Radha Madan Mohan Temple in Vrindavan

      Radha Madan Mohan Temple is located close to Kaliya Ghat, Vrindavan. On the Parikrama Path, this temple is also on the tight side, off the main road. There are two Radha Madan Mohan Temples, adjacent to each other. I had to walk on a ramped path to reach the old temple. The red imposing tower of the old temple can be seen from afar.

      It is believed that after Lord Krishna humbled the mighty Kaliya in the Yamuna river, He rested on this hillock. Since He was drenched with the water of Yamuna, He began to feel cold. At that time, 12 suns (known as Dwadasha Aditya) came here and gave their warmth to their Lord. Hence this hillock is known as Dwadasha Aditya Tila (hillock of the 12 suns). Due to this heat, Lord Krishna began to sweat and the sarovar formed due to His perspiration is known as Praskandara Sarovar (lake formed due to perspiration)

Radha Madan Mohan Temple

      The Radha Madan Mohan Temple is not only the oldest among the seven Goswami temples but also one of the oldest and one of the most magnificent temples in the entire town of Vrindavan. However, like many other temples in Vrindavan, this one too had to bear the brunt of the Moghal king Aurangzeb's onslaught. The original idols were moved to Rajasthan for safekeeping and to protect them from the tyranny of Aurangzeb. Today, a replica of this idol is worshipped in the temple.

      Since the original temple was partially destroyed, a new temple was built next to it. The new temple is at the bottom of the hill. This was built by Sri Nanda Kumar Bose of Bengal in the early 19th century. The new temple has replicated deities that were in the original one.

      The main temple building is flanked by two other buildings. One noticeable feature is that both these buildings are reminiscent of the Mughal era. The left one had a huge gate that is now closed. The right one has a Bhajan Kutir and the samadhi of Sanatana Goswami. All the three buildings are made of red sandstone. The central building has the sanctum sanctorum. It houses the idols of Radha and Krishna at the centre of the altar. The idol of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is on the left and that of Prabhu Nityananda on the right. The deity of Radha's friend, Lalitha, is in the front of these deities.

      There are two versions regarding the discovery of the idol of Madan Mohan. Some believe that Saint Advaita Acharya discovered the original idol at the base of an old Banyan tree, when he visited Vrindavan. He entrusted the worship of this idol to his disciple, Purushottama who later gave the idol to his disciple, Sanatana Goswami. Sanatana Goswami spent many decades in Vrindavan worshipping this idol. There are many who believe that Sanatana Goswami himself discovered the original idol of Madan Mohan. It is also believed that Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu stayed at this temple during His visit to Vrindavan.

      There are different versions about the past lives of Sanatana Goswami. Some believe him to be an incarnation of a gopi named Rati, who was Radha's close friend. Some considered him to be an extension of Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. There are others who believe that he was an incarnation of Sanata Kumar, one of the four Kumara sons of Lord Brahma.

      Sanatana Goswami had renounced all materialistic comforts. He could not afford to build a luxurious temple for his Madan Mohan. He used to constantly feel sad that he could not perform an elaborate puja of his deity with pomp and glory. However, all this despair was to end soon. The winds of change were not far away.