Vishnupad Temple, Gaya: timings and a visitor’s guide

Vishnupad Temple is open for darshan from 6:00 AM to 9:00 PM.

Within those hours, what you see depends on the time of day:

• Morning. This is when most families perform pind daan and shradh, so the temple and the Falgu ghats are at their fullest with rites. If you are coming only for darshan, a little later in the morning is often calmer.
• Midday. The temple may close the sanctum for a short time for the deity's offerings and rest. Ask locally or check with us before you plan a midday visit.
• Evening. The evening aarti is a peaceful time to visit. Aarti times can change with the season and on festival days, so confirm them on the day.

Times change on festival days and through Pitru Paksha, when very large numbers of families come to Gaya for ancestral rites. If your visit falls then, plan for longer waits and tell us your dates early if you are booking a rite.

The Vishnupad Temple stands on the banks of the Falgu River in Gaya, Bihar. At its heart is the footprint of Lord Vishnu, set in stone, which gives the temple its name: Vishnu-pad, the foot of Vishnu. Devotees offer flowers, sandalwood and prayers at the footprint.

For Hindus the temple is the centre of Gaya's ancestral rites. In a pind daan the offering at the Vishnupad Temple is one of the main ones. In MandirMay's 1-day pind daan it is the second of three, made in rice, after the first at the Falgu River and before the last at the Akshay Vat banyan tree.

The present temple was rebuilt in the 18th century under Maharani Ahilyabai Holkar of Indore, the same queen who rebuilt the Kashi Vishwanath temple in Varanasi.

You can visit Vishnupad and perform pind daan on any day of the year.

• Pitru Paksha, the fortnight in Ashwin that usually falls in September or October, is the most observed time for ancestral rites. It is also when Gaya is most crowded. See Pitru Paksha in Gaya for planning.
• Outside Pitru Paksha, the temple and ghats are calmer, and a family can take its time over the rites.
• October to March is the most comfortable weather for walking between Gaya's vedis. Summer afternoons in Bihar are very hot, so do the rites in the morning.

Gaya Junction railway station is about 3 km from the Vishnupad area, and Gaya Airport about 10 km. The lanes near the temple are narrow and crowded, so the last stretch is often on foot.

MandirMay can arrange:

• An airport pickup straight to your hotel or to the Vishnupad Temple ghat, and the drop back.
• An intercity cab from Patna airport or railway station to Gaya, and back.
• A Bodh Gaya visit: the Mahabodhi Temple, the Bodhi Tree, the 80-feet Buddha, the Metta Buddharam Temple and the Thai Monastery, by cab.
• A cab from Gaya to Deoghar if you are going on to Baidyanath Dham.

Today's prices are in the tables below.

• For the rites, wear white or light clothes. If a particular dress such as a white dhoti-kurta is needed, we tell you before your visit.
• Leave footwear outside the temple, and keep a small bag for your belongings.
• Keep a list of names of the departed if you are performing rites.

If you are coming to Gaya for pind daan, MandirMay arranges the whole rite with Gayawal pandits and all samagri included. The 1-day rite covers the Falgu River, Vishnupad and Akshay Vat; the 2 and 3-day rites cover more vedis. See pind daan booking in Gaya for the options, or the pind daan vidhi guide to understand the steps first.