MATHURA - VRINDAVAN

At a distance of 4.5 km from Mathura Junction Railway Station, Vishram Ghat is a sacred bathing ghat situated on the banks of river Yamuna in Mathura.

Vishram Ghat is the main ghat of Mathura and is central to 25 other ghats. The ghat is made up of marble stone and has a large stone arch. According to the legend, Lord Krishna is said to have rested at this place after killing Kansa. The name of the ghat is derived from this particular incidence (Vishram means Rest). The Vishram Ghat is one of the most important ghats as the traditional parikrama starts and ends at this place. The parikrama is the circumambulation of all the major religious and cultural places of Mathura.

The Vishram ghat is lined with elegant temples and some of Mathura's most important shrines that include Mukut Temple, Radha-Damodar, Murali Manohar, Neelkantheshwar, Yamuna-Krishna, Langali Hanuman and Narasimha temples.

During the evening, aarti .....

At a distance of 4 km from Mathura Junction Railway Station, Dwarkadheesh Temple is one of the oldest and largest temples in Mathura. It is located near the banks of river Yamuna, close to Vishram Ghat and Gatashram Tila. It is one of the top places to visit in Mathura and also one of the most visited Mathura temples.

The main deity of the temple is Lord Dwarkadheesh, a form of Lord Krishna. This temple is also famous by other names like Jagat Mandir or Nija Mandir. It is believed that this temple was built by Lord Krishna's grandson Vajranabha. The present temple was built by Seth Gokuldas Parikh, the treasurer of Gwalior State in 1814. He was a great devotee of Lord Krishna and erected the shrine to commemorate the deity.

The temple is known for its beautiful architecture, carvings, and paintings. This five storied building is supported by seventy two pillars. The main shrine has the images of Lord Krishna and his beloved .....

At a distance of 4 km from Mathura Junction Railway Station, Sri Krishna Janmabhoomi is the most famous temple located in the crowded city of Mathura. The temple is the most important site for the followers of Lord Krishna and Hindus as a whole.

Sri Krishna Janma Bhoomi also known as Katra Keshav Dev temple, is the actual birthplace of Lord Krishna. A bigger temple was constructed to replace the old temple during the reign of Emperor Chandragupta Vikramaditya (4th century CE). This temple used to one of the grandest temples in India until it was destroyed by Ghazni Mahmud in 11th century. In 1150 AD, Jajja during the rule of Vijay Pal Deva rebuilt the temple but the temple was destructed by other Muslim ruler Sikandar Lodi in 16th century. The fourth temple was built during the rule of Mughal emperor Jahangir by Veer Singh Bundela of Orchaa. But it was again destroyed by Aurangzeb in 1669 AD and a mosque named Jami Masjid was built .....

At a distance of 2.5 km from Mathura Junction Railway Station, Government Museum, popularly known as Mathura Museum, is an archeological museum located near the Dampier Park in Mathura city. It is one of the best museums in India and also one of the popular Mathura tourist places.

The museum was founded by then collector of the Mathura district, Sir F. S. Growse in 1874. Initially it was known as Curzon Museum of Archaeology, then Archaeology Museum, and finally changed to the Government Museum, Mathura. Mathura Museum is considered one of the leading centers for research, study and the preservation of the heritage left by the Mathura School of Sculpture.

The building of the museum itself is worth visiting. This beautiful building is octagonal in shape and is made out of the red-sandstone. The museum is famous for ancient sculptures of the Mathura school dating from 3rd century BC to 12th century AD, all found from archaeological .....

At a distance of 6.5 km from Mathura Junction Railway Station, Gita Mandir, also known as Birla Mandir is located on the outskirts of Mathura, on the Vrindavan - Mathura road. It is one of the most popular destinations of Mathura frequented by pilgrims and leisure tourists alike.

The presiding deity of the shrine is Lord Lakshmi Narayan. Gita Mandir was built by Jugal Kishore Birla, the famous Birla group in memory of his parents and all the 18 chapters of Bhagavad Gita are written on the pillars of this temple.

This temple has breathtaking architecture accompanied with beautiful carvings and paintings that add to the beauty of this temple. The temple is large and looks magnificent in red sandstone and it also stands as a proof of excellent craftsmanship. A magnificent idol of Lord Krishna is housed in this temple along with Lakshmi Narayan, Ram and Sita. The temple also houses Lord Krishna's Chariot and Gita Stambh which .....

At a distance of 3 km from Vrindavan Railway Station, Pagal Baba Temple is a beautiful and magnificent structure located on Mathura - Vrindavan road. This is one of the prime temples in Vrindavan.

Built by a saint named Pagal Baba (Sri Sheela Nand Ji Maharaj), this temple is devoted to Lord Krishna. According to legends, Sheela Nand Ji was a Judge in High court of Calcutta and after resigning he came to Vrindavan in search of spirituality. He was wondering here and there like a mad man so people were saying him Pagal Baba. Then after with help of devotes, he built this beautiful temple in Vrindavan.

