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A famous place of Hindu pilgrimage, Govardhan is located on a narrow sandstone hill known as "Giriraj". This is the place where Lord Krishna held aloft "Giriraj Parvat" to shield the people of Braj from the wrath of Lord Indra. The important shrine here is "Daanghati Temple". There is also a large masonry tank known as the "Mansi Ganga", which is belived to have been brought into existence by the operation of the diving will.
On seeing that the inhabitants of Vrindavan had neglected to worship him, lndra, the King of Heaven, decided to punish them by sending terrible rain clouds to inundate the land of Vrindavan. Seething with rage, King lndra was thinking that simply on the advice of a talkative village boy named Krishna the Vrajavasis had stopped the lndra-yajna and instead worshiped Govardhana Hill, the brahmanas, and the cows.
Unfortunately, being so puffed-up with his own self-importance and false prestige, lndra could not understand that this simple village boy called Krishna was in fact the Supreme Personality of Godhead enjoying His transcendental pastimes as a cowherd boy in the land of Vrindavan.
Calling for the samvartaka clouds of devastation that are used to destroy the whole cosmic manifestation at the end of a kalpa, lndra ordered them to proceed to Vrindavan and cause extensive floods that would destroy the livelihood of the inhabitants. Within no time torrents of rain as thick as pillars, accompanied by thunder, lighting and howling winds, descended on Vrindavan, causing great misery to its inhabitants. The land became so full of water that no one could distinguish between high ground and low ground. Shivering because of the severe cold brought about by the torrential rains, the inhabitants of Vrindavan approached Lord Krishna for shelter.
 Understanding the situation, Krishna immediately lifted Govardhana Hill with His left hand, just as a child picks up a mushroom, and held it up like an umbrella. Bringing all their household possessions, the inhabitants of Vrindavan, along with their cows, took shelter from the torrential rains under Govardhana Hill. For seven days they remained safe under the hill, not even disturbed by hunger and thirst. They were simply astonished to see beautiful Krishna balancing Govardhana Hill on His little finger.
His false pride cut to pieces, baffled and dumbstruck, King Indra called back the clouds of devastation. At that moment the rains stopped, the sky cleared and the sun shone again over the beautiful land of Vrindavan. Krishna asked the Vrajavasis to return to their homes without fear, and then He gently replaced Govardhana Hill in exactly the same place. Nanda Baba,mother Yasoda, Balarama and all the inhabitants of Vrindavan embraced Krishna to their hearts content. The demigods in the higher planets began to beat kettledrums and shower the earth with fragrant flowers. As the gopis began to sing beautiful songs about the glorious and uncommon pastimes of Sri Krishna, all the inhabitants of Vrindavan returned to their respective homes along with their cows.
Kusum Sarovar
The exquisitely carved chhatris-the cenotaphs of the royal family of Bharatpur. The chhatri of Raja Surajmal and Baldev have beautiful frescos, depicting darbar, hunting scenes royal processions and wars. Very interesting and sweet pastimes took place at Kusum sarovar. Radha Rani came to Kusum sarovar to pluck flowers and make garlands for worship. Krishna came here to have a secret meeting with Radaha Rani and gopis. Once he hid behind a tree and pressed one branch of a tree which had many flowers. Not knowing that Krishna is there, Radhaji started picking up flowers from the branch pressed by Krishna to the ground. Suddenly Krishna released the branch from under his feet. The branch jumped up and with it Radhaji also got lifted up. On hearing Radha Rani shouting for help, Krishna appeared and asked Radha Rani to jump down into his arms below the tree. Thus both met at Kusum sarovar.
RADHA KUND / SHYAM KUND
A common Ghat both for Radha Kund and Shyam Kund
Radha Kund is the bathing place of Radharani and Her most elevated assistants, the gopis or cowherd girls. Radha Kund is located on the northern end of Govardhan Hill in the area of Greater Vrajamandala, not far from Vrindavana or Mathura. Sri Rupa Gosvami explains in verses 9 and 10 of his Sri Upadesamrita that out of all the places in Vraja, Radha Kund is superior to them all because it is flooded with the ambrosial nectar of Krishna prema, ecstatic love of God. Therefore, those who live here are the most fortunate in the universe. The Padma Purana also explains that just as Radharani is most dear to Krishna, Her bathing place of Radha Kund is also dear to Him. 
