Bankey bihari temple
Bankey Bihari temple is dedicated to Lord Krishna ,located in the town of Vrindavan in Uttar Pradesh ,India.The diety was originally worshipped in Nidhivan ,Vrindavan. It was established by Swami Haridas.
It is one of those temples where Radha and Krishna are worshipped in their merged or united form as the celestial couples,so it has just one idol .The Lord is worshipped in the form of a small child, and taken care in that way. It is one of the most famous attraction for Hindus and is visited by many devotees everyday.
Bankey BIhari
Legends
Swami Haridas was a famous devotee of Krishna ,and also the guru of famous singer Tansen. Once his disciples asked him to call Radha and Krishna in their celestial form before them. Swamiji sang a few verses in the praise of celestial couples – Shyam and Shyama. To fulfill the wish of their devotees – Radha and Krishna appeared before them in their original form . Swami Haridas asked them to unify themselves in one entity , so that he could manage the expenses to take care of them.
As a result an idol appeared which was bent from three parts , and thus was named Bankey Bihari. Bankey means ‘bent’ and ‘Bihari’ means ‘ The Supreme Enjoyer’.
Swami Haridas was the reincarnation of Lalita Sakhi,who was the best female friend of Radha in Dwapar Yuga.
The architecture of the temple is the contemporary Rajasthani style and the temple today stands with its full glory, inside which the Lord himself resides. It is thronged by thousands of visitors every day.
Once, a princess from Rajasthan came for darshans of Bankey Bihari at Vrindavan .She was so astonished by the Lords beauty and wanted to stay at Vrindavan for the whole life .But her parents did not allow her and she left Vrindavan with teary eyes. Out of compassion , Bankey Bihari followed her to her palace and lived with her.
A search for Biharji found him at the princess home and he was brought back to the temple at Vrindavan as his people missed him.
interesting facts
Curtain is used for security
The curtain before the Deities is not left open like at other temples. Every few minutes, the curtain is pulled shut and then opened again. It is said that the brilliant eyes of Shri Bankey Bihari will make one unconscious if seen for too long a stretch
NO BELLS IN TEMPLE
This is probably the only temple where loud temple bells are not used to wake up Krishna .It is believed to be improper to wake up a child by force and a child should wake up gently on his own.
There are also no bells for the Aarti ,as it might disturb the baby Lord.
RAAS UTSAV
Raas Utsav is celebratd as the union with Lord. Every night Krishna performs the divine dance with the gopis in Nidhivan . No one is alliowed to stay in the Nidhivan during this time .People can hear the sound of flutes and and their anklets during this time.
WHAT IS THE RAAS?
Rasa Lila is divine sport (Kreeda) with the devotees for bringing about their union with the Lord through Prema or pure divine love. Rasa is the sweetest juice of Prema. It is the manifestation of divine love or higher emotion which takes the devotee to the magnanimous height of holy communion with the Lord.
Krishna was ten years old when he performed the Rasa Lila. During the dance, the Gopis saw Krishna only, within, without, around and everywhere. They forgot all about their homes, husbands, children and parents. Their hearts melted in Lord Krishna, the Supreme Soul.
The fire of devotion brought about a fusion of hearts. The glue of Prema cemented their hearts with Krishna. The Gopis were not ordinary women. They were exalted personages.
RADHE RADHE !