Kesava Deo temple has its own calendar of festivals and functions are held according to that calender within the premises. It attracts a lot of Hindu devotees mainly for the unique Holi ritual of Lathmar Holi & Chhappan Bhog.

One more important pilgrimage & spiritual destination in Mathura is Kesava Deo Temple. It is located near the main Krishna Janmabhoomi Complex and amongst one of the sacred Hindu religious places. This temple is blessed with the idol of Lord Krishna that was first placed by Shri Bajranabh, the great grandson of Krishna. 

About the temple:

This temple marks the place where Lord Krishna is said to have been born in prison more than 5000 years ago. The ceiling of the main temple depicts the paintings representing the scenes from Krishna's life and houses several statues of the Krishna playing flute and his love Radha. The temple is destroyed & rebuilt several times over the past thousand years and the current temple was built in the 1950s. 

The temple Keshav Rao still carries the local cultural touch with several other temples in the nearby towns of Mathura and Vrindaban. After Ayodhya matter of 1992, the security was enhanced at the main Krishna janmabhoomi complex, this was the time when this temple slowly became the de-facto krishna temple for localities.

Ram Krishna Dalmia built this temple in the memory of his mother Jadiadevi Dalmia. The construction of the temple started on 29 June 1957 and inaugurated on 6 September 1958 by Hanuman Prasad Poddar. It is located south of the Shahi Eidgah. 

Major Attractions of Temple:

The temple is one of the most visited temple and major festivals like Janmashtami, Diwali and Holi are celebrated with pomp & shows.

Keshav Rao temple has its own calendar of festivals which is not synchronized with other temples of the region. Special celebrations are done on the festival of Janmashtami when lakhs of devotees assemble here. These celebrations begin in the evening and continue till late midnight after the birth of the Lord Krishna.

Entry Fees, Aarti Timings & Mandir Opening Timings:

Although the Keshav Rao temple temple is open whole year but the best time to visit is either in the months of February-March or from October to December. During this time the weather is not that humid. 

The timings of Mandir is from 5:30am to 12:30pm in the morning & 4:00pm to 8:00pm in the evening from Monday to Sunday.

The Mangal Aarti timings in Summers is 5:30am & in winters is 6:30am. While the Sandhya Aarti timings are 6:00pm in summers & 5:00pm in winters. 

The temple is located in the heart of the city. You can easily get the taxi, auto or rickshaw to visit to visit the place. It is about 1.5km from Mathura Junction Railway Station. To reach the temple from Mathura Junction Railway station, turn westward for 200 m and then turn right towards SH-80 (Hathras-Mathura Road). After a distance of around 1.3 kms, turn left and you will be there at the temple. 

Notice: Watches, Purse, Belts, Bags, Camera, Mobile Phones, etc. are not allowed in the temple premises. You can keep your belongings in the clock room with a minimal fee of Rs.10.