Mirabai Temple Vrindavan: Timings, Entry, History and Darshan Guide

Key facts at a glance

Mirabai Temple Vrindavan: an overview

Down a narrow lane in the old heart of Vrindavan, past the crowds that throng the great temples, is a small, quiet shrine with a blue and white courtyard, where a princess once set down her crown and picked up an ektara to sing only of Krishna. This is the Mirabai Temple, marking the place where the great saint-poet Mirabai stayed during her years in Vrindavan and enshrining the sacred Shaligram Shila that, by the tradition, she herself worshipped.

Near the Radha Damodar and Shah Ji temples and only about 450 metres from Nidhivan, the Mirabai Temple is one of the most tender and moving of the shrines of Vrindavan, dear to all who love Mirabai's songs of devotion. This guide covers it in full: the timings, entry and address; the life of Mirabai; the story and significance of the temple; what to see and the temples nearby; and how to reach and plan your visit. Our radha raman temple page covers a great temple close by.

From the ground (Gurudutt): People come to Vrindavan for Banke Bihari and Prem Mandir and rightly so, but if you love Mirabai, do make the little effort to find her temple; it is easy to miss, tucked in the lanes near Nidhivan and it is nothing grand, just a simple blue-and-white courtyard, but the feeling there is something else. This is where a queen who gave up everything for Krishna once lived and sang and the Shaligram she worshipped is still there. Reach Nidhivan and ask any shopkeeper, it is a two-minute walk. Go in the morning or the quiet of the evening, sit a while and mind the monkeys with your phone. Darshan is free. See our Mathura Vrindavan tour Package  or message WhatsApp +91 7302265809.

Timings, entry fee and address

Here are the essential visiting details for the Mirabai Temple in Vrindavan.

Entry fee: None. Darshan at the Mirabai Temple is free for all.

Address: Near Radha Damodar Temple, Vrindavan, Uttar Pradesh 281003.

So the temple is open every day, mornings 7:30 AM to 12 noon and evenings 5:00 to 8:00 PM, closing in the middle of the day and entry is free. So plan a morning or evening visit and confirm the current timings locally, as temple hours can vary. Our mathura vrindavan temple timings guide covers the schedules of the region.

Who was Mirabai?

Mirabai or Meera, was a great saint and poet of the sixteenth century, a Rajput princess of the Chittorgarh royal house whose love for Lord Krishna, whom she worshipped as Giridhar Gopal, was so complete that she renounced her royal comforts and the conventions of her station to live as his devotee. Her bhajans, songs of longing and union with Krishna, are among the most beloved in all of India, sung to this day and her words, mera to giridhar gopal, dusro na koi, nobody is mine but Giridhar Gopal, capture the whole of her life.

By the tradition, Mirabai faced great hardship for her devotion, yet never wavered and in time she left the palace of Chittorgarh to wander the holy places of the land of Krishna, coming to Vrindavan and later to Dwarka. We present her life with the reverence of the tradition, held with faith and recounted with reverence, the beloved Mirabai, saint-poet of Krishna.

The story and significance of the temple

By the accounts, Mirabai stayed in Vrindavan from about 1524 to 1539 and the Mirabai Temple marks the place of her stay; it enshrines the sacred Shaligram Shila, the deity of Krishna, that, by the tradition, she herself worshipped, so that devotees today take darshan of the very form she adored. The temple was built in 1842, in the Vikram Samvat year 1898, by Thakur Ram Narain Bhatti, the Rajdiwan of Bikaner and it has been cared for ever since by the descendants of the same family that, by the tradition, hosted Mirabai during her time in Vrindavan.

After her years in Vrindavan, by the tradition, Mirabai went to Dwarka, where it is believed she finally merged into the idol of Krishna, the culmination of her lifelong devotion; fittingly, Mathura too has its own beloved dwarkadhish temple. So the temple honours Mirabai's stay, her worship and her Shaligram, kept by the family that hosted her. So it is a living shrine of her devotion. We present its story as the accounts and the tradition record them, held with faith and recounted with reverence.

What to see and nearby temples

The Mirabai Temple is simple and serene, of modest Rajasthani-influenced architecture, with a peaceful blue and white courtyard; the chief darshan is of the Shaligram Shila worshipped by Mirabai, along with Radha, Krishna and Mirabai. It is a place to sit quietly and feel her devotion, rather than a grand monument. Being in the old temple quarter, it is easily combined with the temples nearby:

• Nidhivan: about 450 metres away, the sacred grove of the Raas Leela of Radha and Krishna, one of the most revered spots of Vrindavan.

• Shah Ji Temple: close by, a beautiful white temple famous for its tall spiral pillars and the deity fondly called Chhote Radha Raman.

• Radha Damodar and Radha Raman temples: ancient and revered Goswami temples of the old quarter, a short walk away.

• Banke Bihari temple and Keshi Ghat: the beloved banke bihari temple and the Yamuna ghat, both within the old heart of Vrindavan.

So the Shaligram of Mirabai and the serene courtyard are what to see, with Nidhivan, Shah Ji and the great old temples close by. So combine them on one unhurried walk. We present the shrine with the reverence of the tradition, held with faith, the temple of Mirabai in Vrindavan.

How to reach and plan your visit

The Mirabai Temple is in central Vrindavan and the easiest way to find it is to reach Nidhivan, from where it is a short two-minute walk down a narrow lane, so ask a local or use a map and mind the monkeys with your phone and belongings. Vrindavan is about 12 to 15 km from Mathura Junction, the nearest railhead and about 150 km from Delhi; reach it by road, train to Mathura or a flight to Delhi or Agra. Our how to commute in vrindavan and how to reach vrindavan guides help you get there and around.

The best time to visit is the cool season, roughly October to March; the mornings and evenings, around the aarti, are the most devotional. Our best time to visit vrindavan mathura guide covers the seasons and our mathura vrindavan tour itinerary helps you plan the day. We arrange Vrindavan temple tours that can include the Mirabai Temple with Nidhivan and the great old temples, with transport, local hops and a knowledgeable guide. A shared day tour starts from around ₹1,499 per person, with darshan free; our one-day vrindavan tour package covers Vrindavan and our two-day mathura vrindavan tour the twin cities. Message me on WhatsApp at +91-7302265809 to plan your visit.

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