Shri Giriraj Govardhan

Lord Krishna performed so many sweet childhood pastimes in Vraj. There are so many sweet pastimes performed by Lord Krishna in Vraj with so many of his associates. They include parents Nand Baba and mother Yashoda, brother Balram and friends cowherd boys, Vraj Gopis (damsels of Vraj), Radha Rani (Lord Krishna’a consort) and other residents of Vraj including cows and animals and birds of Vraj. The pastimes performed are so numerous and so sweet that most of them have become legends in Indian literature and poetry. These pastimes are not merely topics for literature, art etc., they have deep spiritual meaning. In order to make an attempt to understand these pastimes one must visit these places under the guidance of a pure Vaishnava (devotee of Lord Krishna). There are so many places of pilgrimage in Vraj that it may take months to visit all of them, however, there are some important pastime places whose brief description is given below:

Vrindavan

Vrindavan is considered as the place where the sweetest of Lord

Krishna’s pastimes were performd. “Vrinda” means Holy Basel (Tulsi) and “Van” means woods.  About 5000 years ago this was a forest belonging to Vrinda devi, who was cowherd damsel (Gopi) of Vraj. Krishna performed many of his sweetest pastimes with so many gopis and gopas (cowherd boys) in Vrindavan. The main gopis of them were Radha and her 8 intimate friends apart from Vrinda. Radha was the most beloved of Shri Krishna. Amongst Gopas were Krishna’s brother Balram (also called Dauji), Krishna’s friends such as Madhu Mangal, Sudham, Subal Sakha etc. All Vraj residents lovingly worship Radha Rani as much or more than Shri Krishna. Here Lord Krishna played his "Flute" and performed his "Leelas (pastimes)". Chaitanya Maha Prabhu and his six eminent disciples visited this place and unearthed many holy temples. All these temples were covered with earth and buried underground and were lost to the common people over a period of thousands of years. The town was later immortalised in the poems of surdas, Raskhan, Meerabai and other great poets. Here famous saint Vallabhacharya, master of Indian Classical music Swami Haridas etc. performed austerities. Kings and commons over the centuries have graced its soil with many temples, each a worthy rival to others in beauty of execution. There are hundreds of temples in Vrindavan, each having unique history of sweet pastimes of Radha Krishna and their friends, relatives and associates. Also there are pastimes of Lord Krishna and Radhaji and their disciples.

In Vrindavan Lord Krishna performed Rasa dance, the sweetest of all pastimes in which Gopis of Vraj Participated. In this dance Lord Krishna expanded him self into millions of forms one for each Gopi.
Important holy temples to be visited are: Radha Madan Mohan, Radha Raman, Radha Damodar, Radha Shyam Sundar, Radha Gokulanand, Radha Gopinath, Radha Vallabh, Banke Bihari, Mira Bai Temple, Gopeshwar Mahadev, Rangaaji,  Shahji, Radha Govind Dev, Krishna-Balram (ISKCON temple) etc.
Other important pastime places are: Kaliiya Dah, Imli Tala, Akrur Ghata, Daan Gali, Seva Kunj, Nidhu Van,  ShringarVat, Dhir samir, Bhajan Sthali and Samdhi of Roop Goswami and Sanatan Goswami, Bansi Bat etc. There are famous river banks (ghats) s which are of great architectural, cultural and aesthetic interest for devotees. Kali Dah Ghat, Keshi Ghat, Varah Ghat, Chir Ghat etc. are some of them.

Kaliya dah in Vrindavan at the bank of river Yamuna, where Krishna conquered Kaliya Naag (python with hundreds of fangs)








<
Deity at Madan Mohan temple in Vrindavan.

Deity of Ashtha sakhi temple in Vrindavan

According to tradition and recorded evidence, Krishna was raised in the cowherding village of Gokul by his foster parents Nanda Maharaj and Yasoda. The Bhagavata Purana describes Krishna's early childhood pastimes in the Vrindavan forest where he, his brother Balarama, and his cowherd friends stole butter, engaged in childhood pranks and fought with demons. Along with these activities, Krishna is also described as meeting and dancing with the local girls (known as gopis) of Vrindavan village, especially Radharani,. These pastimes were the source of inspiration for devotion to millions of devotes world wide and the subject of the famous Sanskrit poem, Gita Govinda, by the Orissan poet, Jayadeva (c. 1200 AD).

The city of Mathura, centre of Vraj and the main trading and business centre in Vraj, is well connected by Road and Railways with important centres like Mumbai, Delhi, Agra, Jaipur and many other important cities of India. Lord Krishna was born in Mathura and his birth is surrounded by very interesting history. It is recognized as one of India's seven cities capable of bestowing final beatitude. History of Mathura dates back to "Tretayuga". According to stories in our Puranas, Shatrughna, the younger brother of Lord Shri Ram, Killed a demon named "Lavana" and established a town called "Madhura" to become famous later as "Mathura" situated on the north bank of river of yamuna, Mathura had assumed great significance during the buddha, Mauryan Kushanas, Guptas era(5 th century BC to 4 th century AD).