Across from Radha Kund is Shyama Kund, Krishna’s bathing place. Krishna dug Shyama Kund when Radharani insisted that He purify Himself by bathing in all the holy rivers after He had killed the Aristasura demon who was in the form of a bull. So rather than going to all the sacred rivers, He simply dug His heel into the earth and called the presiding deities of the various holy rivers of India to merge their waters into the pool. Radharani and Salhis decided Radha Rani should also make a kund or lake. Thus, She and the gopis broke their bangles and dug a hole, but it remained dry to Krishna’s amusement. However, upon Krishna’s instructions using water from the presiding deities of the holy rivers who appeared, Her kund also filled up. Thus, these kunds are very special to pilgrims who visit. It is said that anyone who bathes here will get the perfection of Krishna prema, which is far beyond mere liberation from material existence. It is said that Radha Kund is the liquid form of Radharani’s ecstatic love for Krishna. And since Radha Kund is Lord Krishna’s favorite bathing place, anyone who bathes in Radha Kund gets the mercy of Lord Krishna and will attain Krishna prema, ecstatic love for Lord Krishna. Similarly, Radharani also said that anyone who bathes in Shyama Kund will get Her special favor.
In the area of Radha Kund, you can find numerous temples and important places. Radha-Gokulananda temple, Kundesvara Mahadeva temple, peepul tree. Mahadeva is one of the guardians of the holy dham. There is Radha Kand temple right at the corner of Radha Kund. Across from that on the left of the road is the Sri Gopal temple. Then just down the street on the right is the Radha-Gopinatha temple, which also has at the far end the amadhi tomb of Raghunatha dasa Gosvami. There is the private bathing place of Jahnavi, the wife of Lord Nityananda when She lived here at Radha Kund. There is the bhajan kutir of Gopal Bhatta, Krishna dasa Kaviraja’s bhajan kutir, the small living quarters where he wrote the Caitanya-caritamrta and several other important spiritual books. Then there is Raghunatha dasa’s bhajan kutir and Samadhi, there is the bhajan kutir of Bhaktivinoda Thakur where he and Bhaktisiddhanta would stay when visiting the area. Farther along the parikrama road we next find Lalita Kund on the left, across from which is Jiva Gosvami’s bhajan kutir. Next along the road and down a lane on the right toward Shyama Kund there is the place of Madhavendra Puri’s sitting place, and around the curve we come to Lord Chaitanya’s sitting place, Asta Sakhi Mandir, Nitai Gauranga Sitanatha Mandir, Manipur Maharaja Mandir, Radha Gopinatha Mandir, a Gaura Nitai Mandir, Radha Govindaji Mandir, and other temples that are located around the kunds.
UDHAV KUND
Udhav Kund is witness to an extremely touching episode from Shrimad Bhagawatam.
Udhav was a close friend and confident of Shri Krishna. He almost always stayed with Krishna, whenever Krishna was in Dwarka. In fact Udhav was so close to Krishna that Krishna said once that Udhav is the closest to me of all my associates. He said he loved Udhav more than he loved himself. Once Udhav was thinking about his love and service to Krishna with some sense of pride. Krishna having realized that Udhav has developed some sense of pride and also with a view to establish glories of Vraj Gopis amongst all the devotees, Krihna called for Udhav. When Udhav presented himself, Krishna told him that he had heard that Vraj residents were undergoing deep sense of separation from Him and were severely grief stricken. Krishna told Udhav that since he was very wise and dear to Him, it would be best if he went to Vraj and met all Vraj residents including Nand baba, Yashoda maiya, Gopis and others and pacified them. Also Krishna told Udhav to convey that He (Krishna) will visit them as soon as possible.
After reaching Vraj, Udhav saw pathetic condition of Vraj residents. They were so deeply immersed in pain of separation that they had stopped eating and doing all normal activites. There was no food cooked in Nand Baba’s kitchen since Krishna had left. All Vraj vasis (residents) were weeping and experiencing extreme pain of separation from Krshna. The condition of Gopis Particularly was extremely pathetic. All gopis were lying here and there with no sense of material well being. Radha Rani in particular was like almost dead. All Gopis were all the time talking about Krishna and remembering his pastimes. Seeing such extra ordinary love for Krishna, Udhav realized that his love for Krishna was nothing as compared to Gopis. He was so much awed by the extreme devotion of Gopis to Shri Krishna that he felt that he should take birth as blade of grass in Vraj so that when Gopis walk on the earth, dust from their feet will touch him and he would some day get an iota of love that Gopis have for Shri Krishna. He therefore became grass and plantation in Vraj and particularly at Udhav Kund at Govardhan and at Udhav Kyari near Nandgaon. Also at Udhav Kund, after Krishna’s departure from this world, His queens were suffering in extreme pain of separation. They once came to Udhav Kund and started Krishna naam sankirtan (singing songs in praise of Krishna loudly). Hearing the sankirtan, Udhav came out from his form of grass and was joined by Radha and Krishna. All queens met with Shrimati Radha and Krishna at Udhav Kund.
