Swami Bagh Temple (ISKCON Dhaka)
Dhaka, Bangladesh
Also known as: Sri Sri Radha Madan Mohan Mandir
- Deities
- Jagannath (Krishna)
- Traditions
- vaishnava
- Worship status
- active
- Coordinates
- 23.7138, 90.423
- Darshan hours
- Varies by temple and season; consult the temple's own website for the current daily schedule before visiting.
- Best time to visit
- June/July for the annual Jagannath Rath Yatra, which starts here and processes to Dhakeshwari National Temple; Janmashtami is also a major observance.
- How to reach
- In the Swamibagh area of Dhaka, near the Dhakeshwari Temple; reachable by rickshaw or car from anywhere in central Dhaka.
- Festivals
- Jagannath Rath Yatra (June/July), Janmashtami (August/September)
- Associated saints
- A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Location
Open in Google MapsSwamibagh, in central Dhaka, has been the site of a Hindu temple complex since 1902, encompassing separate shrines historically associated with Shiva, Kali, and Vaishnava (Krishna/Jagannath) worship. The Vaishnava section of the complex is today managed by ISKCON and is popularly known among devotees as a Radha-Madana Mohan temple, though its site remains cataloged on Wikipedia simply as “Swami Bagh Temple.” It functions as one of ISKCON’s principal centers in Bangladesh and is best known as the starting point of Dhaka’s annual Jagannath Rath Yatra, a chariot procession that travels to the Dhakeshwari National Temple, echoing the more famous Puri Rath Yatra tradition.
This temple should not be confused with a separate, smaller ISKCON temple in Chaumuhani, Begumganj, in Noakhali district roughly 150 km from Dhaka, which was the scene of communal violence in October 2021 in which a Hindu man was killed. The Swamibagh complex in Dhaka was not involved in that incident; conflating the two would misrepresent both the history of this established Dhaka institution and the specifics of the 2021 violence.
Sources
- historical record: Cross-checked against Wikipedia's Swami Bagh Temple article: confirms the Swamibagh, Dhaka location (coordinates given as 23.7138N 90.4230E), a founding date of 1902, current management by ISKCON, its Vaishnava dedication to Jagannath, and its role as the starting point of the annual Jagannath Rath Yatra that processes to Dhakeshwari National Temple.
- historical record: Cross-checked against Wikipedia's article on the 2021 Cumilla riots/2021 anti-Hindu violence in Bangladesh: confirms that ISKCON-linked violence in October 2021 (the killing of Pranta Chandra Das near a pond by an ISKCON temple) occurred in Chaumuhani, Begumganj, Noakhali district — a distinct location roughly 150 km from this Dhaka/Swamibagh temple, which was not implicated in that incident.
For review
- The commonly cited ISKCON/devotee name for this site, 'Sri Sri Radha Madan Mohan Mandir,' could not be independently confirmed via a dedicated source in this session; the only dedicated Wikipedia article found for this Swamibagh complex is titled 'Swami Bagh Temple.' Treat the alt_name as a plausible but unconfirmed devotee-facing name pending a direct source.
- The temple complex predates ISKCON (founded 1966) by six decades; the source consulted does not specify exactly when ISKCON assumed management of the site, only that it currently does so. The complex is also described as including separate Shiva and Kali shrines alongside the Vaishnava/Jagannath temple; this entry covers the ISKCON-managed Vaishnava portion.
- Do not conflate this established Dhaka/Swamibagh temple with the ISKCON temple in Chaumuhani, Noakhali district, the site of the October 2021 killing of a Hindu devotee during communal violence — they are different locations.