Spiritual Sanatan tradition in the grip of middlemen

Murari Binod Pokhrel

Beginning the Writing
We had visited Vrindavan twice in the past, but always felt the visit was incomplete. For many years, the wish to return had been lying inside us. Finally, at the mid of November 2025, a coincidence brought everything together. Through the Vishwa Jagriti Mission, Delhi- an institution connected to my samdhi’s spiritual Guru- we planned a week-long trip that included a Krishna Meditation Yoga program from 12 to 16 November, 2025 at Vijayanti Dham, Vrindavan, Uttar Pradesh.

Our group of four (samdhi and Samdhinijyoo, my wife, and I)- flew from Kathmandu to Delhi on 12 Nov. From Delhi we travelled by road and reached the Shri Krishna Janmashtami Ashram in Vrindavan by evening. From the next morning, we began our four days of temple visits combined with participation in the meditation and yoga sessions. Most of our time was spent visiting various temples, especially places connected with the childhood of Radha and Krishna, bowing with devotion and absorbing the sacred atmosphere.

Visit to BankeBihari Temple

On 13 Nov, we first went to the famous BankeBihari Temple to offer our respects. This temple, made of carved stone pillars and built in traditional architecture, is believed to be one of the oldest and most revered temples of Radha and Krishna in the world. According to information I found through ChatGPT, the temple was established by Swami Haridas in the 16th century. ‘Banke’ refers to the tribhanga posture of Krishna, and ‘Bihari’ signifies the master of Vrindavan.

The idol here is considered so enchanting that the temple does not allow long continuous darshan. Instead, curtains keep opening and closing, offering devotees only brief glimpses of the deity. Aarti is performed only once in the entire year- on Shravana Shukla Dutiya, the day believed to be Krishna’s appearance day in this form. Devotees do not offer formal worship here; they serve Krishna as if He is present in person. Festivals like Holi, Jhulan Yatra, Janmashtami, and Katyayani Brataare celebrated with great joy.

My wife had long wished to visit this temple and have darshan to her heart’s content. That wish was finally fulfilled.

RadhaVallabh Temple

The RadhaVallabh Temple is also ancient and spiritually special. It is considered one of the most renowned Vaishnav temples. It was founded in the 16th century by Hit Harivansh Mahaprabhu, the founder of the Radha Vallabh tradition. The current structure, however, was built in Rajasthani style in the 18th century.

In this tradition, Radha and Krishna are worshipped together as ‘Radha Vallabh.’ Interestingly, there is no idol of Radha; instead, a garland symbolizes Her divine presence. The temple conducts morning and evening aarti. In the evening, devotees gather in large numbers to witness the beautiful ‘Shringar Darshan.’ Major festivals- Jhulan Yatra, Janmashtami, Radhashtami, Phool Bangla, and Basantotsav- draw big crowds. This temple is close to Banke Bihari, so both can be visited easily on foot.

Nidhivan- A Place of Sacred Mystery

The next day we visited Nidhivan, a unique forest area not filled with tall trees but with short, twisted bush-like plants intertwined with each other. It is considered sacred, mysterious, and extremely popular. A widespread belief says that Radha and Krishna gather here every night to perform Raas Leela. People claim that the bushes change form at night and dance with the divine couple.Because of the strong belief in the presence of intense spiritual energy at night, no human-devotee or guard- stays there in night. Many say that the food and water kept for service there appears mysteriously consumed by the next morning. Although Nidhivan is believed to be 5,000 years old, its current structure was organized by saints around the 15th–16th century.

Radha Raman Temple

Among Vrindavan’s ancient temples, Radha Raman Temple is highly revered. The idol here is a self-manifested shaligram form of Krishna, making it extremely rare. Radha and Krishna are worshipped together as a single divine presence called ‘Radha Raman.’ The temple is only a 5-7 minute walk from BankeBihari.Festivals like the appearance day of Radha Raman (Vaishakha Shukla Purnima), Janmashtami, Govardhan Puja, and Jhulan Mahotsav are celebrated here.

Barsana- Land of Radha Rani

On 15 Nov, we travelled about 50 km from Vrindavan to Barsana- the birthplace of Radha Rani. After climbing a series of steps, we reached the beautiful Ladalijee Temple located on a small hill. From there, one can see Nandgaonlittle below in four sides.

