Banke Bihari Temple, Hindu temple in Vrindavan, India

Banke Bihari Temple is a Hindu temple in Vrindavan, Mathura district, dedicated to Banke Bihari, the combined form of Radha and Krishna. The icon stands in the Tribhanga posture. The temple was built around 1864, and the image was moved there from Nidhivan.

Swami Haridas, a Vaishnava singer and teacher of Tansen, worshipped the Banke Bihari icon at Nidhivan under the name Kunj Bihari. A dispute between his sadhu and gosvami followers led the gosvamis to build the present temple around 1864, and the image was moved there from Nidhivan. The gosvami families still live behind the shrine.

The name refers to the bent posture of the deity figure, while worshipers consider the gaze of the statue so powerful that a curtain opens and closes at regular intervals. These brief moments when you can see the image shape the rhythm of devotion and create a constant shift between waiting and direct encounter.

Access runs through narrow lanes where crowding can be heavy, especially on weekends and festival days. Shoes must be removed before entering, and electronic devices such as cameras or mobile phones are not allowed inside.

The morning ceremony begins later than at other shrines in town because worshipers believe the deity rests after nighttime celebrations. This idea shapes the daily schedule and means the first visitors arrive only around nine in the morning.