ISKCON Varanasi (Sri Sri Radha Gopal Ji): Timings, Aarti and Visiting Guide

ॐEssential info at a glance

ॐISKCON Varanasi timings and aarti

The temple keeps the standard ISKCON rhythm, open in the morning and again in the evening, closing through the middle of the day so the deities may rest. The day is marked by a sequence of aartis, each with its own beauty, and the kirtan that fills the hall around them is the heart of the experience.

*Entry is free and open to all.

ॐISKCON and Sri Sri Radha Gopal Ji

ISKCON, the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, is the worldwide movement founded by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, which carries the ancient Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition of devotion to Krishna, and the joyful chanting of the Hare Krishna maha mantra, to every corner of the globe. ISKCON Varanasi is its temple in the holy city, an authorized Vaishnava temple where Krishna is worshipped, with his beloved Radha, as Sri Sri Radha Gopal Ji.

In a city famous above all as the city of Shiva, this temple offers something different and complementary: the sweetness of Krishna bhakti, the love of Radha and Krishna, expressed in song, in beauty, and in the sharing of sanctified food. And like ISKCON temples everywhere, it is open to absolutely everyone, of any background or nationality, which makes it one of the most welcoming and easy places to visit in all of Varanasi.

ॐThe experience: kirtan, darshan and prasadam

What people love about ISKCON Varanasi is its atmosphere. It is smaller than some of the grand ISKCON temples, but its calm is exactly its gift: clean, peaceful, with well kept gardens, beautifully decorated deities of Radha and Krishna on the altar, and priests known for their kindness. Come in the evening and the hall fills with kirtan and bhajan, the chants and the drums and the swaying of the devotees, and many visitors say it is the closest they come, in Kashi, to the feel of Vrindavan.

• Kirtan and bhajan around the aartis, the joyful heart of the temple.
• Beautifully adorned deities of Sri Sri Radha Gopal Ji, dressed and decorated with flowers and fabrics.
• Vegetarian prasadam, sanctified food offered with great care; khichdi prasad is often distributed in the evening.
• Regular classes and discourses on the Bhagavad Gita and the Bhagavatam, and the Sunday feast of kirtan, talk and prasadam.
• A gift shop and a vegetarian eatery, gardens to sit in, and drinking water and parking.

It is a place to slow down, to sing, to eat a little prasadam, and to feel the gentler, sweeter side of Indian devotion.

ॐFestivals: Janmashtami and the Vaishnava calendar

The temple's greatest day is Janmashtami, the birth of Lord Krishna, celebrated with all the joy, decoration, kirtan and midnight worship for which ISKCON is famous, and it draws large, happy crowds. Radhashtami, the appearance of Radha, is also specially kept, along with the wider Vaishnava calendar through the year, and every week the Sunday feast brings devotees together for kirtan, a discourse and a shared meal. If you can time your visit to a festival, especially Janmashtami, you will see the temple at its most radiant, though also at its most crowded.

ॐWhy visit ISKCON Varanasi

• For a calm, clean, welcoming darshan, a gentle change of pace from the intensity of the ghats and the old city temples.
• For the kirtan, which is uplifting and open to all to join.
• For families and children, and for foreign visitors, who find it especially easy and comfortable.
• For the vegetarian prasadam and the peaceful gardens.
• For a taste of Krishna bhakti in the city of Shiva, a lovely balance to a Kashi pilgrimage.

ॐA sweeter side of Kashi, in my own words

By Rajeev Sharma, Varanasi local

After a day among the ghats and the ancient Shiva temples, which can be overwhelming, I love bringing guests to ISKCON in the evening. It is a completely different feeling, calm, clean, full of song. We arrive for the Sandhya aarti, and the hall is alive with kirtan, the drums and the chanting, and I watch even tired travellers begin to smile and sway. The deities of Radha and Krishna are so beautifully dressed, and the whole place has a sweetness that people do not always expect in the fierce city of Shiva.

I explain that this is the Hare Krishna movement, that everyone is welcome here, and that they can simply join the singing, no ritual required. We take a little prasadam, sit in the garden, and let the day soften. Families love it, and my foreign guests especially, because it is so easy and so warm. I always tell people that Kashi holds every kind of devotion, and that this gentle Krishna temple is one of its loveliest surprises.

In more than forty years of guiding, this is the temple where I most often see people simply relax and feel at home.

ॐEntry, rules, and what to know

• Entry is free and open to all, of every background and nationality. There is no VIP or ticket.
• Dress modestly and remove footwear before entering the temple hall.
• You are warmly welcome to join the kirtan; no prior knowledge or ritual is needed.
• Vegetarian prasadam is offered; the temple and its eatery are strictly vegetarian.
• Photography is usually allowed in the temple, but check for signs and do not photograph during private moments of worship.

ॐHow to reach ISKCON Varanasi

The temple is on Durgakund Road, right beside the famous Durga Kund temple, in the southern part of the city near Assi and BHU. Unlike the old city temples, you can drive close to it, and there is parking.

Because it is easy to reach and has parking, ISKCON slots neatly into a day in the southern cluster or a city tour. We include it and handle the transport.

ॐBest time to visit and how to plan it

• Pair it with Durga Kund next door, and with Sankat Mochan and Tulsi Manas in the southern cluster.
• Allow 30 to 60 minutes, more if you stay for kirtan and prasadam.

For the southern temples and a city tour planned together, see our Varanasi tour packages.

ॐAccessibility for elderly and mobility limited visitors

• The temple is modern, reachable by road with parking, and far easier than the old city lanes and ghat steps.
• It is calm and welcoming, which suits a gentle, relaxed visit; there is seating and shade in the gardens.
• The evening aarti is beautiful but can be crowded; come early for a quieter darshan.
• We arrange transport to the gate and plan the visit so a senior guest is comfortable.

ॐNearby sacred sites to combine with your visit

ISKCON sits in the southern cluster, so it pairs naturally with the great temples nearby.

For the grand evening aarti on the river, see our Varanasi tour packages.

ॐPractical tips

ॐOur guided visits and group arrangements

We are a Varanasi based operator, a unit of Experience My India, with more than forty years of guiding travellers across Kashi, Ayodhya, and Prayagraj. Entry is free, so what we arrange is the visit around it: transport, timing for the aarti and kirtan you want to catch, and, for groups, help with a larger visit, a sponsored offering, or a festival like Janmashtami.

Inclusions and exclusions are stated up front, with any taxes and conditions, and no charge appears later that was not named. See all our Varanasi tour packages for the full range.

Experience My India is a travel operator, not the temple administration. Prices are ours; darshan and prasadam at the temple are free. Temple timings and rules are set by the temple and can change.