Shri Radha Shyamsundar Ji Temple, Vrindavan — Attraction in Uttar Pradesh

The famous temple of Radha Shyam Sunder is situated around 10 kms from Mathura at Vrindavan. The name Vrindavan is on the name of devi ‘Brinda’  which is also known to be ‘tulsi’. This is the same place where Sri Radha and Sri Krishna spent most of their childhood time and performed various ‘Leela’

There are seven main temples of the sect known as Gaudiya Vaishnav sect in Vrindavan, out of which the temple of Sri Sri Radha Shyam Sundar needs special mention as it is sacred to all Vaishnavas because of the most unique, deity of Sri Shyam Sunder that is said to be directly manifested from Radharani’s heart. This temple is located at Loi Bazar at a place called Seva Kunj in Vrindavan Dham This particular site is dedicated and known for the devotion of Sri Shyamananda prabhu who was said to be personally graced by Sri Radharani. She gave him this divine idol of Sri Shyam Sundar and a nupur tilak that resembles the shape of her foot.

The Bharatpur state king found a beautiful deity of Sri Radharani among his treasure in 1580. He brought this idol to the sacred kutir of Sri Shyamananda prabhu and here he performed her marriage with Sri Shyam Sundar on the day of Vasant Panchmi. The king built a beautiful temple for the couple and then Sri Lala Lali were shifted from underground grove of Shyamananda Prabhu to this temple The Radha Shyamsundar temple has three sets of idols:

Deities of Sri Lala Lali: Lala Lali means little boy or girl. That is the reason the smallest of all idols is given the name Lala Lali. Lala is the name of the idol that was given to Shyamananda Prabhu by Radharani manifested from her heart. It is said that before departing, Shyamananda prabhu gave the responsibility of these idols to Rasikananda Prabhu. The right side of the temple’s altar is adorned by these deities.

Deities of Sri Radha kunjbihari: These deities were found in Nandgram by Mahant Sri Brajajanand Dev Goswami. After his demise, these were taken to Vrindavan and placed in this temple. These idols are on the left side of temple’s altar.

Deities of Sri Radha Shyam Sundar: Standing right between these deities in the center are Sri Radha Shyam Sundar who were brought here by Baladev Vidya Bhushana on the Vasant Panchmi of 1719. He found that dressing small idols of Shyam Sundar is very difficult and instated these bigger idols.

The temple has a very large open area and a marble stage. It also has the idol of Brinda Mata on the opposite side of main deities.

Schedule of the temple

Darshan Timings: 04:00 am to 04:05 am 06:30 am to 08:20 am 08:30 am to 10:35 am 11:30 am to 11:45 am 04:15 pm to 06:15 pm 06:15 pm to 08:00 pm 09:00 pm to 09:15 pm

Aarti timings: Mangala arati - 04:00 am Dhupa Arati - 08:15 am Shringar Arati - 10:30 am Raj Bhog Arati - 11:30 am Gvala Arati - 04:15 pm Sandhya Arati - 06:15 pm Shayan...

Sri Vrindavan Dham is the holiest of all the holy places. Even the denizens of heaven desire to take birth in this holy land, which is purified by the touch of Krishna’s lotus feet.

Among the seven main temples of Gaudiya Vaishnava sect in Sri Vrindavan Dham, the temple of Sri Sri Radha Shyamsundar has carved a special place for itself in the hearts of all the Vaishnavas because it houses the most beautiful and unique Deity of Sri Shyamsundar, that manifested from Srimati Radharani’s heart.

All the prominent acharyas of Gaudiya Vaishnava cult used to visit this divine temple to have darshan of His Lordship, Sri Shyamsundar.

On having daily darshan of this transcendental Deity, Srila Jiva Goswami, Sri Gopala Bhatta Goswami, Srila Loknath Goswami and Sri Bhugarbha Goswami etc. used to inundate deep in an ocean of ecstasy.

Srila Raghunath Dasa Goswami and Srila Krishna Dasa Kaviraja Goswami, who would otherwise never leave Sri Radha Kunda, also started visiting Vrindavan for the darshan of Sri Shyamsundar, despite their old age and physical problems. Srila Baladeva Vidya Bhushana spent most of his time in Vrindavan in the service of the Deity. Even the recent Gaudiya Vaishnava Acharyas, like Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Goswami Thakur (Founder of Gaudiya Matha) and Srila Bhakti Sarang Maharaj (Founder of Imli-Tala Temple) used to forget themselves on having transcendental vision of the Deities. Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, founder acharya of ISKCON, used to shed tears on having darshan of the Deity.

This site is dedicated and offered as a symbol of devotion to Sri Shyamananda prabhu who was personally graced by Srimati Radharani. She gave him a nupur tilak of the shape of Her lotus foot and the transcendental and divine Deity of...

"Sri Radha-Syamasundara, the deities established and worshipped by gaudiya-vedanta-acarya Sri Baladeva Vidyabhusana, are very beautiful. Opposite the entrance door of the temple is the samadhi of Sri Syamananda Prabhu. Sri Baladeva Vidyabhusana was born in a village near the famous Remuna in Orissa. He studied grammar, rhetoric and logic in an academic village on the bank of Cilka-hrada. After this, he went to Mysore to study the Vedas. In Udupi, he deeply studied Madhva-bhasya along with Sankara-bhasya, Parijata-bhasya and other commentaries (bhasyas) on the Vedanta. After some time, he studied in Sri Dhama Jagannatha Puri the Sat-sandarbhas under Sri Radha-Damodara, a disciple of Sri Rasikananda Prabhu. At this time, he came to know of Sri Radha-Damodara’s profound scholarship and devout life and became his disciple. Later on, in Vrindavan, he studied Srimad-Bhagavatam and the books of the Gosvamis from the famous gaudiya rasikacarya Sri Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur and, on his instruction, went to Jaipura. At the well-known Galta in Jaipura, he defeated the scholars of the Sri sampradaya and other opponents to the Gaudiya line, and established the deity of Sri Vijaya-gopala. To increase the faith of the local scholars, he composed Sri Govinda-bhasya on Brahma-sutra there, and re-installed Sri Radhaji beside Sri Govindadeva in the famous Govinda Temple. Some of the books he composed, which have enlarged the treasure house of Sri Gaudiya Vaisnava literature, are Govinda-bhasya, Siddhanta-ratnam, Vedanta-syamantaka, Prameya-ratnavali, Siddhanta-darpana and a commentary on Sat-sandarbha."

Excerpt from the book 'Sri Vraja-mandal Parikrama' by Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayana...