Prem Mandir Vrindavan: Timings, Light Show, History and How to Visit

Prem Mandir at a glance

Prem Mandir Vrindavan: an overview

Prem Mandir, the Temple of Love, is among the most beautiful and beloved of all the temples of Vrindavan and for many visitors the highlight of a Braj trip. A vast, gleaming temple of white marble set in a garden campus in the Raman Reti area, it was built by Jagadguru Kripalu Ji Maharaj and dedicated to Radha-Krishna and Sita-Ram, its walls carved with scenes from their lives. By day it dazzles white in the sun; by night it is bathed in changing colours and its musical fountain draws great crowds every evening. Best of all, entry is completely free. To see it as part of a fuller Vrindavan visit, a mathura vrindavan tour package with Experience My India can include it, timed for the evening show.

From the ground (Gurudutt): Prem Mandir is the one temple my guests always remember and I love to bring them in the evening. Come before dusk, walk the marble and the carved leelas in the golden light and then wait for the fountain show, when the whole temple glows and changes colour and the water dances; it is a sight that stays with you. Everything here is free, even the show, so give it time. Do the aarti and let the beauty of it lift your heart. Radhe Radhe. See our Mathura Vrindavan tour Package  or message WhatsApp +91 7302265809.

History and story: who built Prem Mandir

Prem Mandir is a modern temple with a devotional story behind it:

• Built by Jagadguru Kripalu Ji Maharaj. Prem Mandir was built by Jagadguru Kripalu Ji Maharaj, the revered spiritual master and founder of the Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat, the trust that built and runs the temple; so it has no commercial owner but is a temple of that devotional mission.

• Opened in 2012. The temple was inaugurated in 2012 after many years of work and quickly became one of the most visited and photographed temples of Vrindavan, a modern wonder of white marble.

• Dedicated to the divine couples. It is dedicated to Radha-Krishna, honoured on the ground floor and to Sita-Ram on the upper floor, celebrating the divine love that gives the Temple of Love its name.

The temple and its marble carvings

The beauty of Prem Mandir is in its marble and its stories:

• A temple of white marble. The whole temple is built of gleaming white Italian marble, richly carved, rising in a garden campus; the detail of the work, inside and out, is extraordinary and the temple dazzles by day and glows by night.

• The carved leelas. The walls and the surrounding gardens are carved and set with scenes from the lives of Krishna and Rama, the leelas: Krishna lifting Govardhan, subduing the serpent Kaliya, the raas with the gopis, the swing of Jhulan and more, each a beautiful tableau.

• The gardens and the campus. Around the temple lie lawns, fountains and pathways and the sculptures of the leelas, so the whole campus is a place to wander, not only a shrine; it is spacious, calm and grand.

Prem Mandir timings

Prem Mandir is generally open for darshan in the morning and the evening, with a midday closure. The usual timings, which can change, especially on festivals:

These are the general timings; as they can change with the season and on festival days, it is best to confirm the current schedule on the temple's official timings page before you go. Our mathura vrindavan temple timings guide covers the hours of the other temples of Braj.

The aarti schedule

The temple holds its aartis morning and evening. The usual schedule, which can vary:

• Morning. The morning darshan aarti is around 8:30 AM, with a shringar and darshan aarti around 11:30 AM and the bhog offering around 12:00 PM before the midday closure.

• Evening. The evening Sandhya Aarti is around 4:30 PM as the temple reopens and the Shayan Aarti, the last of the day, is around 8:10 PM, just before the temple closes at about 8:30 PM.

• Confirm the times. As with the darshan, the aarti times can change with the season and on festivals, so confirm the current schedule before you go; the evening aartis are especially beautiful with the temple lit.

The musical fountain and light show

The great draw of Prem Mandir is its evening musical fountain and light show:

• The show. After dusk, the marble temple is bathed in changing colours while a musical fountain plays before it, the water dancing to devotional music and light; it is one of the most beautiful sights in Vrindavan and the highlight of an evening visit.

• The timings. The show is usually held in winter, October to March, around 7:00 to 7:30 PM and in summer, April to September, around 7:30 to 8:00 PM; the time shifts with the season, so confirm it locally and arrive a little early for a good place.

• Free to all. Like everything at Prem Mandir, the light and fountain show is completely free; there is no ticket or entry fee for it, so simply come and enjoy.

Entry, tickets and what is inside

A common question is about tickets and entry and the happy answer is simple:

• No entry fee, no tickets. Entry to Prem Mandir is completely free and there is no ticket for anything, including the evening light and fountain show; all are welcome without charge, in the spirit of the temple.

• The canteen and bookstore. Inside the campus there is a canteen where you can buy snacks and refreshments and a bookstore where you can buy devotional books; these are the only things you pay for and they are optional.

• A place to spend time. With free entry, the gardens, the carvings and the evening show, Prem Mandir rewards an unhurried visit; many spend a whole evening here.

Location and how to reach Prem Mandir

Prem Mandir is in the Raman Reti area of Vrindavan, easy to reach:

• The location. The temple is at Raman Reti, Vrindavan, Mathura 281121, a little apart from the crowded old-town lanes, set in its own garden campus with parking, so it is one of the easier Vrindavan temples to reach by vehicle.

• By train. The nearest major railway station is Mathura Junction, about 14 km away, well connected across India; from there a taxi or auto brings you to Prem Mandir. Vrindavan has only a small branch-line station, so most arrive via Mathura Junction.

• Within Vrindavan. From elsewhere in Vrindavan, an auto or e-rickshaw brings you to the temple; it is an easy stop on any Vrindavan round and pairs naturally with the ISKCON temple and Banke Bihari.

Prem Mandir stands in Raman Reti; our raman reti to prem mandir distance guide covers the area and our how to commute in vrindavan guide the autos and lanes of Vrindavan.

Best time to visit, photos and tips

• Evening is the best time, to see the temple in the golden light of dusk and then the musical fountain and light show after dark; arrive before the show for a good place.

• October to March is the most pleasant season overall, with cool, comfortable weather for the gardens and the campus.

• Prem Mandir is one of the most photogenic temples in India, beautiful for photos by day and, above all, lit up at night; follow the temple's rules on photography inside the shrine.

• Entry is free, so give the visit time; wander the gardens and the carved leelas and rest by the fountains.

• Weekends, holidays and festivals are very crowded, especially for the evening show, so come on a weekday if you can and keep your belongings close.

We bring visitors to Prem Mandir, timed for the evening light and fountain show, along with the other temples of Vrindavan, with a comfortable vehicle, the darshan and the e-rickshaw arranged and a Braj-born guide. A shared day tour starts from around ₹1,499 per person, with darshan free. Our vrindavan tour package covers Vrindavan in a day, our mathura vrindavan tour the twin cities and the braj 84 kos yatra the whole of Braj. Do not miss the banke bihari temple, the iskcon temple vrindavan and seva kunj vrindavan nearby and the braj yamuna ghats and leela sites and krishna janmabhoomi in Mathura; our mathura vrindavan tour itinerary helps you plan. Message me on WhatsApp at +91-7302265809.

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