ISKCON Sri Radha Krishna – Chandra Temple
Bangalore has two ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness) temples, one of which is Sri Radha Krishna Temple, located at Hare Krishna Hill, Rajaji Nagar. Built in a magnificent architectural style, the temple is a perfect union of spirituality and modernity. Inaugurated in the year 1997, the place houses the temples dedicated to the deities of Sri Sri Radha Krishnachandra, Sri Sri Krishna Balarama, Sri Srinivasa Govinda, Sri Sri Nitai Gauranga and Sri Prahlada Narasimha. The temple attracts devotees or tourists from all over the world as it provides a great spiritual experience.
A gold-plated pillar named as dhvaja-sthamba (56 ft tall) is located at the entrance of the temple. Hari-nam mantapa, the place where people chant the name of Lord Krishna for the purification of mind, soul and world peace is located near the sthamba. There are 108 steps on each side of the mantapa and at every single step devotees chant the Hare Krishna mantra once. The steps will lead the visitors to the temple of Prahlada Narasimha which is guarded by Jaya and Vijaya, the two door-keepers of the Lord. Next mandir is of Sri Srinivasa Govinda and then comes the main temple where the deities of Sri Sri Radha Krishnachandra, Sri Sri Krishna Balarama and Sri Sri Nitai Gauranga are worshipped.
At the exit of the temple, there are various stalls which sell religious artifacts. Visitors can watch an episode of the Little Krishna Animation Movie (around 20 min. duration) in the Animation Theatre. At the Gita counter, one can have a look at the display of books written by Srila Prabhupada (the founder of ISKCON Bangalore) which is available in English and most of the Indian languages. The delicious Sri Krishna prasadam is distributed freely to all the visitors during the darshan hours. Other places worth visiting includes:
Dakshinakrti (the handicraft section),
Dharani (the organic food outlet),
The Higher Taste food court (which offers varieties of delicious sattvik food) and
Annakuta Restaurant.
Few relevant information for visitors:
Darshan Timings: 4:15 a.m. to 5:00 a.m., 7:15 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. to 8.20 p.m.
The temple is open all days.
Entry is free.
A guest house is located inside the temple premises.