The Gopinath temple was built by Raysal Darbari, an officer in Akbar’s court from 1580-1585.
The deity of this temple is said to be the one that was worshipped by Lord Krishna’s grandson Vajranabh and was rediscovered by Padmanabh Bhattacharya at Banshivat.
During the early part of the 18th century the idol of the temple was shifted to Jaipur, the centre of Kachhwaha power.
While locals attribute this shift to Aurangzeb and the uncertainty that prevailed post the destruction of the Keshavdas temple, a few scholars suggest that it could also be due to the Jat and Kachhwaha fight for supremacy in that area, leading to uncertainty and break down of law and order.
A new haveli type temple was built next to it.
Here Lord Krishna and Radha Rani and her sister Lalita are worshipped.
Vrindavan has four temples made by nobles/officers of Akbar.
Their red sandstone shikhars and buildings tower over the holy city.
Vrindavan was a major centre of Gaudiya Vaishnavism, followers of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.
Two of Akbar’s most important courtiers, Man Singh I (1550-1614), the Kachhwaha ruler of the western Indian kingdom of Amber, and Todar Mal (d. 1589), a minister in Akbar’s court, were key patrons of Gaudiya temples.
Akbar gave land grants to thirty-five temples in Vrindavan from 1565 onwards.
These 35 were chosen after a 1589 imperial survey of the important temples in the region to continue receiving royal benefaction.
Further Reading:
1. Sugata Roy “In The Name Of Krishna”
2. Braj Bhūm in Mughal Times : The State, Peasants and Gosā’ins by Irfan Habib and Tarapada Mukherjee
An abandoned Haveli in front of the temple
