Govind Dev ji Temple

The Govind Dev Ji Temple is located inside the Royal City Palace in Jaipur. It is one the very important part of the palace because Govind Dev Ji, an incarnation of Lord Krishna is worshiped here. The image of Lord Govind Devji is also called Bajrakrit as it was created by the Lord’s grandson Shri Bajranabh. He made three attempts to create the image of Lord Krishna when finally the last one was approved by his grandmother as it’s exactly like Lord Krishna. And that image is “Govind Dev Ji”.

The temple was built in 18th century as part of Sawai Jai Singh‘s grand plan to build up Jaipur. Jai Singh brought the image of Govind Devji from Vrindavan and kept it it the sanctum of this temple. It was located such that the Maharaja can have a direct view of the temple from his residence in Chandar Mahal. Lord Krishna is widely worshiped and it is one of the most important temples for Krishna’s followers outside Vrindavan. In Govind Dev Ji Temple, the deity is unveiled seven times a day for “Aartis” (prayer). Devotees gather around for Darshan, a look that help them to connect with the Lord.

Govind Dev Ji Temple History:
Here the main deity is Sri Krishna and the idol was brought from Vrindavan by the King Sawai Jai Singh II. When the force of Mughal Emporer Aurangzeb was destroying the temples of Vrindavan, the priest kept the idol at a hidden place. Later the king brought the idol to Jaipur from Vrindavan. Govind Dev Ji Temple Jaipur is located in between the Badal Mahal and Chandra Mahal in the City Palace complex. It was earlier known as Suraj mahal where Sawai Jai Singh II used to stay during the establishment of the city Jaipur. The palace was converted into the temple after the king saw a dream that this Lord Sri Krishna owned this particular place.

The idol of Govind Dev Ji resembles the newborn look of Sri Krishna. Previously the idol belonged to Srila Rupa Goswami a disciple of Lord Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. This idol of Sri Krishna is also known as Bajrakrit as it is believed that the idol was created by Sri Krishna’s grandson Bajranabh 5000 years ago. The idol was buried underneath before Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu excavated it about 500 years ago.

In Govind Dev Ji Mandir Jaipur, the deity is offered aarti and Bhog seven times a day. Also, during this time the idol of Sri Krishna is unveiled for Darshan. The temple is visited by thousands of devotees every day and during Janmashtami and other festivals, devotees from all over Rajasthan and other places of India gather here. Devotees also like to witness the auspicious event of Aarti in the evening.