Famous Temples in Patna: Mahavir Mandir, ISKCON, Patan Devi

The most famous temples in Patna are Mahavir Mandir, the Hanuman temple next to Patna Junction, and the ISKCON temple on Budh Marg. Many visitors also go to the old Patan Devi shrines, covered in our Patan Devi guide, and to Takht Sri Patna Sahib, the great Sikh shrine of the city. If you searched for the Modi Mandir and came here, the short answer is this: there is no Modi temple open to visitors in Patna. The idea was approved by a state board in July 2026, but no land, money or building has been confirmed. If you are planning a trip, the patna famous temples below are real places that welcome visitors today.

Is there a Modi temple to visit in Patna?

No. On 29 July 2026, the Bihar State Transgender Welfare Board approved a proposal to build a temple for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, according to PTI. Board member Rajan Singh made the proposal. Later reports quoted him asking the government for five acres of land and Rs 112 crore. Those figures come from his own statements. We found no report that land was chosen, that money was sanctioned, or that any design exists.

So a visitor today would find no building. You can read what is known in our guide Modi Mandir kahan hai, which explains where the temple stands and why the answer is "nowhere yet". Our location and status page tracks any change.

The rest of this page is for travellers. It covers temples and one gurdwara that are open, what each is known for, and how to prepare for the visit.

Quick comparison of the places in this guide

We list only places where we could open a source. Patna has more temples than this. We would rather give you three checked entries than a long list we could not confirm.

Mahavir Mandir: what to know

Mahavir Mandir is a temple of Hanuman. The idol inside is known as Sankat Mochan, which means "remover of troubles". Wikipedia records that a 1948 Patna High Court judgment said the temple had existed "since time immemorial". Historical sources point to about 1730, when a Ramanandi ascetic named Swami Balanand is said to have founded it. A Ramanandi is a follower of a Hindu devotional tradition centred on Lord Ram. An ascetic is a person who gives up comforts to live a life of prayer.

A short history

• The temple became more popular in 1947, when many Hindu refugees reached Patna after Partition.
• It was later rebuilt as a concrete structure.
• That building was demolished in 1987 to make way for a large marble temple.

This means the building you see today is much newer than the worship that has gone on at the site. That is common in India, where temples are often rebuilt many times while the place stays holy to the community.

The trust behind it

The temple is run by a trust named Shri Mahavir Sthan Nyas Samiti. A trust is a legal body that holds money and property for a set purpose. According to Wikipedia, the trust funds medical and orphanage services, including the Mahavir Cancer Institute and Research Centre. Wikipedia marks that hospital claim as needing a better source, so check it on the trust's own pages. Acharya Kishore Kunal is listed as the trust's secretary.

Aarti times reported for 2026

Patna Press, in its 9 June 2026 report on live-streamed aarti, gave these daily times. Aarti is a ritual in which lamps are waved before the deity. Times can change, so confirm them before you go.

Crowds

Wikipedia says queues are long on Saturdays and Tuesdays, the days traditionally linked with Hanuman, and can pass one kilometre on Ram Navami. If you dislike crowds, a weekday visit outside festival days is usually calmer. This is common sense, not an official statement from the temple.

For more detail, see our separate Mahavir Mandir Patna visitor guide.

ISKCON Patna: what to know

ISKCON Patna stands on Budh Marg. It is also called Shri Shri Radha Banke Bihari Ji Temple and is dedicated to Krishna. ISKCON is the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, a worldwide Hindu devotional organisation.

A 2012 ISKCON News report, written while the temple was still being built, described a site of about two acres with a two-storey main building and a central dome. It said Chief Minister Nitish Kumar laid the foundation stone in April 2007. It also said the finished complex would include a meditation centre, a guesthouse, a community kitchen and an auditorium. That report described plans and a cost estimate of Rs 51 crore at the time. It does not tell you what is open today, so check the official page.

Patna Press reported on 9 June 2026 that the temple holds Mangala Aarti at 4:30 am and Shayan Aarti at 8:00 pm every day. The same report said only the morning aarti is streamed live under an effort called Patna Temples Live, and pointed readers to iskconpatna.com. The times are in the table above.

If you are interested in how Bihar's temples fit into larger travel routes, read our study of pilgrimage circuits and cultural corridors in Bihar.

