Mathura district General information
Mathura District is a district of Uttar Pradesh state of northern India. The historic town of Mathura is the district headquarters.
The district is bounded on the northeast by Aligarh District, on the southeast by Hathras District, on the south by Agra District, and on the west and northwest by Haryana state. The district is part of Agra Division.
Festival
HOLI
Holi is celebrated on the full moon day in the month of Phalguna (Feb-March). Holi in Braja is celebrated for several days, at different places around Braja, before the actual day of Holi.
People throw colored powdered dye and colored water on each other. This is joyfully celebrated in Braja, especially at Varsana, Nandagram and Dauji. In Varsana the festival includes colorful processions with music, song, dance, and some boisterous scenes around the temples. If you go to these festivals you should expect to be totally covered in dye and never to be able to use the clothes that you are wearing again, at least until next year's festival. This is celebrated at the same time as Gaura Purnima.
Places Holi Is celebrated
Varsana Groups of visitors go around in small and large groups here. In the afternoon gopas (men) from Nandagram come to Varsana and play Holi with the local gopis (women) of Varsana. The women hit the men hard with 2 ½m (7ft) long bamboo staffs. The men have shields which they protect themselves with. During this time local songs are sung. This festival is celebrated on the ninth day of the month of Phalguna (Feb-March).
Nandagram The day after the Holi festival at Varsana, Holi is celebrated in Nandagram. The gopas (men) from Varsana come to Nandagram to play Holi with the gopis (women) there. The flag of the Larily Lal Temple in Varsana is carried in an elaborate procession to Nandagram. At this time the residents of Nandagram attempt to capture the flag, but their attempts are foiled. After this, women play Holi with bamboo staffs. This festival is celebrated on the tenth day (dasami) of the month of Phalguna (Feb-March).
Phalen On the full moon night in Feb/March a huge bon-fire is burned. One of the local priests walks through the fire unscathed. One story about Holi is that Prahlada Maharaja refused to worship his father and wanted to worship his father's enemy, Lord Vishnu instead. His father's sister Holika, who was immune to being burned, sat with the boy in a big fire. Prahlada's devotion was so great that Holika was burnt to death and Prahlada was unharmed. The Holi festival at Phalen re-enacts this event.
Dauji (Baldeo) The festival here is a pretty wild event. Women pore buckets of colored water on the men. The men are also thrashed with whips made of cloth, which has been torn apart from men's clothing. The men can not touch the bodies of the women or unveil their faces. From the roof of the temple; basketfuls of colored powder are emptied on participants and onlookers, creating a thick haze of colors.
Tourist Place
MATHURA
Mathura widely known as birth place of lord Krishna is located on the western bank of river Yamuna at latitude 27degree 41 Minute N and 77Degree and 41 Minuet E. It is 145 Km south-east of Delhi and 58 Km north west of Agra in the State of Uttar Pradesh. For about 3000 Year it was the hub of culture and civilization . Held in sanctity by the Buddhists, Jain and Brahmanical faith alike, it has a long and chequered history. One of the Sapta Mahapuris, it was ruled in turns by the kings of Solar and Lunar dynasties and became a center of three Cultures India Indo-Scythian and Hellenstic. For are creation Mathura is the Athens of India. The great school of sculpture known as Mathura school of Art flourished here for 1200 Years. Such proliflic creativety and gushing devotion to novel Art Forms and experi-ment in sculptures and clay figurines as found in this school are rare in the annals of indian Art History. A survey of this glorious School of Art can be made in the Government Museum, Mathura. The present day Mathura abounds in Place of Religious and Historic Interest, All round the year A large number of Festival and fairs are held in Matura and adjoining areas of Vrindavan Gokul, Brazen and Goverdhan The rascal of Brij is thematically the basis of many performing Arts.
What to See
SHRI KRISHNA JANMA BHUMI : The Birth Place of Lord Krishna
JAMA MASJID : Built by Abo-inNabir-Khan in 1661.A.D. the mosque has 4 lofty minarets, with bright colored plaster mosaic of which a few panels currently exist.
VISHRAM GHAT : The sacred spot where Lord Krishna is believed to have rested after slaying the tyrant Kansa.
