Temples (Mandirs) in Bharatpur

 Ganga Mandir, Bharatpur

Ganga Mandir or Ganga Temple is a masterpiece of Mughal, Rajputana and south Indian architecture. It is suitably located in the centre of Bharatpur town is host of outstanding statue of goddess Ganga. A huge number of people around the country frequently visit Ganga Mandir of Bharatpur with a firm belief that all of their unmet expectations and dreams would be rewarded by goddess Ganga. Along with the devotees, a large number of tourists visit Ganga Temple for its marvelous architectural structure.

Ganga Mandir (Image Reference)

It is said that this beautiful temple was built by King Balwant Singh, the Maharaja of Bharatpur. According to some locals, King Balwant Singh had no child for a long time and he prayed to goddess Ganga saying “If he is blessed with a son, he would build a temple in the name of goddess Ganga. According to legend, the queen of King Balwant Singh gave birth to a baby boy and king ordered his people to start the construction work of the temple in 1845. It took a long time of 91 years to complete the construction work of the temple. At the end the statue of goodness Ganga was positioned inside the Temple and the temple was named after her as per the promise of King Balwant Singh.

Along with a marvelous statue of goddess Ganga, Bharatpur Ganga Temple accommodates a big replica of a crocodile which is believed to be the carrier of Ganga. The followers at the Mandir are given the sacred water of Ganga which is specially brought from Haridwar every year and stored in the big silver pot close to the feet of the statue of goddess Ganga.

The temple is a perfect combination of Mughal, Rajputana and south Indian architecture. It exhibits superb carvings on its pillars and walls all of which makes it a site worth visiting. Although Bharatpur is mostly known for its wildlife, it can be called as city of temples and Ganga Temple is regarded as the best of all the temples in Bharatpur.

 Banke Bihari Temple

Banke Bihari is one of the vastly admired temples of Bharatpur. This temple is well known for its splendid architecture and everyday a huge number of devotees gathers in this temple. The temple is situated in the middle of Bharatpur city centre and is easily accessible by bus and train from Agra and Jaipur. This is spread over several acres of land with some trees all around the temple.

Banke Bihari Temple (Image Reference)

This architecturally beautiful temple is exalted by the wonderful architecture of Brij. Attractive statue of lord Krishna long with Radha is positioned inside the main hall of the temple.  On the walls of Verandah, lots of nice pictures and paintings featuring the childhood of lord Krishna is hung. Besides those, some pictures of other goddess are also kept in the temple.

Banke Bihari Temple is regarded as second most popular temple in Bharatpur after Ganga Temple.  If you have enough time in your hand and you complete visiting both of the temples, you would get a true understanding of the tradition of Hindu worship in the Bharatpur.