A Holy Visit to the ISKCON Temple of Bangalore

I had been frequenting Bangalore as part of my business travels quite often. Though in recent years it is less, but few years back it was plenty. One such holy experience was visiting the pious ISKCON temple of Bangalore. Today, on the occasion of Ratha Yatra, I felt like sharing my experience of strolling around the ISKCON temple of Bangalore, a haven of tranquility and peace.

Key Notes of the Temple

Many of you may be aware, but still I wanted to first reiterate that the Founder Acharya of ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness) was Swami Prabhupada. The ISKCON temple of Bangalore belongs to the society and is one the prominent ISKCON centers in the world. It is situated on Hare Krishna Hill, surrounding an area of about seven acres at a place called Rajajinagar.

The temple, known as Sri Radha Krishna temple, was Inaugurated on 31st May, 1997 by the former President of India, Sri. Shankar Dayal Sharma. Till then the temple has been dedicated to the service of the humanity, uplifting the spiritual beliefs of the society. Besides you will be amazed to notice the architectural splendour and glamor of the temple. The exterior and the interior of the temple is beautifully carved with artistic designs, images and paintings of Lord Krishna and his life. Its an amazing blend of modern and traditional architecture, mostly white in colour that enhances the spiritual dignity of the temple.

The Entry

There are no entry fees for the temple. You need to open your shoes at a desgnated place outside the temple and proceed inside. Before you enter the main area of the temple, you will be humbly introduced to 108 steps. At each step you can chant the name of Sri Krishna and Sri Rama to uplift your spirits and feel the peace within. It is truly an amazing experience and I felt it similar too as I moved ahead each step chanting the name of the Lord.

Once you finish the steps, you can ring the holy bell and enter the center hall of the temple. There are few steps to climb before you reach the hall.

Deities of the Temple

The deities of the temple are present in the main hall of the temple.

1. Sri Radha Krishnachandra (idols of Lord Krishna and Goddess Radha)
2. Sri Krishna Balarama (idols of Lord Krishna and Lord Balarama)
3. Sri Nitai Gauranga (idols of Sri Nityananda Prabhu and Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu)

You can sit in front of the deity in the main hall and offer your prayers and seek your blessings from the Lord. Photography is prohibited inside so I could capture the glimpse for my readers. But if you visit the official website of the ISKCON temple of Bangalore, then you can check.

There are two more shrines in front of the main temple where Sri Srinivasa Govinda and Sri Prahlada Narasimha are worshipped. At the entry of Sri Prahlada Narasimha shrine, you can find the image of Hanuman and Garudadeva.

All the deities are worshipped daily at preferred timings during the day. Every Saturday and Friday, the priests perform special abhisheka for Prahlada Narasimha and Sri Srinivasa Govinda, early in the morning at 5:30 AM. Every night a special puja called Shayana pallakki utsava is performed at the temple.

Main features of the Temple

The chanting of the Hare Krishna Maha mantra 108 times before entering the temple is its unique feature. The idols inside the temple are rich in their decor and impart a feeling of devotion among the people. Every day lunch is served to the devotees at the Annadana Hall. You can sit and meditate inside the main hall and listen to the devotional songs of Lord Krishna sung by the priests and members of the temple. The temple hosts a Goshala where there are 25 cows residing within it. There are several small stalls inside the temple from where you can purchase Bhagavad Gita in different languages, the Vedas, the Upanishads and the books of Srila Prabhupada, the Founder-acharya of ISKCON.

The temple has many Prasadam counters selling bakery items, sweets, ghee, juices and snacks. If you want to have sattvik food then you can visit the Higher Taste restaurant, present just beside the temple. If you want to but some handicrafts related to the Lord and the temple then you can visit Dakshinakriti where the items are sold every day. There are two halls where meetings, seminars, are organized and even marriages and other religious ceremonies – Dwarakapuri Hall and Mathura Hall. If you want to stay overnight, then you can stay at the guest house adjacent to the temple hosting 70 rooms. The rooms are equipped with all modern amenities and are well maintained.

Akshaya Patra

A separate defined area is reserved for Akshaya Patra inside the temple premised. For all those who are not aware, Akshaya Patra Foundation is a non-profit trust headquartered at the ISKCON temple of Bangalore. Established in the year 2000, it serves the Mid-day meal for more than 24,000 government and government-aided schools across 16 States and 2 Union Territories, serving 2.1 million children every day.

Temple timings

Morning 4:15 AM to 5:00 AM

From Monday to Friday every week, 7:15 AM to 1:00 PM and 4:15 PM to 8:15 PM.

Saturdays, Sundays and Public Holidays, 7:15 AM to 8:15 PM.

How to reach

The ISKCON temple of Bangalore is located at a distance of 32 km from the Bangalore International Airport. You can take a cab or bus to reach the temple. The nearest railway station is Yeshwantpur railway station, 2 km away and the nearest bus stop is Mahalakshmi layout entrance stop which is just a 5 minute walk to the temple. You can also avail the metro, nearest station being Mahalakshmi station from where you can walk down to the temple.

Every day many devotees visit the temple for worship and to unclog their minds of all stress and to attain peace. You must also visit the temple if you are in Bangalore.