Gopeshwar Mahadev

The Gopisvara Mahadeva temple is dedicated to Lord Siva’s pastime of appearing as a gopi to participate in the rasa-lila

Mahadev once desired to participate in the rāsa-lila. As he reached the gate outside Vrindavana, some attendant gopis stopped him. In despair, Mahadev worshipped Yogamaya for being admitted into rāsa-lila. The merciful Yogamaya took his hands and dipped him in the nearby Brahma-kunda, transforming Mahadev into an extremely beautiful young gopi. She told him to behold the rāsa-lila from the northeast direction of the rāsa-sthali. After a short while, the rāsa-lila began and gopis understood that some outsider had entered the arena and they asked the new gopi about her whereabouts. When the gopis received no answer, they began to slap her cheek and they became swollen. Seeing Mahadev’s misery, Yogamaya went there and explained that this gopi was an innocent victim. She requested gopis and Krishna to be merciful to her. Krishna, knowing the internal desire of Yogamaya, gave Mahadev the name Gopisvara and granted him the boon that a practising devotee would be unable to enter Vrindavan, and especially into Krishna’s sweet pastimes, without first receiving his mercy.