Radha Damodar Temple

Tucked into a lane behind Seva Kunj in old Vrindavan, the Radha Damodar Temple is modest in size but towering in devotional weight — for followers of the Gaudiya-Vaishnav tradition it is one of the most sacred addresses in all of Braj.

• It was established in 1542 by Jiva Goswami, the youngest and most prolific of the Six Goswamis of Vrindavan whom Chaitanya Mahaprabhu sent to recover and codify the sacred geography of Krishna's land.
• The presiding deity, Sri Radha Damodar, is worshipped alongside a cluster of forms including Radha Vrindavanchandra, Radha Madhav and Gaur-Nitai, each with its own lineage and its own quiet altar.
• What draws pilgrims and scholars alike is the concentration of holy resting places within these unassuming courtyards.
• The samadhis (memorial shrines) of Rupa Goswami — the great architect of Gaudiya devotional literature — and of his nephew Jiva Goswami stand here, along with the samadhi of Krishnadasa Kaviraja, author of the Chaitanya Charitamrita.
• To sit in this compound is to sit at the intellectual and spiritual spring of an entire tradition.
• A singular relic anchors the temple's fame: a Giriraj Govardhan shila, a sacred stone said in tradition to bear the footprints of Krishna and to have been given by Sanatana Goswami to Rupa Goswami.
• Because circling Govardhan Hill is difficult for the aged and infirm, devotees hold that four circumambulations of this shila at Radha Damodar equal one full parikrama of Govardhana — so a slow, murmuring stream of pilgrims rounds the small inner shrine at all hours.
• The temple is also cherished as the place where Srila Prabhupada, founder of ISKCON, lived and did his bhajan for several years in the late 1950s, translating and writing in a tiny room here before he sailed to America.
• His preserved bhajan-kutir is a quiet pilgrimage point for his followers worldwide.
• For the vegetarian traveller, this corner of Vrindavan is entirely sattvic and pure-veg — no meat, egg, fish or alcohol is sold in the old town, and simple prasad and Vrindavan's famous milk-khoya peda are the treats to seek.
• One firm caution: Braj is a heavy bhang (cannabis) region, and thandai or lassi from unverified roadside stalls near the temples can be laced with bhang, which looks and is named almost identically to the ordinary drink.
• Stick to trusted pure-veg sweet shops and temple prasad, and never accept an unlabelled thandai from a stranger.
• Arrive early, keep your voice low, and let the stillness of the Goswamis' garden settle over you.