Grand Krishna Temple.
The ISKCON Temple at Bengaluru is probably one of the grandest Krishna temples in India, if not in the world. It is a relatively modern temple whose construction was started in 1990 and completed in 1997. It was built by the International Society for Krishna Consciousness founded by the spiritual teacher Srila Prabhupada.
We visited the temple one weekday evening and had to wait till 4.15 pm when the temple opens for evening worship. We had to wait in a long queue after depositing our footwear at the counter and paying a fee of Rs.2 per pair. The queue was orderly even though everyone was eager to enter the sanctum. There are wash basins to wash your hands and face, as well as water sprays on the steps so that your feet also get washed before entering. The steps were lined with steel railings all the way to the sanctum sanctorum.
As we went up we first entered two smaller temples dedicated to Hanuman and Garuda and Narasimha, and the next one to Sri Srinavasa Govinda. The presiding deities in the sanctum were Sri Radha Krishnachandra, Sri Krishna Balarama and Sri Nitai Gauranga. The sanctum is very well decorated and brightly lit, with the pujas and aartis being performed by a dedicated team of priests. There was enough space in the hall for devotees to sit for a while and soak in the spirituality. We paid our respects and moved ahead.
The next few rooms had some life-like statues of Srila Prabhupada, and some exhibits from spiritual life. There was one exhibit showing the various stages in a person’s life from birth to death and how the cycle is completed. After this were many rooms displaying various items for sales starting from prasadam, incense sticks, pictures and idols of deities, and going on to decorative notebooks, artefacts and snack foods. At the final exit we received free hot prasadam in a dry leaf cup.
On weekdays the temple is open for devotees from 7.15 am to 1 pm and 4.15 pm to 8.20 pm. On weekends and public holidays it is open from 7.15 am to 8.30 pm, but keep in mind that it is bound to be more crowded on these days, as well as some festival days. One should be dressed modestly, befitting a place of worship. Besides a small purse, you are not permitted to carry anything else inside; and lockers are available to deposit your stuff.
Special passes are available for a fee, if you do not have the time and patience to wait in the general queue. Parking space is available inside the temple compound.
It is definitely worth a visit for everyone, whether you are a Lord Krishna devotee or not. You may even become a believer if you are borderline agnostic, and start following the teachings of Lord Krishna and the Bhagavad-Gita.
We visited the temple one weekday evening and had to wait till 4.15 pm when the temple opens for evening worship. We had to wait in a long queue after depositing our footwear at the counter and paying a fee of Rs.2 per pair. The queue was orderly even though everyone was eager to enter the sanctum. There are wash basins to wash your hands and face, as well as water sprays on the steps so that your feet also get washed before entering. The steps were lined with steel railings all the way to the sanctum sanctorum.
As we went up we first entered two smaller temples dedicated to Hanuman and Garuda and Narasimha, and the next one to Sri Srinavasa Govinda. The presiding deities in the sanctum were Sri Radha Krishnachandra, Sri Krishna Balarama and Sri Nitai Gauranga. The sanctum is very well decorated and brightly lit, with the pujas and aartis being performed by a dedicated team of priests. There was enough space in the hall for devotees to sit for a while and soak in the spirituality. We paid our respects and moved ahead.
The next few rooms had some life-like statues of Srila Prabhupada, and some exhibits from spiritual life. There was one exhibit showing the various stages in a person’s life from birth to death and how the cycle is completed. After this were many rooms displaying various items for sales starting from prasadam, incense sticks, pictures and idols of deities, and going on to decorative notebooks, artefacts and snack foods. At the final exit we received free hot prasadam in a dry leaf cup.
On weekdays the temple is open for devotees from 7.15 am to 1 pm and 4.15 pm to 8.20 pm. On weekends and public holidays it is open from 7.15 am to 8.30 pm, but keep in mind that it is bound to be more crowded on these days, as well as some festival days. One should be dressed modestly, befitting a place of worship. Besides a small purse, you are not permitted to carry anything else inside; and lockers are available to deposit your stuff.
Special passes are available for a fee, if you do not have the time and patience to wait in the general queue. Parking space is available inside the temple compound.
It is definitely worth a visit for everyone, whether you are a Lord Krishna devotee or not. You may even become a believer if you are borderline agnostic, and start following the teachings of Lord Krishna and the Bhagavad-Gita.
Ask EkMusafir about ISKCON Temple Bangalore
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
ISKCONBLR, Manager at ISKCON Temple Bangalore, responded to this reviewResponded yesterday
Hare Krishna
Thank you for making time to write a review. It is truly a great experience to visit the temple. Please visit as frequently as possible to take the blessings of Their Lordships.
Thank you for making time to write a review. It is truly a great experience to visit the temple. Please visit as frequently as possible to take the blessings of Their Lordships.
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC
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