Govind Dev Ji Temple: “Bajrakrit” pious shrine. Also called the ‘Mini Vrindavan’ of Jaipur, the temple is situated in the Jai Niwas Gardens of the city palace complex. The temple is devoted to Lord Govind dev Ji, who people also address as the “Aradhya Dev of Jaipur”. This fact makes the temple one of the must-visit monuments in Jaipur. The sanatorium is built in an archaic way. The shrine will remind you of the old times.
The Legacy of the Govind Ji Temple
According to the legend, Some 5600 years ago Shri Bajranabh-the great-grandson of Lord Krishna, asked his Grandmother-the daughter-in-law of Lord Krishna about what Krishna looked like.
As per the description she gave, young Bajranabh created three Images of Lord Krishna, One resembled the Feet, the second one looked like his chest and the Third one matched the exact persona.
The former two are called “Madan Mohan Ji” and “Gopi Nath Ji” respectively, while the latter one is the Divine majestic holy image of Lord “Govind Dev Ji”. The spiritual shrine of Govind Ji will leave you mesmerized and calm.
Over time, the glories of the culture were forgotten, and the images were also lost from the memories of the people. Some 500 years ago, Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, the harbinger of the Gaudiya Vaishnavism was born on Indian soil. Vrindavan Dham, the abode of the Lord himself also had become a jungle by the 16th century, Mahaprabhu discovered some of the places mentioned in the Bhagwat Purana, but he was unable to stay there for long.
Chaitanya asked two of his disciples Shri Roop Goswami and Shri Sanatana Goswami to spread Vaishnavism in Vrindavan and discover the lost sites. Later, Lord Govind Dev Ji revealed himself to Shri Roop Goswami at Goma Teela in Vrindavan in 1525. Though he was unable to visit again, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu sent one of his Ashta-Dhatu idols to the temple after getting the news of revelation.
Marvellous Architecture of Govind dev Ji temple
The famous Red stone temple of Govind Dev Ji was built at the spot by Maharaja Man Singh of Amer in 1590. The divine sacred image of Govind Dev Ji was consecrated here.
The sacred image of Radha Rani Ji was also there in the earlier days but to protect the same from the Yavanas (Indo-greeks), a Brahmin named Vrihadbhanu Took the idol to Odisha where it was established in a temple. When the news of the appearance of Lord Govind Dev Ji reached the then king of Odisha sent the idol to Vrindavan and the marriage of Radha Rani Ji took place with Lord Govind Dev Ji.
During the reign of Religious fanatic Aurangzeb, who is also known as the ‘temple destroyer’, the idols were shifted to the Kama via Barsana, Radhakund, and then to Govindpura. The idols finally reached Kanak Vrindavan in 1714 and were taken uphill to Jai Niwas (the present abode)
In 1715 in the City Palace.
289th descendent of Kush (Elder son of Lord Rama), King Sawai Jai Singh, the founder of Jaipur lived in the “Suraj Mahal”, One night he dreamt that the palace was meant for divinity and he should leave it. The next day under the guidance of Goswami Ji, he left the place and went to “Chandra Mahal”. Before the foundation of the pink city was laid, Lord Govind Dev Ji was enshrined in Suraj Mahal and it became ‘the temple’. Later on, the images of Sakhis, female friends, and Sewadhikaris were also included.
Reaching Govind Dev Ji temple
There can be different modes of reaching the temple. The Sanganer Airport is the nearest airport is 11 km away from the temple, the Ramganj railway station is 2km away and the Jaipur bus station is 5 km from the temple. The Jaipur has well run cabs service and buses which connect the city.
If you are coming from your own vehicle you might consider parking your vehicle at Jaleb chowk which is around 100m from the temple premises.
The culturally rich Govind Dev Ji temple and Glory
The temple has two main dwars. There are shops inside the temple premises. You might buy various items including clothes for the Lord and other decorative.
The temple is open to visitors the whole year so, you might find a crowd in the temple at any time of the year, but the temple is loaded with devotees on the occasion of Janmashtami. The temple is usually open for Darshan between 4:30 am to 12:00 pm and 5:45 pm to 9:30 pm.
The main attraction of the temple is the 7 Artis performed here, these Artis include Jhankis too.
The time schedule for the Arti’s is as follows;
| Mangala | 4:30 am to 5:00 am |
| Dhoop | 7:30 am to 8:45 am |
| Shringar | 9:30 am to 10:15 am |
| Rajbhog | 11:00 am to 11:30 am |
| Gwal | 5:30 pm to 6:15 pm |
| Sandhya | 6:45 pm to 8:00 pm |
| Shayan | 9:00 pm to 9:30 pm |
Mangala Arti is considered to be the most important Arti by devotees. The temple is so aligned that In the older times, the first thing Maharani did in the morning was to bow before the Lord from her window.
Unmatched Beauty of the spiritually driven shrine of Govind Dev Ji temple
There are two temples inside the main temple premises, first one is Gopeshwar Mahadev. Another one is the Giriraj Ji temple. The temple has its own kitchen where they produce prasadam.
The temple has also made a mark in the Guinness book of the world record being a marvel in the field of Architecture as its Satsang Bhavan has the widest RCC flat roof construction with a single span of 124 feet x 119 feet. In 2016, it got another record for the largest display of oil-lit lamps.
This roof only has peripheral pillars and no pillars inside the hall. The temple has Jai Nivas Udyan, the fountain in the Udyan is turned on occasionally. Nowadays, people feed birds here.
Major attractions nearby Govind Ji Temple to explore
There are a lot of mesmerizing places to explore near the holy shrine of Govind dev Ji Temple. Birla Mandir, Akshar Dham Mandir, Hawa Mahal, Amer Fort, and Jal Mahal are other nearby attractions that you can visit. The surrounding beauty of Pink city makes it a worthwhile experience.
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