శ్రీ కృష్ణ జన్మభూమి, మథుర

Today at this temple

Quick facts

Primary deity

Krishna

Tradition

vaishnava

Year founded

ancient

Founder

Ancient (traditional): Bhagavan Shri Krishna's birthplace in the prison-cell of Kamsa — Dvapara Yuga (per Bhagavata Purana). Traditional first temple constructed by Vajranabha, great-grandson of Shri Krishna, per Vishnu Purana. Current Shri Krishna Janmasthan complex — built c. 1957-1982 by Shri Krishna Janmasthan Seva Sansthan — adjoins the historical Garbha Griha (the underground prison-cell chamber) which has been continuously venerated despite multiple destructions.

Managing trust

Shri Krishna Janmasthan Seva Sansthan (Krishna Janmasthan Trust), Mathura — established 1958. The adjoining Keshav Dev Mandir and the Garbha Griha shrine are jointly managed. The Eidgah structure (constructed 1669-1670 over demolished temple remains) adjoins the site and is subject to ongoing legal proceedings

Daily footfall

30,000-50,000 daily

Photography

outside_only

Non-Hindu policy

all_welcome

Dress code

Traditional respectful attire — men in kurta-pajama / dhoti-kurta / shirt-trouser; women in saree / salwar-kameez / lehenga-choli. Shorts, sleeveless, mini-skirts, and ripped jeans not permitted. Yellow, saffron, white, and pink are most auspicious (yellow especially — Krishna's pitambara color). Footwear removed at outer gate (token-based cloakroom ₹20). No leather belts or wallets at Garbha Griha descent. Strict security with metal detectors and body-frisking; bag-check mandatory. Phones permitted in outer complex but NOT at Garbha Griha or inside Bhagavata Bhavan sanctum. Cameras prohibited throughout.

Accessibility

♿ 👴

VIP darshan

✓

Typical visit

90–240 min

Sthala Purana — the story

Per the Bhagavata Purana (composed c. 8th-10th c. CE but narrating Dvapara-Yuga events), Mathura was the capital of the Yadava/Surasena kingdom, ruled by Ugrasena — a good king whose son Kamsa usurped the throne and imprisoned his own father. Kamsa's sister Devaki married Vasudeva of the Yadava clan; at the wedding, a divine voice prophesied that Devaki's 8th son would slay Kamsa. Kamsa immediately imprisoned Devaki and Vasudeva and systematically killed their first 6 children. The 7th, Balaram, was mystically transferred to Rohini (Vasudeva's other wife, in Gokul) — hence his birth-name Sankarshana ("transferred"). At midnight on Krishna-paksha Ashtami in Bhadrapada, Devaki's 8th child — Krishna — was born in the prison-cell as dark-blue-complexioned Vishnu-avatar. By divine intervention: Vasudeva's chains fell open, the guards slept, prison gates unlocked. Vasudeva carried the infant Krishna in a basket through torrential rain, across the rising Yamuna river (parted by the seven-hooded serpent Sheshnag who sheltered the basket), to Nanda's home in Gokul 10 km away. There, Vasudeva exchanged Krishna for Yashoda's newborn daughter (who was actually Yogamaya, the goddess-form of Vishnu's maya-shakti). When Kamsa came to kill this 8th child, she revealed her true form and prophesied his doom, then vanished. Krishna was raised in Gokul-Vrindavan by Yashoda and Nanda, performing childhood-lilas: butter-theft, govardhan-lifting, gopi-raslila, calf-herding, kaliya-naag-subjugation. 16 years later, Krishna returned to Mathura with Balaram, killed Chanura (wrestler) and then Kamsa, freed his parents, and restored Ugrasena to the throne. The Janmabhoomi prison-cell — the exact spot of Krishna's birth — was sanctified from that moment and established as a temple by Vajranabha, Krishna's great-grandson, in the Dvapara-Kali transition period.

References: Bhagavata Purana (Dashama-Skandha) Chapters 1-14 · Vishnu Purana 5.1-5.20 · Gita Govinda (Jayadeva, 12th c.) Ashtapadi songs on Radha-Krishna · Brahma Samhita 5.29 (Govindam Adi Purusham)

