Nathdwara is a town in Rajasthan state of western India. It is located on the Banas River in Rajsamand District, just north of Udaipur. This holy town is famous for its temple of Krishna which houses the Shrinathji, a 12th century idol (murti) of Krishna. The idol was moved in the 17th century from Govardhan hill, near Mathura, to protect it from the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb’s campaign against Hindu worship in his empire. The Haveli of Shrinathji (as the temple is called), was once a royal palace of the Sesodia Rajput rulers of Mewar.
Being located just 48 kms north of Udaipur in Rajasthan this town is easily reached by air or road. A steady stream of pilgrims have ensured a plentiful supply of transport and accommodation at Nathadwara. Set amid idyllic hills, it provides a welcome respite from the scorching heat of Rajasthan.
Shri Chaitanya Charitamrita Madhya 4 narrates the story of Gaudiya Vaishnava sannyasi Madhavendra Puri who was visited by Shri Gopalji (original name of Shri Nathji) in Vrindavan and given a pot of milk. Later He appeared to him in a dream and instructed him to excavate His idol from a jungle and install it in a temple on Govardhan hill. The installation was accompanied by Annakuta ceremony, a huge feast offered to the Lord. His worship was taken over by devotees in the Vallabha sampradaya shortly after Srila Madhavendra Puri’s disappearance.
This modest temple attracts Krishna devotees from all over the world including various parts of India, but is significantly important to the Gujarati people of India, thereby making it one of the wealthiest temples of India. The town is often called Shrinathji rather than its original Nathdwara. During any major Hindu festival it is common to see enormous crowds packing the entire town and the temple complex.
Life in this town revolves around the Haveli, the term used for all the temples of the Pushtimarg Vaishnavism. Interestingly, this is one of the most colourful sects within the devotional side of Hinduism which also happens to be one of the few that do not advocate renunciation for spiritual growth. It is this worldly, practical and realistic view of life that lends itself to the colourfulness of the sect.
Shrinathji was evidently quite popular with other medieval devotees as well as there were Gaudiya preachers who founded Shrinathaji temples in present-day Pakistan (Dera Ghazi Khan). Shrinathji was even worshiped as far away as Russia (in the lower Volga region) and other places on the Central Asian trade routes. Tradition holds that He will one day return to Govardhana, though only He really knows when.