“The power of God is with you at all times;
through the activities of mind, senses, breathing, and emotions;
and is constantly doing all the work using you as a mere instrument.”
~ Bhagavad Gita.
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The holy cities of Mathura and Vrindavan are peppered with numerous shrines and temples celebrating the naughty and playful spirit of Lord Krishna who spent a considerable time of His childhood in the bylanes here. Out of the many beautiful temples in Mathura a yatri looks to visit, one of the temples to visit is Birla Temple or Gita Mandir. Built by the renowned industrialist Birla group and spread in a huge sprawling complex, Shree Bhagwat Gita Temple or more popularly Gita Mandir or Gita Bhavan or Birla Temple is not only one of the main places to visit in Mathura and Vrindavan but also a fine example in architecture and craftsmanship.
Gita Mandir Mathura: Main Attraction of Gita Mandir!
Entrance to the Gita Temple
The main temple walls embody beautiful paintings and thought provoking shlokas / inscriptions from the chapters of the most sacred text of the Hindus – Shreemad Bhagwad Gita which is undoubtedly the main attraction of this temple. I paused and read the words at various places, and though I could not pick up the meaning each time, I did pick up the vibe. Yes, those words, articulated by Lord Krishna to his Pandava disciple Arjuna in the battlefield during the Kurukshetra War eons ago, still hold mettle and have an undeniable energy of their own!
The Gita Temple
Deities in Gita Mandir.
The sanctum room enshrines beautiful deities of Radha-Krishna flanked by two additional sanctum rooms occupied by deities of Ram-Sita and Laxmi-Narayana.
Entrance to the temple room
Other Attractions of the Gita Mandir Complex.
Exactly opposite the main sanctum outside the temple room and facing the Lord, sits the divine bird Garuda with folded hands, the vehicle of Lord Vishnu.
Exactly opposite the main sanctum outside the temple room and facing the Lord, sits the divine bird Garuda with folded hands, the vehicle of Lord Vishnu.
Bird Garuda, the charioteer of Lord Vishnu
Gita Sthamb, with Bhagvad Gita Shlokas
from all 18 chapters inscribed on it.
from all 18 chapters inscribed on it.
... a figurine in red stone depicting Lord Krishna as the charioteer reciting the Bhagvad Gita to his disciple and devotee Arjuna in the battlefield,
A Scene depicting an incident from the Mahabharata Battle field
Lord Hanuman Temple inside the Gita temple complex
Overall, the place is pretty clean and very well maintained and it’s easy to sense peace all around amid the lush green gardenscape. Once you take your time to soak in the beauty, it’s easy to gauge why the temple finds a significant spot in one of the must-visit places in Mathura and Vrindavan!
How to Reach Gita Mandir?
Location of Gita Temple: 5 kms. from Mathura. You can easily visit this temple enroute to Vrindavan from Mathura or include it when visiting the various other temples in Mathura. There are lots of temples nearby Gita Mandir, Mathura that you can integrate in your itinerary - so plan your trip accordingly.
Gita Mandir Temple Timings: The temple remains open from 6 in the morning to 7 in the evening, all the seven days of the week. Various rituals and prayers are offered to the Lord throughout the day.
Best time to visit the Gita Temple: If you want to soak in the real atmosphere, you can try to plan a visit to the temple during the Holi or Janmashtami festival which are celebrated with great pomp and fervour!
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3 Comments
Beautiful temple, Nice to read about Gita Mandir.
ReplyDeleteGreetings.
excellent read !! thanks for sharing this in holy month of Purshotam !!
ReplyDeleteI am an armchair traveler when I read your posts and look closely at your photos, Arti. I love seeing all the intricate carvings. India has so many wonderful antiquities.
ReplyDeleteDelighted you stopped by... Your suggestions, feedback are really appreciated. Thanks a lot :) Hope you visit again!
If you have asked a question, please give me at least 2 days to reply back. Thank you :)