Mathura is situated on the west bank of river Yamuna: 56 kilometers from Agra and 145 Kms. from Delhi. Mathura is famous for its places of religious and historic interest.

It is a city of temples and shrines bustling with thousands of devotees who come to visit the city of Lord Krishna. A splendid temple at the Katra Keshav Dev marks the spot that is believed to be the Shri Krishna Janmasthan - the birthplace of the Lord, by his devotees. Another beautiful shrine, the Gita Mandir located on the Mathura-Vrindavan Road has a fine image of Shri Krishna in its sanctum. The whole of the Bhagwad Gita is inscribed on the walls of the temple. The most popular shrine at Mathura is the Dwarikadhish Temple to the north of the town, dedicated to Shri Krishna. There are a total of 25 ghats in Mathura today, of which the most important is the Vishram Ghat, where according to legend, Shri Krishna took his rest after killing Kansa.

It is at Vishram Ghat that the traditional parikrama (circumambulation of all the important religious and cultural spots of the city) starts and ends. The 12 ghats to the north of Vishram Ghat include the Ganesh Ghat, Dashashwamedh Ghat with its Neelakantheshwar Temple, Saraswati Sangam Ghat, Chakratirtha Ghat, Krishnaganga Ghat, Somatirth or Swami Ghat, Ghantagharan Ghat, Dharapattan Ghat, Vaikuntha Ghat, Navtirtha or Varahkshetra Ghat, Asikunda Ghat, and Manikarnika Ghat. To the south, there are 11 ghats - the Guptatirth Ghat, Prayag Ghat marked by the Veni Madhav Temple, Shyam Ghat, Ram Ghat, Kankhal Ghat, the site of the Janmashtami and Jhula festivals, Dhruva Ghat, Saptrishi Ghat, Mokshatirth Ghat, Surya Ghat, Ravan Koti Ghat, and Buddha Ghat.

The city's strategic location at the cross roads of various trade routes made it the meeting point of varied cultures. Today, it is a city of temples and shrines, bustling with thousands of devotees who come to visit the city of Lord Krishna. The city stretches along the right bank of the yamuna and the continuous line of ghats along the river makes a splendid spectacle. Mathura is today an important place of pilgrimage.

It was here that Lord Krishna was brought up in secrecy by his mother "Yashoda", in the pastoral beauty of this village on the banks of River Yamuna. There are many pastimes of Krishna’s infancy periods. A demoness “Putna” was sent by king Kansa to kill Krishna when he was just 6 days old. She applied poison on her breast and tried to breast feed Krishna. Krishna sucked life out of her and killed her.  Also in Gokul, Krishna liberated two sons of Kubera. The place where this pastime took place is known as Yamalarjun Vriksh. This location is very close to the Chaurasi Khambha palace. The main temple in Gokul is Chaurasi Khambha temple which was the palace of Krishna’s father Nand Baba and mother Yashoda. The celebration of "Janmashtami" is unparalled for its gaiety in Gokul. Other festivals celebrated include janmahotsav, Annakut, and the Trinavat Mala. The important shrines apart from Chaurasi Khambha are Gokulnath temple, Vithalnath temple, Dauji Temple, Madan Mohan temple, Dwarikanath temple, Balkrishna temple, Raj Thakur temple, Gopal lalji temple and morwala temple.

The town derives its name from the famous Dauji temple dedicated to "Balram", the elder brother of Lord Krishna. The main image in the sanctum is that of Baldeo with his spause "Ravati". Near by is "Kshir Sagar" kund.

A sacred Hindu pilgrimage place famous for the playground of childhood of Lord Krishna and other conjugal offair with Radha(consort). Here is a beautiful Ashram of "Kashni Guru Sarnanandji Maharaj".

Birth lace of sri Radha Rani or Ladliji, Krishna's beloved and consort was previously known as "Brahmsarin", temples dedicated to the divine couple ornament the four elevations of the hill. The most beautiful temple here is the "Ladliji temple", "Prem sarovar" a small lake is belived to the place where Lord Krishna and Radha met for the first time. Other attractions includes Man Mandir, Mor Kutir temple, Roop Sagar, Jal Mahal, and Sankari-khor (meaning narrow passage). Barsana is also famous for its "Lathmar-Holi"-celebrations of the festival of colors that are unique. There are so many sweet pastimes performed near Radha Rani Ladli palace. Gehar Van is just behind the Ladli Palace. Here many sweet pastimes were performed. At Sankari Khor, Krishna and friends wanting to collect toll from Gopis waited for Gopis to pass. The passage of sankari Khor  is so narrow that only one person can pass through it. Therefore it was not possible for Gopis to avoid the tax demanding Krishna and his friends. Many sweet pastimes between Gopis, Krishna and Krishna’s friends took place here.

Nandgaon was the home of "shri Nandji" lord Krishna's foster father. The spacious "Nandrai temple" stands atop a hillock. Pan sarover, one of the four celebrated lakes of Braj bhoomi, where according to legend, Lord Krishna used to water his herd. The other shrine Narsingha, Gopinath, Nritya Gopal, Girdhari, Nand Nandan, Yasodha Nandan and Kadamb Kunj.