NARAD KUND
Narad Kund is located near Kusum Sarovar at Govardhan. This is the place where Narad Muni (sage) is performing his sever austerities to obtain mercy of Gopis and obtain Gopi prem. Similar love for Krishna as Gopis have). Even to day many pilgrims come and offer their obeisance to Shri Narad. In the ashram on Narad Kund 24 hour Nam Sankirtan is on.
JATIPURA
Giriraj Sheela in Jatipura where devotees offer their obeisance.Jati Pura is named after Madhavendra Puri, who was a sannyasi (in the renounced order), or yati. Yati means “sannyasa.” Jati is the modern corruption. Pura means “town.” This town is called Jati Pura because Madhavendra Puri used to live here. He worshiped the Deity of Gopala (Sri Nathaji) here. This town is also known as Gopala Pura.
Vithalanatha the son of Vallabhacarya, lived in this town when he was the head priest of the Gopala Temple. It is also said by followers of the Pushtimarg, that the jeti (jati) that the town refers to is Giridhara, the oldest son of Vittahalnath. At this place is the Gopala Temple on top of the hill. On the other side of the hill at this point is the village of Aniyora.
 
Jatipura temple on Giriraj Govardhan Temple in Jatipura where devotees offer milk bath to Govardhan.
Two important temples here are Mathuradhish and Gokulanath. The original Deity of Mathuradhish is now worshiped in Kota, Rajasthan.
Mukharavinda - Jatipura
At Sringar Stali devotees pour milk over a large Govardhana-shila. This Govardhana-shila is known as Mukharavinda, of the lotus mouth of Govardhana. This Mukharavinda is accepted as the lotus mouth of Govardhana according to the Vallabhacarya Sampradaya. Hundreds of litres of milk is poured on Govardhana daily at this place. There is a special festival here on Govardhana Puja, when the deity of Gokulnath is brought from Gokula.
This is on the western side of Govardhana Hill. Sri Gopala revealed himself to Madhavendra Puri on the eastern side of the hill. Sri Gopala was worshiped in a temple on top of the hill. You can see the temple on top of the hill at this place.
The sitting place of Vallabhacarya and the samadhi of his son Vithalanatha are located directly in front of Sringa Stali. The worship of Gopala was entrusted to Vittahalnath.
Dandavata Shila
From Sringar Sthali you then walk along the side of Govardhana Hill for about one minute and you come to a small temple that contains the well-dressed Dandavati-shila. It is believed that if a person circumambulates this Govardhana-shila seven times, and then offer full obeisances, this will neutralize all the offences committed while doing parikrama of Govardhana Hill.
GOVIND KUND
When Krishna lifted Giriraj Govardhan on his left hand small finger for 7 days and 7 nights; Indra (lord of all demigods) realized that Krishna is not an ordinary child. He is the creator of the whole universe and creator also of Indra himself. Realizing that by harassing people of Vraj he has committed a serious offense in the lotus feet of shri Krishna; Indra decided to offer his apologies to Shri Krishna. He learnt that Krishna likes cows very much. He therefore decided to offer cow milk bath to Shri Krishna and offer his apologies to Shri Krishna. Govind Kund is a lake which was created as a result of accumulation of the water and milk which flowed into to form a lake. He addressed Krishna as Govinda. Govinda in Sanskrit means one who loves cows. This lake is called Govind Kund after this pastime.
MANASI GANGA
Once Nanda and Yasoda, hearing of the glories of the Ganges River, had a desire to bathe in it. The residents of Braja did not want to leave Vrindavana, though Krishna was willing to take them there despite the great distance. They wishfully said, “I wish mother Ganga would come here.” To fulfill the desires of His devotees, Krishna entered into meditation and from His mind sprung the kunda known as Manasi Ganga. Krishna told His father that it was not necessary to go to the Ganges, as it was already present in Braja. Krishna then brought His father to Manasi Ganga and they took bath there. It is said that at this time everyone could see the Goddess Ganga riding on her crocodile carrier. This spot is also known as the lotus mouth of Sri Govardhana (in Sanskrit called Mukharvinda). A Govardhan sheela (a rock) here with the impression of Lord Krishna's crown glorifies the place.
