| Krishna Janmasthan Temple Complex | |
|---|---|
 Front view of Keshavdeva Temple | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Hinduism |
| District | Mathura district |
| Region | Braj |
| Deity |
|
| Festival | Krishna Janmashtami |
| Year consecrated | 1958 CE (modern temple) |
| Status | Active |
| Location | |
| Location | Mathura |
| State | Uttar Pradesh |
| Country | India |
  Location in Uttar Pradesh | |
| Coordinates | 27°30′17″N77°40′11″E / 27.504748°N 77.669754°E /27.504748; 77.669754 |
| Architecture | |
| Funded by | Dalmia andBirla family |
| Groundbreaking | 1953 (modern temple) |
| Completed | 1982 |
| Temple | Three |
Krishna Janmasthan Temple is aHindu temple situated inMathura,Uttar Pradesh,India. There are three main temples inside the premises --Keshavdevtemple which is dedicated toKrishna,Garbh Griha where Krishna is believed to be born inDvapar Yuga andBhagvata Bhavan where presiding deities areRadha Krishna.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7]
The place has held religious significance since at least the 6th century BCE with findings of religious artifacts in excavations.[8] The temples were destroyed multiple times throughout history, most recently by theMughal emperorAurangzeb in 1670. He built the Shahi Eidgah mosque there, which still stands.[3][4][5][9][8] In the 20th century, the new temple complex adjacent to mosque was built with the financial help from industrialists.[3]
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According to Hindu traditions, Krishna was born toDevaki andVasudeva in a prison cell where they were confined by his maternal uncleKamsa, a king ofMathura, due to prophecy of his death by the child of Devaki.[10][11] According to tradition, a temple dedicated to Krishna was built the birthplace by his great-grandsonVajranabh.[10][2] The present site known as Krishna Janmasthan (lit. 'birthplace of Krishna') was known as Katra (lit. 'market place') Keshavdeva.[8] The archaeological excavations of the site had revealed pottery and terracotta from 6th century BCE.[8] It also produced someJain sculptures as well as a largeBuddhist complex including Yasha Vihara.[8] The Vaishnava temple may have erected on the place as early as the first century.[8] A whole new magnificent temple complex was rebuilt at the place by Gupta EmperorChandragupta II in 400CE.[1][12][13] A late 8th century inscriptions also mentions donations to the site by theRashtrakutas.[10][3][4][5]
In 1017 or 1018,Mahmud of Ghazni attacked and plunderedMahaban. He ordered to burn all the temples and demolish them. He plundered gold and silver statues and carried away a load of hundred camels.[6][7] A stone inscription in Sanskrit found from the site mentions that inVikram Samvat 1207 (1150) a person named Jajja who may have been a vassal ofGahadavala king built a Vishnu temple which was 'brilliantly white and touching the clouds'.[11][8]
Vaishnava saintsChaitanya Mahaprabhu andVallabhacharya visited Mathura in early 16th century.[14][11][3][4] Abdullah, in the reign ofMughal emperorJehangir, mentions inTarikh-i-Daudi the destruction of Mathura and its temples byDelhi SultanSikandar Lodi in 16th century. Lodi had prohibited Hindus from bathing in the river and shaving of heads on the banks as well.[6][11] In the reign of Jehangir, in 1618,Raja Veer Singh Deva Bundela ofOrchha had built a temple at the cost of thirty-three lakhs.[6][9][15] A French travellerTavernier visited Mathura in 1650 and had described the octagonal temple built in red sandstone.[16][17][15] Italian travellerNiccolao Manucci who worked in Mughal court has also described the temple.[17] Mughal princeDara Shikoh had patronised the temple and donated a railing to the temple.[9] The railing was removed by Mathura governor Abdun Nabi Khan on the order of Mughal emperorAurangzeb and he built the Jama mosque on the ruins of the Hindu temples. During the Jat rebellion in Mathura, Abdul Nabi Khan was killed in 1669.[18] Aurangzeb attacked Mathura and destroyed that Keshavdeva temple in 1670 and built the Shahi Eidgah in its place.[9][8]