Barsana is especially famous for itsunique ‘Laththemar Holi,’ where women playfully hit men with sticks as part of a centuries-old tradition. As the land of Radha and a major site of Radha-Krishna’s divine pastimes, Barsana holds immense spiritual significance.

GovardhanParvat- The Sacred Hill

Located around 25 km from Vrindavan, Govardhan Hill is another must-visit pilgrimage site. According to Krishna’s pastimes, He lifted this hill to protect the people and cattle of Braj from the wrath of Indra. The entire circumference of the hill is about 27 km. Major spots along the parikrama route include Dan Ghati, Manasi Ganga, Govardhan Kund, and the sacred lakes of Radha Kundand Shyam Kund. Although called a hill, Govardhan is more like an elongated rocky ridge rather than a hill.

Gokul- Land of Krishna’s Childhood

On 16 Nov, we visited Gokul- the home of Nanda Baba, Yashoda, and baby Krishna. The peaceful atmosphere, narrow ancient lanes, and temples make one feel Krishna’s presence everywhere. Many of His childhood pastimes took place in Gokul, giving the place a special spiritual vibration.

Nanda Bhavan, where Krishna grew up, contains various statues depicting scenes such as baby Krishna stealing butter, playing with His friends, and performing other playful activities.

Raman Reti, another sacred place, is where Krishna and Balaram played on the soft sands. Even today, mostly women roll in the sand, believing it brings spiritual peace.

To the west of Nanda Bhavan lies Brahmand Ghat, where baby Krishna is believed to have shown the entire universe inside His mouth to Yashoda Mata. Pilgrims bathe here as a part of sacred ritual.

Nearby, the 84-pillared structure stands as the remains of an ancient palace built by Nanda Baba. The stone pillars contain carvings of Vishnu, Narasimha, Shiva, humans, and various symbols. They appear to have been collected from old temples destroyed across different periods and preserved in one place.

Mathura- The Birthplace of Lord Krishna

Mathura, closely tied to the stories of Krishna and Kansa, naturally awakens curiosity. The Shri Krishna Janmasthan Temple is believed to have been originally built by Krishna’s great-grandson 5,000 years ago. Over centuries, it went through destruction and reconstruction. The current structure was rebuilt in the 17th century and again renovated in the 20th century.The Garbhagriha (sanctum) is the exact spot where Krishna was born, making it one of the holiest places for devotees.

Evening at PremMandir, Vrindavan

In the evening, we visited the astonishing Prem Mandir, constructed by Jagadguru Kripalujee Maharaj starting from 2001 and opened to the public in 2012. Built from Italian marble in Nagar style architecture, this temple displays beautiful life-sized scenes- Krishna lifting Govardhan Hill, performing RaasLeela, dancing with Radha, and grazing cows.Musical fountains, landscaped gardens, and artistic lighting create a mesmerizing experience- all free for visitors.

Chandrodaya Temple- The Future Tallest Temple

We visited the ISKCON-constructed Chandrodaya Temple, which aims to become the world’s tallest temple at 700 feet. Built on62 acre of land, the temple premises are peaceful and scenic. The white temple structure attracts the eye from afar.Inside, the vibrant idols of Radha and Krishna radiate divine energy.

Visitors can sit on the floor or on chairs and enjoy the spiritual atmosphere. As one exits through various levels of the complex, there are shops selling spiritual books, pictures, and devotional items together some regular useable goods. If our home were closer, we would definitely have bought several of the beautiful Radha-Krishna pictures.Perhaps the revenue from these sales helps the temple manage its large daily operating expenses.

After attending the closing ceremony of their Krishna Meditation Yoga program in Vrindavan, we left for Delhi on 16 Nov afternoon.

VishwaJagrati Mission and AnandDham Ashram

The VishwaJagrati Missionwas founded in 1991 by ParamPujyaSudhanshujeeMaharaj. The mission’s goal is to awaken individuals internally so that they dedicate their lives to service and move toward divinity. It believes that true social transformation happens only when the inner light of every individual is awakened. The mission has 86 centers in India and over 10 centers abroad- including the UK, USA, Canada, Thailand, Hong Kong, Dubai, Indonesia, Singapore, and the Philippines.