According to Caitanya Mahaprabhu, one should have dips in Manasi Ganga first and then start Govardhana Parikrama and the Parikrama will be complete at this spot only and one should have dips in Manasi Ganga at the end of the Parikrama.
Mana means “mind” and Ganga means the Ganges River. Manasi Ganga Kunda is traditionally the starting and ending point of the circumambulation of Govardhana Hill. In the Mathura-mahatmya it is recommended that you bathe in Manasi Ganga and then take darshan of Harideva before beginning Govardhana parikrama. One starts by bathing and ends by bathing here. This kunda is considered a million times more potent than the Ganges River, because by bathing in the Ganges River one gets liberation and by bathing here one gets “Krishna prema,” love of Krishna. Manasi Ganga is considered to be the neck of Govardhana. It is a good-size lake located in the town of Govardhana. It is in the center of Govardhana Hill. Manasi Ganga used to be a very large lake, but as Govardhana Hill is getting smaller, Manasi Ganga is also getting smaller in the same proportion.
In some puranas (old scriptures) also there is another pastime recorded. After Krishna killed Vatsasura, who was a demon who took the form of a calf, His friends told Him He had to go bathe in the Ganges for purification. Not wanting to travel all the way to the Ganges, Krishna by His meditation brought the Ganges to this place. Manasi-ganga was given its name because it was created by the mind of Krishna.
Boat Pastime at Manasi Ganga:
 Srimati Radharani and the gopis came to the bank of Manasi Ganga and wanted to take a boat across. They were carrying their yogurt pots and other milk preparations. Krishna who was disguised as a boatman told them He would take them across. They then bargained for a while over the price. After agreement on price, He started. After some time He stopped. The gopis asked Him why He had stopped. He told them that the boat was old and that water was coming in, because the weight they were carrying was too heavy. The gopis then threw overboard their yogurt pots and their jewelry. Then a storm came. The wind began to blow and the waves started. Krishna started rocking the boat. Radharani became frightened and put Her arms around the boatman. At this time She realized that the boatman was Krishna. The wind and waves then became calm. Radharani then pulled Krishna’s flute from under His clothing, and the gopis could understand that the boatman was Krishna in disguise.
This pastime is called Nauka-vihar (boating pastime) and is described in Gopala Campu by Jiva Gosvami.
There are several important places on the banks of Manasi Ganga or near by.
Close together are the Harideva Temple, Manasi Devi Temple, and Brahma Kunda. The Harideva Temple is a minute walk from Manasi Ganga. The Manasi Devi temple and Brahma Kunda are right next to Manasi Ganga. On the other side of Manasi Ganga, all in the same area are Chakra Tirtha, Chakaleswara Mahadeva Temple and Sanatana Gosvami’s bhajana kutir. The Mukharavinda Temple is close to the Govardhana parikrama road, on the bank of Manasi Ganga. Across the road from the Mukharavinda Temple is Pancha Tirtha Kunda.
Manasi Ganga, the Harideva Temple and the Manasi Devi Temple are usually the first places to be visited when doing Govardhana parikrama. Chakaleswara Mahadeva Temple and Sanatana Gosvami’s bhajana kutir are usually visited after going half way around the hill. The Mukharavinda Temple is usually visited after finishing Govardhana parikrama.
Harideva Temple
The Harideva Temple, near Manasi Ganga, was established by Krishna’s great-grandson 4,900 years ago. Harideva is one of the four presiding Deities of Vrindavana. Lord Harideva is the presiding Deity for the western petal of the lotus of Braja Mandala. He is the lifter of Govardhana Hill. This is an architecturally interesting temple.
After bathing in Manasi Ganga, one is supposed to come and have darshan of Lord Harideva before beginning Govardhana parikrama. Govardhana parikrama without the darshan of Harideva is not considered complete.
This temple was built by King Bhagwandas of Jaipur, whose son, Raja Man Singh, built the Govindaji Temple in the sixteenth century during the reign of Emperor Akbar. The original Deity of Harideva was moved to the town of Rajdhani near Kanpur, when Aurangzeb sent his soldiers to destroy the Deities and temples of Braja. This original Deity is said to have been stolen and no one knows where it is located. The replacement Deity is said to be in the same form as the original Harideva. This Deity is taken out in procession around Manasi Ganga during the Holi festivities.