Darshan & aartis

Plan your visit

Gallery & media

Deity & iconography

Architecture & art

The modern Krishna Janmabhoomi complex occupies 13.5 acres within the walled Katra sacred precinct, immediately adjacent to the Shahi Eidgah Masjid (on the exact original temple foundations). Three principal structures: (1) GARBHA GRIHA — the underground prison-cell where Krishna was born. Accessed via descent from the Keshav Dev enclosure; a small (4m × 4m) marble-clad chamber with a simple lingam-form shrine marking the exact birth-spot and a relief-panel depicting Vasudeva carrying baby Krishna across the Yamuna. This chamber is the single most sacred aksha-sthan of Krishna bhakti; pilgrims descend in silence with hands folded. (2) KESHAV DEV MANDIR — the 1814 Raja Patnimal-era reconstruction; red sandstone and stucco in North-Indian Nagara-vernacular style; 25m shikhara; houses standing Krishna-Balaram duo deities (each 90 cm). (3) BHAGAVATA BHAVAN — the modern 1957-1982 architectural heart of the complex; 3-storey Makrana-marble Nagara-revival; 45m shikhara; three floors host: ground — main Radha-Krishna yuga-murti; first — Subhadra-Balaram-Krishna panel (Puri-style); second — Durga and Shiva parivar. 100+ carved marble pillars depicting Krishna-lila episodes (Kaliya subjugation, Govardhan lifting, raslila, govinda-prasada, Sudama meeting, Kamsa slaying); gold-plated kalasha; silver sanctum doors. Surrounding the three sanctums: a 25-acre Bhagavata-Bhavan-walled perimeter with subsidiary shrines (Yogamaya, Hanuman, Ganesha, Shiva, Durga, Lakshmi), Gita-ashrama, bhajan-mandali halls, visitor-center, library, audio-visual Krishna-lila exhibition. Outside the walls: Potra-kund (the pond where Devaki bathed Krishna and Vasudeva washed his swaddling cloths — currently dry and overgrown; restoration pending), Shahi Eidgah Masjid (adjoining; subject to ongoing legal proceedings regarding original temple-site restoration). The complete Katra sacred precinct — including adjacent streets, Dwarkadheesh Temple (3 km), Vishram Ghat (2 km on Yamuna), Yogamaya Temple — forms the "Mathura Krishna Kshetra" that is circumambulated in the larger 84-Kosi Braj Parikrama.

Style

Mixed: (a) Garbha Griha — 12th-century Katra-mound architecture (partly preserved, partly reconstructed post-1670 destruction; simple sandstone underground chamber); (b) Keshav Dev Mandir — 1814 reconstruction in North-Indian Nagara-vernacular style; (c) Bhagavata Bhavan (1965-1982) — modern Nagara-revival style, white marble, 3-storey construction with multiple mandapas and carved pillars; overall complex is a hybrid of ancient fragments and modern reconstruction

Shikhara height

45 m

Built of

Garbha Griha: sandstone with marble cladding in chamber (modern); Keshav Dev: red sandstone and stucco; Bhagavata Bhavan: Makrana white marble (Rajasthan), polished granite plinth, hand-carved pillars depicting Krishna-lila; gold-plated Bhagavata Bhavan shikhara-kalasha; silver sanctum doors

Notable features

Garbha Griha — the underground prison-cell where Krishna was born (13.5 acres complex total) · Bhagavata Bhavan — 3-storey white-marble modern mandir with large Radha-Krishna yuga-murti · Keshav Dev Mandir — the historical main shrine · Yogamaya Temple (2 km) — dedicated to the goddess exchanged for Krishna in Vasudeva's crossing · Vishram Ghat (2 km on Yamuna) — Krishna rested here after killing Kamsa · Dwarkadheesh Temple (3 km) — 1814 Vallabha-sampradaya Krishna shrine; major Mathura counterpart · 25-acre walled sacred precinct · 252-km Braj 84-Kosi Parikrama origin-point · Adjoining Shahi Eidgah Masjid (built 1669-1670 over destroyed temple — subject to ongoing legal proceedings regarding the original temple-site)

Protection status

trust_managed

History timeline

1. Dvapara Yuga (traditional)

   Bhagavan Shri Krishna, eighth avatar of Vishnu, born at midnight to Princess Devaki (sister of the tyrant King Kamsa) and Vasudeva (of the Yadava clan) inside a prison-cell at Mathura. Per Bhagavata Purana dashama-skandha, Kamsa had imprisoned Devaki and killed her first 6 children because of a prophecy that her 8th child would slay him. Krishna — the 8th — was miraculously born at midnight on Krishna-paksha Ashtami in Bhadrapada (Janmashtami). Vasudeva, his chains falling open and prison-guards miraculously asleep, carried the newborn across the Yamuna (parted by Sheshnag) to Nanda's home in Gokul, where Krishna was raised by foster-parents Yashoda and Nanda. Balaram (Krishna's elder brother and 7th reincarnation-saved fetus) was born simultaneously. 16 years later, Krishna returned to Mathura and killed Kamsa, freeing his parents.

