वृंदावन के निधिवन के बारे में मान्यता है कि हर रात श्री कृष्ण और राधा रानी यहाँ रास रचाते हैं। इसलिए संध्या आरती के बाद कोई यहाँ नहीं रुकता। यहीं स्वामी हरिदास जी को बांके बिहारी जी के दर्शन हुए थे।
In the middle of busy Vrindavan is a quiet walled grove called Nidhivan. Its trees are short and twisted, their branches bending towards the ground. By day, monkeys play here and devotees walk slowly, singing "Radhe Radhe". But after the evening aarti, the gates are locked — and everyone leaves.
The Raas Leela every night
Devotees believe that every night, Shri Krishna and Radha Rani come to Nidhivan with the gopis and perform the Raas Leela. The twisted tulsi trees, it is said, become gopis at night. No human is allowed to watch, and stories say that those who tried to stay hidden lost their senses or could not speak about what they saw.
The tulsi trees of Nidhivan grow in pairs and transform into gopis at night.
The trees are mostly old tulsi and van-tulsi bushes with hollow, twisted trunks, growing in dry ground. Nidhivan is closed to visitors after the evening aarti every day.
Rang Mahal
Inside the grove is a small shrine called Rang Mahal. Every evening, the priests prepare a bed with fresh sheets, a glass of water, a datun (neem twig), paan, sweets and sandalwood. In the morning, they say, the bed looks slept in, the water and paan are used, and the datun is chewed.
Swami Haridas and Banke Bihari
The great saint-musician Swami Haridas — guru of Tansen — sang in Nidhivan. Pleased with his devotion, Radha and Krishna appeared before him together, and at his request merged into one form: Banke Bihari. That murti now lives in the famous Banke Bihari temple nearby. His samadhi is in Nidhivan.
At Banke Bihari temple, the curtain in front of the deity is closed and opened every few minutes. Devotees say it is because Thakur ji's eyes are so captivating that a devotee who looks too long may lose himself — and one legend even says Bihari ji once walked away with a devotee who gazed at him with too much love.
- Location
- Vrindavan, near Banke Bihari temple
- Open
- Morning to evening aarti; closed after dark
- Mangla Aarti at Banke Bihari
- Held only once a year, on Janmashtami
- Plan it
- Combine with Mathura, Govardhan and Barsana
Questions
Why is Nidhivan closed at night?
Devotees believe Krishna and Radha perform Raas Leela there every night, so no one is allowed to stay after the evening aarti.
Who discovered Banke Bihari?
Swami Haridas, to whom Radha-Krishna appeared in Nidhivan and merged into the Banke Bihari form.
Why is the curtain closed repeatedly at Banke Bihari?
By tradition, so devotees do not gaze too long at Thakur ji's captivating eyes.
