Vrindavan & Mathura - Birth Place of Sri Krishna

Vrindavan
It is believed that Sri Krishna was born in Nandagaon and would come to Vrindavan on the banks of Yamuna as cow boy. He has had many legends here.

Vrindavan today has many Ashrams. Every step you can see one ashram.

Beware of the priests
Vrindavan today is a commercial place. The guides do more harm than help. They have tie up with the temple priests especially of the old Krishna-Radha Temple which takes care of the "ladies" hostel kind of set up, the cows and the temple expenses.

In this temple one has to sit and have darshan of Sri Krishna and Radhe. They make you sit while the curtains are closed. They bargain for the money, I mean donation and then only open the curtains for you to see the Lord. How mean! Beware. These priests are no less in begging and coaxing you to shred money. They start with the figure 5000rs!

With the kind of experience we had here, we forgot for sometime about our purpose of visit!

Places to visit
ISKCON temple
Brij Bihari Temple - Old South Indian styled temple
Radhe Mohan Temple - get ready for the massacre
Yamuna ghat - where people take holy dip and can see where Krishna was supposed to have played with his friends.
Vrindavan - People believe that Krishna visits every night here and no one has ventured out to see him.


Things to do
1. Drink the butter milk (with butter and milk cream)
2. Take a round at the Vrindavan
3. Take a boat ride on Yamuna and see the bathing ghats
4. Clap and Laugh loudly. People believe that a person who comes here and laughs will continue that happiness through out his life!


Mathura
This is the place where Lord Sri Krishna had ousted his maternal uncle and ruled the Kingdom.

Mathura is enroute to Agra from Delhi, after Vrindavan.

The Sri Krishna temple complex is very big. The temple closes by 12.00 noon and opens in the evening. Krishna rules. We had been there on August 17,2006 the day after the Krishna Janmashtami was celebrated. It was extremely crowded with the Go-paalakas of Uttar Pradesh.

You can shop here for Sri Krishna- Radhe photos and other religious things.

We did not venture out much as we had had a bad experience in Vrindavan.