The pastime in reference to this temple is that Radharani and the gopis were waiting for Krishna to meet them near Manasi Ganga. Feeling separation from Krishna the gopis started to chant “Harideva, Harideva, Harideva.” They were feeling such great separation that they felt like they were going to leave their bodies. Then Krishna arrived in his beautiful form of Harideva, as a seven years old boy holding up Govardhana Hill with His left hand and a flute in His right hand. Radharani and the gopis felt great happiness and worshipped Harideva with great opulence. They would come here daily to worship Harideva.
Brahma Kunda
After Indra bathed Lord Krishna, all the demigods, holy rivers and sages offered prayers to Lord Krishna and then bathed Him. At this time Brahma also bathed Lord Krishna. Brahma Kunda is the water that collected after Lord Brahma bathed Krishna.Brahma Kunda is located on the southern bank of Manasi Ganga. Both Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityananda visited here.
Manasi Devi Temple
The Manasi Devi Temple is on the bank of Manasa Ganga and Brahma Kunda. The deity in this temple, Manasi Devi, is the presiding deity of Manasi Ganga and is one of the four main Devi temples in Braja Mandala. The other three important Devi temples are: Yoga Maya in Vrindavana, Patalesvari Devi in Mathura, and Vrinda Devi in Kamyavana.
Mukharavinda Temple
On the bank of Manasi Ganga is the Mukharavinda Temple. There are two shilas in this temple. One shila, located on the left side, is marked with the outline of Krishna’s crown (Mukut-shila). According to Bhaktisiddhanta Maharaja the other shila, which is on the right embedded in the ground, is the mouth of Govardhana (Mukharavinda-shila). Mukharavinda means his “lotus mouth.” In the evening it is beautifully dressed with a headdress (mukut), clothing, eyes and garlands. Govardhana has the shape of a peacock with his head tucked into its chest. It is customary to visit this temple after finishing Govardhana parikrama.
Chakra Tirtha
Chakra Tirtha, which was created by the Sudarsana Chakra, is embedded in the northern bank of Manasi Ganga. As Krishna was holding up Govardhana Hill, torrents of rain were coming down. Krishna could see that the water would come under the hill and drown everyone. Therefore He had His Sudarsana Chakra stay above the hill for the entire seven days. The Sudarsana Chakra produced heat equal to many suns, which consumed large amounts of rain and kept the residents of Braja from drowning. Also Sesa Naga came and drank up the rain water. After Krishna replaced Govardhana Hill; the Sudarsana Chakra remained on the northern bank of Manasi Ganga. That place is called Chakra Tirtha. The Chakra (disc) of Lord Vishnu is called Sudarshana which means “place of pilgrimage.”
Chakaleswara Mahadeva Temple and Sanatana Gosvami’s Bhajana Kutir
Next to the bhajana kutir of Sanatana Gosvami is the Chakaleswara Siva-linga Temple. This Siva-linga is one of the five presiding Siva-lingas worshiped in Braja Mandala. It contains a group of five lingas. It protects this part of the holy dhama. The other four are Gopisvara at Vrindavana, Kamesvara at Kamyavana, Nandesvara at Nandagram, and Bhutesvara at Mathura. Bhajana Kutir of Sanatana Gosvami is right next to Manasi Ganga. While living here, Sanatana Gosvami would do Govardhana parikrama daily and he would often do 1008 dandavats (full obeisances like a stick). Krishna came to him one day and requested that in his old age he should not continue to keep doing daily parikrama. He then gave Sanatana a Govardhana-shila, which had Krishna’s and a cow’s footprint imprinted in it. Krishna then told him that if he walked around the shila that would be equal to circumambulating Govardhana Hill. Sanatana Gosvami then did parikrama of the Govardhana-shila daily until he left his body. This shila is now in the Radha Damodara Temple in Vrindavana.
When Sanatana was thinking about moving from this place because of mosquitoes, Lord Siva (Chakaleswara) disguised as a brahmana came and told him that the mosquitoes would no longer disturb him. Even now this place is almost free from mosquitoes. This place is within Chakra Tirtha. Sanatana Gosvami left his body here on the full moon day in the month of Asadha (June-July) in 1558. This day is also known as Guru Purnima. His samadhi is now located in a small garden at the bottom of the hill, near the Madana-Mohan Temple in Vrindavana. It is customary to worship the spiritual master on this day, because it is the appearance day of Vyasadeva. On this day millions of devotees gather at Manasi Ganga, and do parikrama of Govardhana Hill.
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