A Pilgrimage to Lord Krishna's Birth Place at Mathura in India

There are millions of followers of Lord Krishna in India. That is why the places of pilgrimage of Lord Krishna are extremely popular amongst the people of India. Mathura is one such holy place of pilgrimage, which is situated in the State of Uttar Pradesh in India near Delhi. Mathura is the birthplace of Lord Krishna. The entire childhood of Lord Krishna had passed here at Mathura. Mathura is around 90 miles away from Delhi, 36 miles away from city of Agra, and 24 miles away from Bharatpur.

Mathura is well connected by air, rail, and the road from almost all the major cities of India. The nearest airport is Kharia, which is around 36 miles away from Mathura. Mathura is a railway station on the Mumbai-Delhi broad gauge railway line. The State Transport buses are also available from all the major cities of Northern India. However, the best option to reach Mathura is by prestigious train Rajdhani Express, leaving Mumbai at around 5 pm in the evening and reach at around 7 am on next day morning. Mathura is located at the bank of River Yamuna. There are many places to visit at Mathura. Gokul is the most important place here, which is around 6 miles away from Mathura. Lord Krishna was born and brought up here at the house of Nand and mother Yashoda. Lord Krishna had played with all his girl friends, known as gopis here at Gokul.

The other spot is the Govardhan Mountain, situated in the outskirts of Mathura. Lord Krishna had saved all the residents of Mathura from heavy floods and the rains by lifting the huge Govardhan Mountain on his smallest finger, protecting all the residents of Mathura below it. The Vishramghat on the bank of River Yamuna is the next holy place to be visited. The famous and ancient temple of Yamuna Mata is situated here. There is a lot of importance of taking a holy bath here in the River Yamuna. However, one must be careful while taking bath here as there are hundreds of turtles in the River at this ghat. The local priests also harass the pilgrims at this ghat. The best way to get rid of them is to simply ignore them.

Most of the pilgrims gather here in the morning and the evening to attend the artis of Yamuna Mata. The famous Lake in which Lord Krishna had killed Kali cobra is also worth visiting at Mathura. Lord Krishna had killed his maternal uncle King Kans at Mathura as he was a very wicked man trying to kill Lord Krishna to save himself. The King Kans fort is the place where Kans was killed by Lord Krishna and the pilgrims visit this fort without fail.

The town of Vrundavan is around 9 miles away from the city of Mathura. This was the place where Lord Krishna had stolen the clothes of gopis and was playing his flute every day to attract all the girls of Mathura. The pilgrims consider this place very holy and take the dust of this place with them. The next place to be visited is the village Barsana, which is around 30 miles away from Mathura. Barsana was the home town of Radha, the chief gopi and follower of Lord Krishna.

The famous love of Radha and Krishna had taken place here. The big fairs and festivals are held at Mathura on Holi, Gurupurnima, Janmastami (birthday of Lord Krishna), and during diwali days. Thousands of pilgrims come to Mathura on these days, resulting in very heavy rush during these days. Try to avoid visiting Mathura during these days. It is also suggested not to plan visit to Mathura during the summer months of April to October as the summer is extremely severe here.

There are some good hotels available at Mathura like Dwapar resort, Hotel Sanjay Palace, Hotel Mansarovar Palace, Hotel Surya International, and Hotel Satyam for the tourists. My favorite hotel is Hotel Sanjay Palace as it is located at the prime location and offers nice double rooms at the rate of Rs.1200 ($30) per day. All types of Indian Vegetarian food items are available at Mathura. However, the non vegetarian food items and the alcoholic drinks are prohibited within the city limit of Mathura.

I have myself visited Mathura twice in my life and have no hesitation in suggesting to all my AC readers to visit it during their next visit to India.