Temples in Nathdwar
Sri Nathji Temple
Sri Nathji is an absolutely beautiful black marble Deity of Lord Krishna, standing with His hand upraised lifting Govardhana Hill.
The same Deity (known then as Gopala) was worshiped by Madhavendra Puri in Vrindavana, as described in the Caitanya-caritamrita. Sri Nathji was brought to Nathdwar by Rana Raj Singh of Mewar in the 17th century. The temple of Sri Nathji is said to be the second richest in India, after the Balaji Temple in Tirupati.
Architecturally the temple is simple, but the devotees' enthusiasm is among the greatest in India. Every day Sri Gopala is offered large quantities of opulent foodstuffs cooked in ghee. The variety and quantity of food offered to the Deity is beyond estimation, and it's all of the highest quality. The maha-prasada is excellent and can be easily obtained in stalls outside the temple.
Mangala-arati begins at 5.30 am. After mangala-arati, darshan goes on. The mukhiyajis, as the priests here are known, close the curtain in front of the Deity, but everyone cries for more darshan. So the curtain is raised and lowered several times.
The Lord wears a large diamond beneath His lips, which is said to be a gift from the Muslim emperor Akbar. Many devotees who visit Nathdwar do service for the Deity, such as carry wood, cut vegetables, sweep the temple, or make garlands.
There is a story that Sri Nathji once tore His garment while rushing back to the temple to be on time for darshan. From that day on it has been a custom to blow the conch and then wait several minutes before opening the altar doors. In that way Sri Nathji may return leisurely to His temple from wherever He may be sporting.
The temple of Sri Nathji and other places of worship for the followers of Vallabhacarya are like houses. They are made to be like the Vrindavana house of Krishna's father, Nanda Maharaja. The temple, therefore, is also known as Nanda Bhavan or Nandalaya, "the house of Nanda Maharaja." On the top of the temple is a spire, or kalasa, as well as the disc of Lord Vishnu and seven flags.
The priests of the temple are followers of Vallabhacarya, who was born in 1479. His son Sri Vitthalanathji raised the worship of Sri Nathji to a very high standard. The temple is under the management of the main acarya (spiritual leader) of the Vallabha-sampradaya, called the Tilakayata. He is the head of the temple.
Once when Sri Vallabhacarya defeated a large group of impersonalist scholars at Vidyanagar, King Krishnadeva Raya gave him a gift of many gold coins. Sri Vallabhacarya gave most of these to the local brahmanas and kept only seven. Those seven coins were then made into an ornament for Sri Nathji. It is still worn by the Lord today.
The holdings of the temple include hundreds of shops and buildings and thousands of acres of land, including farms and cow pastures. The temple owns over 500 cows. One of the cows is called the "Sri Nathji's cow" and comes from a lineage that has served the Deity for generations. The milk from this cow goes only for Sri Nathji to drink. Milk from the other cows is made into various sweets for the Deity.
Many people go to each arati. It is extremely crowded and you have to constantly move. When you enter the actual temple room it is very crowded, and you may be pushed around, even sometimes out of the temple room. The pushing is not like when you normally get pushed in India. It is actually pleasurable to experience the devotees' extreme desire to see Sri Nathji.
There are eight offerings and six aratis each day. The Lord has His last darshan in the evening before taking rest. When He lifted Govardhana Hill He was just a young boy, so He takes rest early.
Mangala-arati is 5 am in the winter and 6 am in the summer. The last arati is 6.30 pm in the winter and 7 pm in the summer. The temple is closed in the afternoon until 3.15 pm in the winter and 3.45 pm in the summer.
Non-Hindus are technically not allowed to enter the temple. If you are a foreigner and wish to enter, the guards will ask you to sign a piece of paper at the main entrance, which is written in Hindi.
Sri Nathji (Sri Gopala)
Sri Nathji is Lord Krishna in His pastime of lifting Govardhana Hill. The Lord's left hand is upraised. His right hand, closed in a fist, rests on His hip. It is said that the Lord waves His devotees towards Him with His left hand and keeps the nectar of devotion in His right. His eyes glance downward affectionately at His devotees. Sri Nathji is a very special and beautiful Deity.
The servitors of Sri Nathji say that the Deity is the original form of Sri Krishna, known as Nikunja Nayaka, "the Lord of the Celestial Bower." Since this form of Lord Krishna includes all others, His devotees see Him both as Sri Radhanatlh (the Lord of Radha) and as child Krishna. The Deity is, therefore, sometimes entertained with childish toys like spinning tops and silver animals and sometimes offered a herding stick meant for a cowherd boy.
The Deity appears in a large black stone from which His form emerges in bas-relief. The stone around the Deity bears several marks: two cows, a snake, a lion, two peacocks, a parrot by the Lord's head, two sages seated on His right side and a third on His left, and then below the sages is another snake. Around the Lord’s neck is a flower garland, resembling a black snake.
Vitthalnath Temple
Is just opposite the entrance of the Sri Nathji Temple. This Deity used to be located at Gokula, in Braja. The Banamali Temple is a Krishna temple, located to the right of the main entrance of the Sri Nathji Temple.
About 15 km away in Kankroli there is a Deity of Lord Krishna called Dwarkadhish. The Deity was brought there from Mathura in 1676.
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