Maalu Sharma
The City of Temples has kept a secret and scared Temple near Tawi River and it is the 200 yr-old Radha-Rukmini Krishna Temple in Pakki Dhakki. Unlike the innumerable shrines where Krishna is worshipped with his beloved Radha or his brother Balaram, this only place is the only one in North India where Lord Krishna stood beside both Radha and his wife Devi Rukmini.
The temple itself was modest in structure, yet deeply spiritual, during the reign of Maharaja Gulab Singh Ji. Even though it was situated only 04 kilometers from the main bus stand and located near the historic Mubarak Mandi Palace, it’s still a hidden jewel that went unnoticed by government attention.
The secret of its continuing sanctity lay in its aristocratic patrons. The queens and their attendants, staying in the sprawling Mubarak Mandi Palaces, often used to go down to the Tawi River for their ritual baths and on their way back, they never missed to pay obeisance at this shrine.
Inside the main hall are the beautiful deities, a dark, serene idol of Lord Krishna, Devi Rukmini and Radha. Still, the true mystery was architectural in nature. Concealed in the structure of the temple was the presence of a secret passage, a route leading directly up to the royal palace. While the physical passage to the palace is closed today, the spiritual significance of the temple has only grown deeper.
The priest of the temple Vimal Khajuria while talking to STATE TIMES shared, “This is the first such temple in North India where Shri Krishna is with Rukmini. It is 200 years old. The steps leading from the Tawi allowed the queens to bathe and then worship here.” Every year, on Krishna Janmashtami, the temple comes alive. A large number of devotes visit the temple daily and get their wishes fulfilled.
He further shared, “Childless couples who visit the temple are believed to be blessed with Children. The offering of Bansuri and Makhan to Lord Krishna is believed to fulfill the wishes of all devotees who offer the with sincere love and devotion.”