Mathura came under British control in 1804. TheEast India Company auctioned the 5.41 hectares (13.37 acres) of land of Katra and it was purchased by Raja Patnimal, a wealthy banker ofBanaras.[19][10][20][21] Raja Patnimal wanted to build the temple but could not do so. His descendants inherited the land of Katra and still maintained the full 5.41 hectares (13.37 acres) without splitting it up. His descendant Rai Krishna Das was challenged, for the ownership of 5.41 hectares (13.37 acres) of land on which the shrine and the Shahi Eidgah is situated, in two civil suits by the Muslims of Mathura but theAllahabad High Court ruled in favour of Raj Krishna Das in both suits in 1935.[20][21]Kailash Nath Katju and Madanmohan Chaturvedi had helped in these lawsuits. Politician and educationistMadan Mohan Malaviya acquired the land from Raj Krishna Das on 7 February 1944 at the cost of Rs. 13000 with financial help of IndustrialistJugal Kishore Birla.[10][20][21] Following the death of Malaviya, Jugal Kishore Birla formed a trust named Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi Trust, later registered as the Shri Krishna Janmasthan Seva Sansthan, on 21 February 1951 and acquired the full 5.41 hectares (13.37 acres) of land.[20][21] Jugal Kishore Birla entrusted the construction of the new temple with another industrialist and philanthropistJaidayal Dalmia. The construction of the temple complex was started in October 1953 with leveling of lands and completed in February 1982. His eldest sonVishnu Hari Dalmia succeeded him and served on the Trust until his death. His grandson Anurag Dalmia is Joint Managing Trustee on the Trust.[10][20] The construction was funded by other business families includingRamnath Goenka.[10]
In 1968, the Shree Krishna Janmasthan Seva Sangh and the Shahi Eidgah committee reached a compromise agreement which granted the temple land to the Trust and the management of the Shahi Eidgah to the Eidgah committee as well no legal claim of the Shree Krishna Janmasthan Seva Sangh on the Shahi Eidgah.[21][12]Indian National Congress leaderGanesh Vasudev Mavalankar was the first chairman of the Shree Krishna Janmasthan Seva Sangh which signed the compromise agreement and his legal authority to sign agreement is contested. He was succeeded byM. A. Ayyangar, followed by Akhandananda Saraswati and Ramdev Maharaj. Nrityagopaldas is the present chairman.[20] Following thedemolition of the Babri Mosque in 1992, Manohar Lal Sharma, a resident ofVrindavan, has filed a petition in the Mathura District Court challenging the 1968 agreement as well as a petition to quash the Places of Religious Worship Act of 1991 which preserves the status quo as on 15 August 1947 for all places of worship.[21][13]
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The temple complex contains Keshavdeva temple, Garbha Griha shrine and Bhagavata Bhavan.[2]
The Keshavdeva Temple was built by Ramkrishna Dalmia in memory of his mother Jadiadevi Dalmia. The construction of the temple started on 29 June 1957 and inaugurated on 6 September 1958 byHanuman Prasad Poddar.[22] It is located south of the Shahi Eidgah.
It is said that Shahi Eidgah was constructed on thesabhamandapa (assembly hall) of the original temple and thegarbha griha (sanctum sactorum) was left. It is considered as the place of the prison cell where Krishna is believed to have been born. A marble pavilion and an underground prison cell were built on the place with spaciousveranda. There is shrine near it dedicated to eight-handed goddessYogmaya.[2][20][23] It is located against the rear wall of the Shahi Eidgah.[10]
The construction of the temple dedicated toShrimad Bhagavata was started on 11 February 1965 and the installation ceremony of the deities were held on 12 February 1982. It includes five shrines: the main shrine having a 180 centimetres (6 ft) tall couple ofRadha and Krishna; the shrine ofBalarama,Subhadra andJagannatha on right; the temple ofRama,Lakshmana andSita on left; Garuda Stambha (pillar) andChaitanya Mahaprabhu in front of Jagannatha shrine andHanuman in front of Ram shrine; the temple ofDurga and the temple withShivalinga. The ceiling, walls and pillars of the assembly hall are adorned withfrescoes depicting life events of Krishna and his associates and devotees. The text ofBhagavad Gita engraved on copper-plates adorn the walls of theparikrama (circumambulation) of the main temple.[24][2][10] There are statues of Malaviya and Birla in the complex. Other construction includes theAyurveda Bhavan, International Guest House, shops, library and open space for performances.[10]
There is a large and deep stepped water tank, Potra Kund or Pavitra Kund, in south-east of the Janmasthan temple which is said to have been used for the first bath of child Krishna after his birth.[25][2] The steps of the tank were built byMahadji Scindia in 1782. They were restored by his descendants in 1850.[10]
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The temple is one of the most visited temples in India.Krishna Janmashtami,Radhashtami,Diwali andHoli are the major festivals celebrated at this temple and entireBraj region.[2]
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