DWARKADHEESH TEMPLE : Built in 1814, it is the main temple in the town. During the festive days of Holi, Janmashthami and Diwali, it is decorated on a grandiose scale.
GITA MANDIR : Situated on the city outskirts, the temple carving and painting are a major attraction.
GOVT. MESEUM : Located at Dampier Park, it has one of the finest collection of archaeological interest. Rare items from the Gupta and Kushan period (400 B.C.-1200A.D.) are on display. Major attraction for tourists.
Vrindavan
15 Km. north of Mathura on the same bank of Yamuna, lies the celebrated town of Vrindavan, almost as closely associated with Krishna as Mathura itself. Indeed one hardly speak of Vrindavan alone to; the devout Hindu. Mathura-Vrindavan can not a unified image of untold beauty and religious sanctify. What is comparatively a matter of detail is that Vrindavan is believed to have been the stage on which Krishna performed his famous romantic and sportive roles. Unlike busy Mathura. Vrindavan seems perpetually to be dreaming and imaginatively, re-living its romantic past. There are hundred of shrines in the town, as also numerous ghats and several sacred tanks, of which one called Brahama kund and another named Govinda kund are the most highly venerated. The most famous as well as the finest temple in Vrindavan is that of Govinda Deva, dating from 1590. It is a huge, Cruciform, Vaulted building of red sandstone with a nave 30Mt.(100Ft.) in height and breadth the wall is 3 Mt.(10Ft.) thick on an average and is built in two stage. The upper being a regular triforium.
WHAT TO SEE
GOVINDA DEV TEMPLE : Built by Raja Man singh of Jaipur in 1590, The temple is a testimony of the architectural splendour of medieval India. The temple walls average 10 ft. thickness. The upper state is regular triforium. Originally seven stories high, it's upper four stories were destroyed during the reign of Aurangzeb. The Krishna idol was then removed to Jaipur .
SHAHJI TEMPLE : It was constructed in the year 1860. It is a prominent temple of northern India. It is famous for it's explendid art architecture , sculpture and twelve single piece spiral colemns made up of marble approx 15'high. The world famous BASANTI KAMRA is situated in the eastern wing of this temple. This room has spectacular ancient chandelies and rare paintings are available .
RANG JI TEMPLE : Vrindavan 's longest temple, it was constructed in 1851 by Seth Govind Das ji & Seth Laxmi Chand Ji. All were desciples of Acharyavarya Rangdeshie Swami where as the main gate is in Rajput style , The temple follows South Indian architectural pattern . The outer wall measure 773 Ft. and encompass a water tank , a garden and the actual temple . The "Dhweja Stambha " , 50 ft. tall , is believed to be gold plated .
MADAN MOHAN TEMPLE : Situated near Kali ghat , it is believed to have been built by Kapur Ram Das of Multan. The original Image of Madan Mohan was removed to Karauli during the regin of Aurangzeb .
KRISHNA BALRAM MANDIR (ISKCON VRINDAVAN ) : This is a International spiritual organisation having 400 centers around the world . This was founded by srila A.C. Bhakti Vedanta Swami Prabhupada . thousands of pilgrims and International tourists visited Vrindavan centre which is having beautiful temple of Lord Krishna .
RADHA BALLABH TEMPLE : Built in 1626 this temple is of special architectural interest as remnant of ancient hindu architecture . The Shrine was demolished in the 17th century and the huge structure only the plinth remains.
GOPI NATH TEMPLE : closely resembling the Madan Mohan mandir in style and dimension, it was built by Rai Shilji, a Sekhavat Rajput of Jaipur .
GLASS TEMPLE : Its marvelous art of glass work dazzles the pilgrim's eyes.
NIDHI VAN : Radhika's Kridasthali, the playground of Krishna's consort, it is a place of Hindu veneration. The image of Bihariji was discovered by Swami Haridas Ji.
SEVA KUNJ : Krishna's Vihar Bhoomi, it was sanctified for centuries ago by Radha Ballabhiya Samaradayachery Shri Goswami Hit Hari Vanshji.
BANKE BIHARI : One of the oldest temple, it was rebuilt in 1921 discpieles of Haridas Swami who got the idol of Bankey Bihari from Nidhi Van.
