram, Sita, Lakshman and Hanuman, along with other deities. Despite the fact that the temple witnesses heavy crowding on most days, especially in the evenings, one gets to experience the tranquility and serenity in the temple. Apart from the shrine, the temple also has a book store, an eatery, an auditorium, as well as a guest house for devotees to meditate and participate in the events of the temple.

On Janmashtami, the Midnight Maha Abhishek will be performed before the deity. The devotees are given special Prasad. Devotees sing bhajans and dance joyfully, to celebrate the birth of their beloved deity. On August 26, there will be a Mangala Aarti at 7.15am, followed by a Sringar Darshan at 8am. At 12.30pm, the temple will perform the Bhog Aarti on the occasion of Janmashtami and at 7pm, the Sandhya Aarti will be conducted. Devotees then await the Midnight Maha Abhishek at 11.30, which will go on through midnight. At 1am, the temple will perform the Midnight Maha Aarti. There will be many events in the temple on the occasion of Krishna Janmashtami.

Krishna Temple, Guruvayur, Kerala

Guruvayur, called the ‘Dwarka of south', is one of the most-visited Krishna temples in the country. Apart from Lord Krishna, the temple also has shrines of Lord Ganesha, Lord Ayyappa, and Goddess Bhagvathy. Although the origins of the temple are not known, it was revamped in the 17^th century.

The devotees perform the ‘Thulabharam' as a part of the offerings made to the deity. Devotees are weighed against various items, such as bananas, ghee, sugar, jiggery, coconuts, and the items are then made as an offering to the deity and then distributed among other devotees.

The temple sees serpentine queues on auspicious days, such as Ekadashi. On Janmashtami, devotees begin lining up for darshan before 3am - the time when the temple opens. Every corner of the temple is lit up with lamps and the temple opens amid the beats of the drums. A large feast, which includes the famous paysam, is prepared and distributed to the devotees after the bhog is offered to Lord Krishna.