The Hindu : Shekhawat to inaugurate Govinda temple in Vrindaban

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Mar 03, 2004

New Delhi

New Delhi

Shekhawat to inaugurate Govinda temple in Vrindaban

MATHURA, MARCH 2. The magnificent `Govinda' temple in Vrindaban to be inaugurated by the Vice-President, Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, on March 4 will prove to be the strongest link between the north and south, Acharya Krishna Balaram Swami has said.

The brainchild of the noted Acharya, the temple is a replica of the Govind Deo temple, which was constructed 500 years ago, and is constructed in the Thanjavur style.

The Uttaranchal Chief Minister, N.D. Tiwari, over 300 foreign devotees and some 3000 south Indian devotees would attend the week-long programme which includes Govind bhajans by noted singer Anoop Jalota, `Gaurangleela' by Hargovind Sharma and his troupe, `bhajans' by Dwaram Laxmi from Tirupati and `Holileela' by noted troupe of Swami Ram Swaroop Sharma.

A picture of architectural beauty, the temple is a pleasing mix of heritage religion, philosophy, science and vaastu. It has been attracting scores of pilgrims.

The Acharya, who is a master of the Vedas and Bhagawatam Mahant and fluent in over a dozen languages, got the idea of constructing the Govinda temple after he saw the remains of the ancient `Govind Deo' temple, built 500 years ago.

According to a legend, Srila Rupa Goswami, a disciple of Lord Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu undertook excavation of a mound atop a hillock where it was said a cow gave milk unattended. During the digging, a rare idol of Govinda, dating back 5000 years (worshipped by Vajranabha, the grandson of Lord Krishna) was unearthed.

As instructed by his divine teacher Rupa Goswami, a seven-storeyed temple with intricate carvings was constructed by King Man Singh in 1590. The majestic temple had a 35-ft high gate and an octagonal sanctum sanctorum.

Later, Mughal emperor Aurangzeb ordered four storeys of the temple to be destroyed. However, the principal deity was shifted to Jaipur before the emperor's orders could be carried out. As a result, the worship continued uninterrupted.

The Govinda temple has some novel features. Instead of cement, mortar and iron, a specially imported liquid has been used for joining heavy pieces of stone in constructing the temple. About seven kg gold has been used in the temple top. A special chemical has been used to prevent decay of stone and prevent theft of even minor pieces from the temple.

Govinda is one of the names of Lord Krishna, hailing him as the protector of cows. -- UNI

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