Takht Sri Patna Sahib: a gurdwara, not a temple

This is an important point. Takht Sri Patna Sahib is a gurdwara, which is the Sikh place of worship. It should not be listed as a temple, and many visitors like to know this before they go.

According to Wikipedia, Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Sikh Guru, was born in Patna on 22 December 1666. The site is one of the five takhts of the Sikhs. A takht means a "seat of authority". Maharaja Ranjit Singh rebuilt the building in the early nineteenth century after a fire. After earthquake damage in 1934, it was rebuilt between 1948 and 1957.

Gurdwaras usually have their own customs, such as covering the head and removing shoes. We could not confirm the current rules from the source we opened, so ask at the entrance or check with the gurdwara committee. Showing respect for local custom is always the safe choice.

Other Patna temples

Patna has many more shrines. Use the three places above as a base and ask your hotel or a local guide about neighbourhood shrines. For projects that are new or still being built, such as the planned Tirupati-style temple at Mokama, see our guide to new temples in Patna and Bihar.

One caution: online travel pages often repeat claims without sources, such as visitor counts, budgets or rankings. For example, Wikipedia says the Mahavir Mandir trust has the second-highest budget in northern India after the Vaishno Devi shrine. It bases this on a 2008 Times of India report, so it may be out of date, and we have not checked the figures. We do not rely on it.

Tips for first-time visitors

1. Go early. Morning visits are usually cooler and quieter.
2. Wear modest clothes that cover shoulders and knees.
3. Leave valuables at your hotel. Crowded queues attract pickpockets in every city.
4. Carry small change for offerings and shoe storage.
5. Ask before taking photos. Many inner areas do not allow them.
6. Be kind to everyone in the queue. Temples are shared spaces for people of all backgrounds.
7. Plan travel time between places. Patna traffic can be slow, so do not try to fit too much into one day.

These are general tips and not rules set by any temple. Each place sets its own rules.

Check official pages for hours and rules

Timings change for festivals, repairs and crowd control. A schedule printed in a news report may not match today's. Before you travel:

• Open the temple's own website or social media page, if it has one. For ISKCON Patna, the Patna Press report named iskconpatna.com.
• Look for notices about festival days such as Ram Navami, when entry can be regulated.
• Call the temple office if a number is listed on its official page.

We have not listed phone numbers or street addresses we could not verify. If a page you find online gives a number, make sure it comes from the temple itself.

If you want the proposed temple instead

If your real interest is the Modi temple, there are better ways to follow it than travelling. Our timeline of the Patna proposal lists each documented step. The Modi Mandir FAQ answers common questions, and the comparison of temple trust management in Bihar shows how real temples such as these are usually run and funded. You can also browse the full Visiting Patna topic page.

What we do not know yet

• We do not know any site, land or opening date for a Modi temple.
• We could not confirm current darshan hours for Mahavir Mandir from an official page. The aarti times above come from one news report.
• We could not confirm visitor rules at Takht Sri Patna Sahib.
• We did not verify the full list of other Patna temples.

Planning a trip around a festival? See our guide to Chhath Puja 2026 in Patna. For the goddess shrines across the state, read Shakti Peeths in Bihar.

Common questions

Can I visit the Modi temple in Patna?

No. It is only a proposal. We found no report of land, funding or construction.

What is the most famous temple in Patna?

Mahavir Mandir is one of the best known. It is a Hanuman temple, and Wikipedia says it draws very large crowds on Saturdays and Tuesdays.

What time is the aarti at Mahavir Mandir and ISKCON Patna?

Patna Press reported in June 2026 that Mahavir Mandir holds five aartis a day, from 5:00 am to 10:30 pm, and ISKCON Patna holds Mangala Aarti at 4:30 am and Shayan Aarti at 8:00 pm. Confirm with the temples before you go.

Where is ISKCON Patna?

It is on Budh Marg. It is also called Shri Radha Banke Bihari Ji Temple. Check iskconpatna.com for current timings.

Is Patna Sahib a temple?

No. Takht Sri Patna Sahib is a gurdwara, a Sikh place of worship, and is the birthplace of Guru Gobind Singh.

Sources

• Mahavir Mandir, Wikipedia
• ISKCON Temple at Patna to be Completed by 2014, ISKCON News, 30 June 2012
• Patna Press report on ISKCON Patna aarti, 9 June 2026
• Takht Sri Patna Sahib, Wikipedia

Last checked on 24 October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us through our contact page.