Krishna Janmasthan Temple Complex, Hindu temple in Mathura, India
Krishna Janmasthan Temple Complex is a temple compound in Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, that groups several prayer halls and courtyards around a central sanctuary. Stairs connect the different levels, while open spaces alternate with enclosed rooms where visitors pause before the altars.
Tradition holds that Krishna's great-grandson Vajranabh built the first temple here. Excavations found pottery and terracotta from the 6th century BCE, and Gupta emperor Chandragupta II rebuilt the complex around 400 CE. Aurangzeb destroyed the Keshavdeva temple in 1670 and built the Shahi Eidgah on its site. The present complex was built from 1953 to 1982 with funds from industrialists Jugal Kishore Birla and Jaidayal Dalmia.
The name refers to Krishna, whose birthplace is honored here, while worshippers lay flowers before the shrines and recite prayers. The walls display scenes from the deity's life that pilgrims observe as they walk through.
Visitors pass through security checks at the entrances, where personal items must be stored in designated areas. The compound is open during daylight hours, with certain sections requiring bare feet.
The 1968 compromise between the Shree Krishna Janmasthan Seva Sangh and the Shahi Eidgah committee left the mosque under the Eidgah committee's management while granting the temple land to the Trust. Congress leader Ganesh Vasudev Mavalankar was the Sangh's first chairman and signed for the temple side.
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