Sri Savaman Shaligram Temple, Vrindavan

Sri Savaman Shaligram Temple, Vrindavan

Vrindavan is known for the temples of Krishna and every house of this town is a temple itself. Apart from all other temples, there are some temples which are unique in its type of deities and pattern of worship. Shri Savaman Shaligram is one of these temples. Savaman Shaligram Temple is located opposite of Sri Radha Shyamasundar Temple in Loi Bazaar, Vrindavan.

The Padma Purana mentions that Lord Vishnu, in the Satyuga by the curse of Vrinda, the wife of the demon Jalandhar, took the form of the Shaligrama shila, inhabiting the Gandaki River, which is located in Nepal. From this Gandaki river, a Shaligram shila of Savaman (48 kg) was obtained. Which today is duly worshiped in the temple of Vrindavan. According to the temple priest Shrikant Bohre, a Vaishnava of the Shri Vaishnava sampradaya was doing penance in the Nepal forest over a period of time, he was ordered in the dream that a huge Shaligrama shila in the Gandaki river is to be removed and brought to Vrindavan. When the saint reached the river Gandaki, he got the shila. He made a carrier of bamboo and made Shila seated in it and travelled to Vrindavan. Savaman Shaligram Temple which is built in the middle of the city, Shaligram Shila was installed. It is believed that one stone of Shaligram is considered incomplete, when the saint worshiping in the temple dreamed that another huge Shaligram is to be installed in the temple situated in Sitaram Bagh, Hyderabad which is incomplete due to not getting Tulsi leaves, and that Shaligram was brought  from hyderabad to Vrindavan and enshrined in the temple. This temple was built in 1823 by Seth Ganerilal.