In Delhi,we stayed at Anand Dham Ashram, which was established in 2003 by Sudhanshujee Maharaj in Lok Nayakpuram. Spread across in 13 acre of land, the Ashram has many sacred areas- Siddhivinayak Ganesh Temple, Charan Paduka Kutir, Shivvardhan Tirth, replicas of Kailash Shikhar and Mansarovar, Kalpavriksha garden, Pashupati Temple, Navagraha–Shani Temple, Cave Meditation Center, Yagyashala, etc.

There are DivyaLok, Shriniketan, Bhakt Niwas, and Vardaan Old-Age Home, providing residence to many devotees and around 150 elderly people. There is also a cowshed with around 150 cows. Spending two days in this environment filled with feelings of love, peace, humility, righteousness, and spiritual rhythm.Through the warmth of Chief Executive Officer, M.L. Tiwarijee, we had the blessing of meeting withSudhanshujeeMaharaj personally.

A Few Irrelevant but Necessary Memories

My first visit to India was many years ago, in 1970, when I observed the Republic Day parade as an NCC cadet. I was one of 14 foreign participants from the USA, UK, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and Nepal. I had the opportunity to introduce myself to President V.V. Giri and have breakfast and talk with Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s residence.

Since then, I have visited India many times- for study, pilgrimages, academic programs, and Tri-agency partnership projects between Nepal, India, and Bangladesh.

I have visited many holy sites- Char Dham (Badrinath, Jagannath, Rameshwaram, Dwarka), Kedarnath, Amarnath, Kali Temple in Kolkata;in Delhi Birla Temple, Lotus Temple, SwaminarayanAkshardham, and many more like Tirupati. I have been to Kashmir, Chennai, Mumbai, Kanyakumari, Guwahati, Darjeeling, Sikkim, and several temples in Nepal, China (KailashManasarowar) and Bangladesh as well. During 1994-2002, I had many opportunities to travel for Tri-agency partnership programs of UMN, Nepal; CASA, India and CCDB, Bangladeshon disaster preparedness, human trafficking, food security etc. in India and Bangladesh.

What My Heart Told Me

Since much of my travel to India has been spiritual tourism, my heart urged me to reflect on a few truths. Many pilgrims return with joy after offering prayers, but many also return distressed because of the hurdles they face during darshan.

I questioned myself- Why is this happening?

My inner voice replied- spirituality has been overshadowed.
We Sanatanis believe God exists within us, yet we seek Him through external rituals, priests, gurus, and temples. But when we face exploitation inside temples themselves, where is spirituality? Is this what our scriptures taught us? Where is humanity- the idea of giving to others selflessly?

Great spiritual personalities like Sudhanshujee Maharaj, Kripalujee Maharaj, Swami Ramdev, Acharya Balkrishna, Sadhvi Rithambara, Sadguru Madhusudan Sai, ISKCON’s Gaur Gopal Das, Nepal’s gurus, and many others serve humanity tirelessly. They create institutions that offer service and inspire spiritual awakening. Yet our ancient temples like BankeBihari cannot match such modern service-oriented organizations. Isn’t that unfortunate?

The Middlemen Problem Can Be Solved
Middlemen can be removed. Take BankeBihari Temple for example. According to online sources, the daily visitors may be 50,000 on average, rising to 100,000 on weekends, and up to 500,000 during major festivals like Holi and Janmashtami.

With such massive offerings collected, imagine what could be done for devotees and marginalized people in this part of the world. Instead, people say middlemen take away three times more than the actual temple donations. This should not be allowed.

A better system can be created- organized queues in two or three levels, allowing smooth movement and preventing middlemen from entering. Temples should remain open from early morning to 8 PM so devotees can come anytime without pressure.

Moreover, the pathway to BankeBihari Temple is extremely narrow and smelly due to open drains. Why can it not be widened and cleaned? Up to 4 decades ago, The Pashupatinath temple (in Kathmandu) entrance was also very narrow with two sides’ flower/pooja materials, sweets/food stuff shops. The government of Nepal managed and widened the surroundings. It can be done.

Let we sanatanis hope in near future those difficulties of devotees will be no more in any temples and marginalized people be benefited from devotees veti offered to the God !

Pokhrel is a Founder President, Nepal Library Association