Conservation strategies and management plan for Radha Gopinath Temple Complex, Vrindavan

Abstract

The Heritage Management provides a framework to sustain a cultural heritage resource in a comprehensive way. It is an evolving vehicle that is used to guide the process for protecting , conserving and managing natural or cultural sites and associated monuments, structures, objects and landscapes.Conservation management plan for Radha Gopinath Temple complex is an attempt to prepare a comprehensive management plan for the site of Gopinath Ghera in Vrindavan. Vrindavan’s reputation as a pilgrimage site relies on historical, cultural and religious associations built up cumulatively over many centuries . The process of evolution of Vrindavan through periods -pre-colonial (15th–19th century), colonial (19th–mid 20th cen-tury) and post-colonial (post-1947).Sri Krishna´s grandson Vajranabha had three deities carved according the descriptions of Krishna given by Parikshit´s mother Uttara. When they were finished, Uttara confirmed that Govinda Deva had the same lotus face as Krishna, Madanmohan had the same strong and shapely legs, and Gopinath had the same broad shoulders and chest. Thousands of years later the same deity of Gopinath was rediscovered at Vamsi Vat in Vrindavan by Gadadhar Pandit´s disciple Paramananda Bhattacharya.Later the seva was taken over by Sri Madhu Pandit, whose samadhi is located in back of the temple premises.In 1632 AD, the original temple was built by Ray Singh, the son of the king of Bikaner, Maharaja Kalyanamala of the Rathaur dynasty. Aurangzeb destroyed this temple.The Pratibhu Vigrahas were established in 1748 AD, and the new temple was built in 1819 AD. Near the new temple to the east is the samadhi of Madhu Pandita.