GOVERDHAN
26 Km from Mathura along the road to Deeg. It is named after the name of the Goverdhan Hillock" which is said to have raised on the finger and was was put in the condition to save the people from the incessant rain which fell constantly for seven days to destroy the people of Brij. The hillock is 7 Miles in length. The temple of Har Deva Ji in Goverdhan town is 400 Yrs old. The Mansi Ganga which is an artificial lake, was constructed my Man Singh of Jaipur. The dense shady trees the hill ranges and tranquil flow of Mansi Ganga all unite together and make a charming view which the visitor can never forget.
KUSM SAROVAR : About two miles from the town, is the boarder of Radha Kund which have significant architectural group erected by T. Sing in honor of his father, Suraj Mal, the cenotaph of Suraj Mal which stand on Kusum Sarovar, present in a fine view.
JATIPURA
On the opposite side of Mansi Ganga are two stately cenotaphs built to the memory of the Randhir Singh and Baldeo Singh, Rajas of Bharatpur State. The cenotaphs consist of a lofty and substantial square masonry terrace with corner and lateral alcoves.
5 Kms. to the north of Goverdhan is Radha Kund, A village clustering around two small lake. It is said the Lord Krishna himself bathed here in self-purification. Between Goverdhan and Radhakund is seen the cenotaph of Raja Suraj Mal Bharatpur who was sacrificed in 1763. in front of the cenotaph is an artificial lake with an extensive garden behind.
BARSANA
21 Kms. to the north of Goverdhan is Barsana the birth place of Radha a favourite devotee of Lord Krishna. It is a famous place for pilgrimage with a regular bus service from Mathura to Barsana Via Kosi & Goverdhan.
Barsana originally known as Brahmasaran lies on a slope of ridge. The four prominent peaks of the hill are regarded as amblematic of the four-faced divinity and are crowned by a group temple is honor of Lali Ji a local title of Radha meaning 'the beloved'
There is second hill in Barsana and the path between these two is known as Sankhi Khue. A fair is held in the month of Bhadon (August-September)
NANDGAON
AT the foot of a hill 51 Kms. north-east of Mathura is situated the venerable village of Nandgaon. It is known as the home of Lord Krishna's foster father Nand, in whose memory a spacious temple stand on the brow of the hill. Probably built in the middle of the 12'th century by one Rup Singh, It consist of an open nave with choir and sacrarium beyond. Standing in the center of a paved courtyard, it is surrounded by a lofty wall which commands an extensive view of the Bharatpur hill and the level expanse of Mathura District as far as Goverdhan.
GOKUL
About 15 Kms. of the south-east of Mathura connected by a metalled road is Gokul, a suburb of the inland town of Mahavan on the bank of the river Yamuna. Gukul is a celebrated spot where Lord Krishna was reared in secrecy by his nurse. This place is very scared and is visited by thousand of pilgrims particularly during the birth anniversary of the Lord Krishna in july-august and the time of Annakut festival. Gokul is also associated with the famous saint Vallabhacharya who lived here for many years. The most important temple is that of Gokul Nath Ji. The principal meals are Janma in Bhadon and Annkut on the day after the new Moon of kartik. The "Trinavat Mela" is also held on the fourth day of the dark half of kartik.
MAHABAN
Lying on the left bank of Yamuna. Mahavan is 4 Kms. from Gokul on the road to Sadabad. Lord Krishna is believed to have been craddled in this place. The largest and most sacred temple is that of Mathura Nath an edifice built of rock and plaster. Overhanging the Yamuna at Mahavan is an old building which is identified as the place of Nanda 9 Kms from Mahavan on the same route is Baldeo which is another place of pilgrimage. These places can be visited by taxi or auto. There is a bus service to Baldeo.
BALDEO
Baldeo is about 9 Kms. from Mahavan on the road leading to Sadabad. In the center of the town stand the famous temple of Baldeo(Dauji). The elder brother of Lord Krishna. Two annual fair are held at Baldeo. One on the Sixth day of the light half of Bhadon called Deo-Chhath other on the full moon of Aghan. There is not a single day in the course of the year in which the temple court are not occupied with Pilgrims.