One of the main tourist attractions of Nathdwara is the Shrinathji Temple. Devoted to Lord Krishna, the temple houses a black stone image Krishna of the deity. It is believed that the lord, himself, selected Nathdwara as a venue for his temple. As per the legend, the statue of Krishna was being transferred from Mathura in 1669 to protect it from Aurangzeb. The wheels of the wagon carrying the statue got stuck in the ground while passing through Nathdwara. The accompanying priest assumed this incident as a sign from Lord Krishna. Thereafter, the Srinathji temple was built on the spot. Photography at the temple is strictly prohibited.
Shrinathji stands for Krishna and the temple depicts the young Krishna with the Govardhans hill on his hand. The deity here is believed to be a self manifested one and it is the same deity, which was taken away from the Madhura temple in order to protect it from the Muslim invaders. The temple of Shrinathji dates back to the 12th century BC and it is built in like the shape of a house rather than a shrine. But in elegance and grace it surpasses all other contemporary shrines. The design of the temple resemble that of the house of Nanda Maharaja and thus the shrine is popularly called as Nanda Bhavan or Nandalaya.
The temple enshrines a lofty spire with seven flags and a wheel. The deity in the temple is carved out of a single black marble, which grabs the attention of any onlooker. The posture is somewhat unique and it resembles that of the young Krishna upholding the Govardhana Mountain. Priests take care of the deity like a child, awakes it up in the morning, washes it, changes its clothes, offers specially prepared food and allow it to sleep, all at specific times of the day.
The temple is usually called as 'Haveli', and the temple servants dress in as if they are working under a king. The entire ambiance is just like a palace and at regular intervals there are live concerts to entertain the infant lord. One of the peculiar aspect about this regal shrine is the beating of drums and trumpets to pronounce the 'Royal Darshan' in the noon just like the proclamation when the kings enters in their courts. Numerous split-level quads and the solid-white fascia keep the temple premises much airy.