Mathura :: Uttar Pradesh

Mathura is a site of great age. According to legend this is the place where Lord Krishna was bom 3500 years ago. Today Mathura is an important pilgrimage place for followers of this popular incarnation of Vishnu. There are many places in and around Mathura with connections with the Krishna legend.

Mathura, or Muttra as it has also been known, is mentioned by Ptolemy and by the Chinese visitors Fa Hian (in India 401-410 AD) and by the later Hiuen Tsang (634 AD). By that time the 20 Buddhist monasteries with 3000 monks, for this was a great Buddhist centre, had dropped to only 2000. By the time Mahmud of Ghazni arrived on his rape, bum, pillage trip from Afghanistan in 1017 Buddhism had totally disappeared. Sikandar Lodi did further damage to the shrines of Mathura in 1500 but the town rebounded during the tolerant reigns of Akbar and Jehangir, only for fanatical Aurangzeb to do another demolition job. He destroyed the Kesava Deo temple, which had been built on the site of one of the most important Buddhist monasteries, and built a mosque in its place.

HOW TO GET THERE

■ The nearest airport is at Agra, 60 km away; you can hire cabs from there or from Delhi. Within Mathura, cabs are available at hotels and a handful of taxi stands.

WHERE TO STAY

■ Madhuvan, Krishna Nagar
■ Tourist Bungalow (UP Tourism), Civil Lines

WHERE TO EAT

■ Tulsi Chandan at Hotel Radha Ashok
■ Brijbhoj Restaurant in Hotel Mansarovar
■ Quality Restaurant near the old bus stand
■ Gokul Restaurant on the Delhi bypass

WHAT TO SEE

■ Jama Masjid: The Jama Masjid was built by Aurang-zeb's governor, Abd-in-Nabir Khan, in 1661 on the site of the Kesava Deo temple. This is the place where Lord Krishna is supposed to have been born in prison. At one time the foundations of the old temple were still visible behind the mosque but they have now been covered over with modern buildings. The modern Kesava temple has been rebuilt behind the Katra. The 300 metre wide Yamuna River, which flows through Mathura, is lined with bathing ghats and is full of large turtles. On the banks of the river the Sati Burj is a four storey tower built in 1570 to commemorate the sati of the builder's mother. Aurangzeb knocked down the upper storeys which have been rebuilt. The ruined Kans Qila fort on the riverbank was built by Raja Man Singh of Amber and Jai Singh of Jaipur also built one of his observatories here but it has since disappeared. Vishram Ghat is the most important bathing ghat where Lord Krishna is said to have rested after killing a tyrant king. Mathura is so full of Krishna reminders (even the Hare Krishnas have their Indian HQ near here) that you can even see the Potara-Kund, near the Katra Kesava, where baby Krishna's nappies (diapers to Americans) are supposed to have been washed.

■ Government Museum: The Government Museum in Dampier Nagar has sculptures, terra cotta work, coins and bronze objects dating from the 5th century AD. The standing Buddha image, found in excavations at Mathura, is particularly renowned.

PLACES OF WORSHIP

■ Dwarkadheesh Mandir: This temple is a modern Krishna temple, built in 1814 by Seth Gokuldas of Gwalior, the temple has some great carvings and paintings.
■ Gita Mandir: This temple is on the Mathura-Vrindaban road. The great murals on the ceiling relate the life of Krishna.
■ Krishna Janmabhoomi: Believed to be where Krishna was born, now a busy temple.

SHOPPING

Plenty of religious things to buy here - there are Krishna posters, pictures, lockets, idols, bhajan cassettes and more. The main shopping area is near the Holi Darwaza in Mathura. Vrindavan is a good place to pick up gem-studded paintings embellished with gold foil. This ancient art is being practised by the Chitrakar family, who have their studio Nandan Van in Raman Reti.

AROUND MATHURA

■ Mahaban, 11 km south-east of Mathura, is another place from the Krishna legend. The Palace of Nanda, he was Krishna's foster-father, is said to contain his actual cradle. Gokul, a km away, is where Krishna was secretly raised. Hordes of pilgrims flock here during the birthday festival of Lord Krishna, each July-August. At Goverdhan, 26 km from Mathura, Lord Krishna is said to have protected the inhabitants from India's wrath, in the form of rain, by holding the hilltops over them for seven days, neatly balanced on the tip of his finger. Krishna's favourite gopi or milkmaid is said to have come from Barsana, 47 km from Mathura.

■ Vrindaban, 10 km north of Mathura, is the place where Krishna sported with his milkmaids and even stole their clothes while they were bathing in the river. No wonder he's so popular. The large Red Temple orGobind Deo (Divine Cowherd, in other words Krishna) was built in 1590 and is one of the most advanced Hindu temples in the north of India. It even has a vaulted ceiling, in contrast to the utilitarian ceilings found in most temples. There are other temples in Vrindaban including the temples of Gopi Nath, Jugal Kishor (1027), Radha Ballabh (1626) and Madan Mohan.