2. ~3100 BCE (traditional) / 1st-3rd c. CE (archaeological)

   Per Vishnu Purana, Vajranabha — the great-grandson of Shri Krishna (son of Aniruddha, who was son of Pradyumna, son of Krishna) — established the first Krishna Janmabhoomi temple on the prison-cell site 4-5 generations after Krishna's earthly lila. Archaeological evidence from ASI's Mathura-region excavations records temple-presence at Katra mound (the modern Janmabhoomi site) from at least the Kushana period (1st-3rd c. CE). The Mathura Kushan-period art school produced some of the earliest figural images of Krishna, Buddha, and Tirthankaras. A major Kushana-period shrine is recorded at the site.

3. 320-550 CE (Gupta period)

   The Guptas (Vaishnava dynasty) patronise the Krishna Janmabhoomi extensively. Vikramaditya (Chandragupta II) is traditionally credited with a grand reconstruction. Gupta-period inscriptions at Mathura confirm the site's importance. Fa-Hien (Chinese pilgrim, 401-410 CE) records Mathura as a flourishing Hindu-Buddhist center with numerous sanghas and temples.

4. 1017 CE

   Mahmud of Ghazni, in his 16th and most destructive raid into India, sacks Mathura. Per his own court-chronicler Al-Utbi (Kitab-i-Yamini), Mahmud records his awe at Mathura's temples — calling the main temple "one of the most beautiful edifices ever seen" — and then proceeds to burn the entire complex. Gold, jewels, and 100+ silver deities are looted. This is the first of many destructions.

5. 12th-17th century

   The Janmabhoomi is repeatedly rebuilt and destroyed. Notable reconstructions: Raja Vir Singh Dev Bundela of Orchha (1618) — built a grand 7-storey Keshav Dev temple reportedly visible from Agra, 60 km away; Emperor Jahangir visited and is said to have respected it. 1669-1670: Aurangzeb orders the Jahangir-era temple demolished; per Maasir-i-Alamgiri, the Eidgah Masjid is constructed atop the demolished temple foundations — this structure stands to this day adjacent to the Janmabhoomi complex and is subject to ongoing legal proceedings over the original temple site.

6. 1814 CE

   Raja Patnimal of Banaras purchases the Katra Keshav Dev site at an auction during British colonial administration. He constructs the present Keshav Dev Mandir — a more modest structure than Vir Singh's 17th-century temple but restoring continuous worship on the site. Subsequent Hindu reclamation efforts intensify through the 19th century.

7. 1951 - 1982

   1951: Madan Mohan Malaviya-led Janmasthan Trust-Sewa Sansthan formally established to manage the site. 1958: Shri Krishna Janmasthan Seva Sansthan established. 1957: Bhagavata Bhavan construction begins — the modern 3-storey Nagara-revival white-marble mandir. 1965-1982: Bhagavata Bhavan expanded with Radha-Krishna yuga-murti consecrated at the top. 1992-present: The Shahi Eidgah Masjid remains the principal source of legal-religious controversy; multiple civil suits filed seeking restoration of the complete Janmabhoomi site; 2022-2024 Mathura court orders ASI survey of the Eidgah; proceedings continue. The Janmabhoomi is today one of 3 highest-priority restoration-claim sites alongside Ayodhya (resolved 2019-2024) and Kashi Vishwanath (partially resolved).

Special phenomena

Poojas & sevas offered here

No bookable poojas listed yet

Festivals & signature events

• Krishna Janmashtami

  Annual

  Signature

Location & nearby temples

• ప్రేమ్ మందిర్
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• Radha Madanmohan Vrindavan Annexe
  8.8 km · Vrindavan
• శ్రీ బాంకే బిహారీ మందిరం, బృందావనం
  9.1 km · Vrindavan
• ఇస్కాన్ బృందావనం
  9.1 km · Vrindavan

Scriptural references

Bhagavata Purana (Dashama-Skandha)

Chapters 1-14

Foundational narrative of Krishna's birth in Kamsa's Mathura prison-cell; detailed description of Devaki-Vasudeva imprisonment, the midnight birth, Yogamaya exchange, Yamuna-crossing, Gokul adoption

Vishnu Purana

5.1-5.20

Parallel narrative of Krishna's Mathura birth, Vajranabha-established first Janmabhoomi temple post-Krishna; Mathura as Yadava capital and lineage-center

Gita Govinda (Jayadeva, 12th c.)

Ashtapadi songs on Radha-Krishna

Foundational Sanskrit lyric-drama establishing madhurya-bhava Radha-Krishna love-devotion theology; central text for Vaishnava devotional singing traditions that emanate from Mathura-Vrindavan

Brahma Samhita

5.29 (Govindam Adi Purusham)

Ancient Vaishnava hymn praising Krishna as the primeval person (adi-purusha); establishes cosmological-theological frame for Krishna-worship at Janmabhoomi

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