Jagadguru Kripalu Maharaj (English: Kripalu Maharaj, real name: Ram Kripalu Tripathi, born: October 6, 1922 – died: November 15, 2013) was a modern saint and spiritual guru. Kripalu Maharaj was born on October 6, 1922 in Mangarh village of Kunda tehsil of Pratapgarh district. The famous Bhakti Dham at Mangarh in Pratapgarh, Uttar Pradesh and Prem Mandir at Vrindavan in Mathura district were built by Kripalu Maharaj. His spiritual education took place in Banaras.
Born in his maternal home, Mangarh, Ram Kripalu Tripathi received his education till 7th class from the middle school of the same village and after that he went to Mhow, Madhya Pradesh for further studies. He started his family life with his wife Padma at his maternal home and became engrossed in the devotion of Radha-Krishna. Devotees started coming in large numbers to listen to his sermons based on Bhakti-Yoga. Then his fame reached not only the country but also abroad. He has two sons Ghanshyam and Balkrishna Tripathi in his family. Apart from this, he also has three daughters – Vishakha, Shyama and Krishna Tripathi. He married both his sons, who currently live in Delhi and handle all the work of his trust. Whereas his three daughters, considering their father’s devotion to Radha Krishna, refused to marry and got engaged in the service of Kripalu Maharaj.
The Prem Mandir built as a temple of Lord Krishna and Radha is the result of the concept of Kripalu Maharaj. Located in Vrindavan near Mathura in India, 11 years of time and approximately Rs 100 crore were spent in the construction of this temple. Using Italian marble, it was created by a thousand craftsmen from Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. The foundation stone of this temple was laid by Kripaluji himself. This temple is an excellent example of ancient Indian sculpture. The temple embodies divine love through architecture. Its doors, which are always open to people of all castes, castes and countries, open in all directions. There are eight peacock carved arches at the main entrance and the outer walls of the entire temple are decorated with the pastimes of Radha-Krishna. There are a total of 94 pillars in the temple which are decorated with various pastimes of Radha-Krishna. Statues of Gopis are engraved on most of the pillars. Jagadguru Kripalu Maharaj died on 15 November 2013 (Friday) at 7.05 am in Fortis Hospital, Gurgaon.
