Vrindadevi Temple

Here in this temple one can see the original deity of Vrinda Devi alongside the ‘pratibhumurti’
of Lord Govindaji and also a deity of Lord jagannatha Swami. When the deities of the
Gaudiya Goswamis were brought from Vrindavana, they were kept at different locations in
Kaman Town for safety. At this particular location, the deities of Govindaji and Vrinda Devi were
kept for three days before Govindaji was moved to Jaipura. When the pujaris tried to move the
deity of Vrinda Devi, she became too heavy to move, and the pujaris realized that Vrinda Devi,
the presiding deity of Vrindavana forest, was not willing to leave the holy Dhama. Therefore,
Vrinda Devi was then installed along with the pratibhu-murti of Govindaji in this temple.
This very beautiful deity of Vrinda Devi has ten arms holding her various symbols and
is said to have been originally installed in Vrindavana by King Vajranabha, five thousand years
earlier. During the course of history, the deity was lost but was subsequently rediscovered in
Brahma-kunda by Shrila Rupa Goswami after she appeared in a dream informing him where she
lay hidden. Rupa Goswami then installed Vrinda Devi in the Govindaji Mandira in Vrindavana.
Vrinda Devi is the gopi after whom the forest of Vrindavana has been named (the vana of Vrinda)
and along with Pumamasi, Vrinda Devi is responsible for making all the various arrangements
for the loving pastimes between Radha and Krishna within the groves of Vrindavana. Shrimati
Tulasi Devi is considered to be the partial expansion of Vrinda Devi, who is herself an expansion
of Yogamaya Devi.

This is Kämyavana’s most famous temple. Darçana of Våndädevé is rare in Vraja-maëòala, but here one can have her special darçana. Çré Rädhä-Govindadeva are also residing here. Nearby is Çré Viñëu-siàhäsana, or the throne (siàhäsana) of Çré Kåñëa. Close by is Caraëa-kuëòa, where the lotus feet of the Divine Couple Çré Rädhä-Govinda were bathed. After Çré Rüpa, Çré Sanätana and the other Gosvämés left this world, the narrow-minded Mughal emperor Aurangzeb destroyed the famous temples of Våndävana, Mathurä and other locations in Vraja. At that time, the Mahäräja of Jaipura, who was a great devotee, brought the famous deities of Vraja to Jaipura. These included Çré Govinda, Çré Gopénätha, Çré Rädhä-Dämodara and Çré Rädhä-Mädhava. On his way, he rested for some days in Kämyavana. The deities were taken from the chariots and kept at various locations where regular services to Them were performed, such as bathing, offering bhoga and putting Them to rest. They were later carried to Jaipura and other places. Eventually, large temples were constructed at the places where the deities of Çré Rädhä-Govinda, Çré Rädhä-Gopénätha and Çré Rädhä-Madanamohana had stayed in Kämyavana, and pratibhü-vigrahas3 of the original deities were installed there. Çré Våndä-devé came as far as Kämyavana, but she did not leave Vraja to go further. There is thus a special darçana of Çré Våndä-devé here. Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu and His associates, like Çré Rüpa and Çré Sanätana Gosvämés, re-established the lost pastime places of Vraja-maëòala. Before their arrival in Vraja, Kämyavana was considered to be Våndävana. However, Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu established the place situated near Mathurä as Çré Dhäma Våndävana. It is impossible for Yamunäjé, Céra-ghäöa, Nidhuvana, Käléya-daha, Keçé-ghäöa, Sevä-kuïja, Räsa-sthalé Vaàçévaöa and Çré Gopéçvara Mahädeva to be situated in Kämyavana. Therefore, that place where the pastime places like Vimala-kuëòa, Kämeçvara Mahädeva, Caraëa-pahäòé, Setubandha Rämeçvara and others are present is Kämyavana, and it is without doubt separate from Våndävana. Våndä-devé resides in Våndävana only. She is the presiding deity of the groves of Våndävana and of the pastimes of the Divine Couple in those groves. Therefore, she now resides in Çré Rüpa-Sanätana Gauòéya Maöha in Çré Dhäma Våndävana, where she grants her divine darçana. In the vicinity of the Çré Govindadeva Temple, one can have darçana of places like Garuòajé, Candrabhäñä-kuëòa, Candreçvara Mahädeva, Varäha-kuëòa, Varäha-küpa, Yajïa-kuëòa and Dharma-kuëòa.

The presiding Deity of Vrindaban, Vrinda Devi, who resides at the Govinda Temple here, is another form of the goddess Lakshmi, Lord Vishnu’s eternal consort. Out of love for Vishnu, Lakshmi assumes the form of a tulasi plant (vrinda) and grows at His lotus feet.
When the Goswamis first arrived in Vrindaban, Rupa Goswami discovered Vrinda Devi growing on the banks of Brahma Kund. He installed a Deity-form of the sacred plant in a small temple adjacent to Govindaji. This Vrinda Deity was caught up in the great exodus of Deities in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Because of rampaging Muslims, many Deities were moved from Vrindaban and Mathura to safety.
In anticipation of Aurangzeb’s raids, the Keshava Dev Temple Deity was to be taken to Mewar, but the Deity’s chariot wheels sank into the earth at the obscure Rajasthani village of Siarh, now the famous Nathdwar, and the devotees understood that the Lord wished to remain there. Similarly, the Maharaj of Jaipur took Gokulnath and Gokul Chandrama from Gokul to Jaipur, where They remained until the nineteenth century. The Deity of Madana Mohana was also moved, and Bal Kishan was taken from Mahaban to Surat. Vrinda Devi was to be taken to Jaipur, but upon reaching Kamaban, the Deity refused to leave the holy dham, and so remains to this day.