Pagal Baba Temple is an important piece of modern architecture. This is an eleven storied temple built with white marble. It presents a beautiful view of the city of Vrindavan from its topmost floor. The temple is famous for its puppet exhibition in the ground floor. The puppets play scenes from the great Epics, Mahabharata and Ramayana. The temple is decorated by the followers .....

At a distance of 1.5 km from Vrindavan Railway Station, Sri Ranganath or Rangaji Temple is one of the biggest temples in the region. It is dedicated to Lord Vishnu and his consort Lakshmi.

The construction of this temple began in 1845 and was completed in 1851, at a cost of 45 lakhs rupees. It was built by Seth Radha Krishna and Seth Govindadasa of Chennai. It is one of Vrindavan's largest temples and is surrounded by high walls. The deity in the temple is called Sri Ranganatha and is represented in sleeping posture on Shesh Nag. The temple also houses the idols of Sita - Rama and Lakshmana, Lord Narasimha, Ramanujacharya and Venugopala.

The Rangaji Temple is built in South Indian architecture with eight gopuras built in Dravidian style. The main entrance to this temple is on the western side. There is a six-storey gopuram, which is completely filled with carvings. The temple also has a gold plated 50 feet high Dhwaja stambha. There is also a temple tank and a beautiful garden .....

At a distance of 1 km from Vrindavan Railway Station, Govind Deo, which is also known as Govind Dev Temple, is one of the most important holy places in Vrindavan.

The Govind Dev Temple was built by Raja Man Singh, the ruler of Amber, Rajasthan in 1590 at a cost of ten million rupees. It is an astonishingly beautiful seven storey temple dedicated to Govind Dev, another name for Lord Krishna. The temple was partially destroyed by Mughal ruler Aurangzeb in 1670, and now only a three storied structure remains.

The architecture of the temple is different from those of conventional temples. This temple reflects the architectural elements of Western, Hindu and Muslim style. The temple was designed in the form of Greek cross and was made using red sandstone. The temple has an imposing facade, looking like a European cathedral because of the pillars and colonnades. It is built on a raised platform and one has to climb a flight of stairs to reach the main hall. The temple has an impressive .....

At a distance of 2 km from Vrindavan Railway Station, Sri Radha Ramana Temple is a popular temple and among the 7 temples of Thakur of Vrindavan including Sri Radhavallabh ji, Sri Bankey Bihari Ji, Sri Govind Dev ji and three others.

Established by Gopala Bhatta Goswami, this temple is dedicated to Lord Krishna as Radha Ramana. He is one of the six Goswamis of Vrindavan who followed the principles of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu strictly. The temple is exquisitely crafted and one of the most revered temples in Vrindavan, especially by the followers of Gaudiya Vaishnavism. It houses the original shaligram deity of Krishna, alongside Radharani. The temple was renovated in the year 1826 by Shah Behari Lallji.

The deity is self-manifested from a shaligram shila, which is around 30 cm tall and has a mystic smile on his face. The deity was installed on the full moon day in the month of Vaishaka (April-May) in the year 1542. This event is celebrated every year by bathing the deity with .....

At a distance of 1 km from Vrindavan Railway Station, Sri Bankey Bihari Mandir is one of the popular Vrindavan temples situated near Radhavallabh Temple in the holy city of Vrindavan. This temple is among the 7 temples of Thakur of Vrindavan including Sri Radhavallabh ji, Sri Govind Dev ji and four others.

The presiding deity of the temple is Lord Krishna. The deity was originally worshipped by Haridas Swami under the name of Kunji-bihari at Nidhivan. The idol of is much older and was worshipped in Nidhivan till 1863. The current temple was built in 1864 by Swami Haridas of the Nimbarka Sampradaya. Later, the deity of Radha Rani was added to the temple. The Bankey Bihari temple is amongst the holiest and famous temples of Lord Krishna.

The presiding deity in the temple is of Lord Krishna standing in the Tribhanga posture. The deity is worshiped and looked after as a child. The idol is black in color and is beautifully carved. Unlike other temples, the curtains before the deity .....

At a distance of 2 km from Vrindavan Railway Station, ISKCON Temple, also known as Sri Krishna-Balaram Mandir, is a popular temple situated in Raman Reti, Vrindavan. This is one of the main ISKCON temples in India. The ISKCON Temple was built in the year 1975 and inaugurated on the auspicious occasion of Ram Navami. The foundation of the temple was laid by Swami Prabhupada, the founder of ISKCON. It was the first temple to be constructed by International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON).

The beautiful white marbled ISKCON temple has three sanctums. The presiding deity of the temple is of Lord Krishna-Balaram, which is housed under the central shrine of the temple. On the right side are Radha Krishna with Lalita and Vishakha. On the left side is a Murti of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu with Nityananda, and Swami Prabhupada and his spiritual teacher Bhakti Siddhanta Sarasvati Thakura. Krishna - Balaram Mandir enforces one of the highest standards of cleanliness and of deity worship. .....