प्रेम मंदिर
Prem Mandir
White Italian marble, carved over eleven years, and a light show after sunset that is the one piece of spectacle in Braj worth planning your evening around.
Built by Jagadguru Kripalu Ji Maharaj and opened in 2012, Prem Mandir is modern, enormous and unapologetically beautiful. The whole structure is Italian marble, carved by hundreds of craftsmen over about eleven years, and the outer walls carry panels of Krishna's life in relief.
The reason to come at dusk is the lighting: the marble is lit in slowly shifting colours, and the fountain runs to music. It is the most photographed thing in Vrindavan and, unusually for Braj, there is room to stand and look without being pressed from behind. The gardens hold dioramas of the Govardhan lila and the Jhulan.
What we would tell you beforehand
- Come before sunset, walk the gardens in daylight, and be in front of the main building as the lights start.
- Photography is allowed in the grounds, which is not true of most temples in Braj. This is the place to take the family photograph.
- The parking is a fair walk from the entrance and the marble gets hot — carry socks if you are visiting midday in summer.
Yatras that come here
- Same-day Mathura & Vrindavan tour by car1 day
- Same-day Agra, Mathura & Vrindavan tour1 day
- 2-day Mathura & Vrindavan darshan2 days
- 3-day Mathura, Vrindavan & Govardhan tour3 days
- 3-day Mathura, Vrindavan & Agra tour3 days
- 4-day complete Braj darshan4 days
- 5-day Braj with Agra & Bharatpur5 days
- Braj 84 Kos Yatra — 7 days7 days
- Braj 84 Kos Yatra — 8 days8 days
- Braj Holi — Lathmar at Barsana, Nandgaon & Vrindavan4 days