Mathura and Vrindavan

While Mathura is the ancient city where Lord Krishna was born, Vrindavan is the place where the Lord spent his childhood. Both these places are lined with numerous important temples dedicated to Lord Krishna and Radha. People of diverse ethnicities and religious traditions like Gaudiya, Vaishvanism and Hinduism hold these two cities scared and often come here to experience the joy and love of the revered Lord Krishna.

Mathura and Vrindavan are only 12 km apart from each other, and most people plan a combined trip to the two cities. Truly global in nature, it is a rather common sight to come across foreigner devotees chanting the name of the Lord and participating in all pooja ceremonies.

The city of Mathura is listed as one of the 7 most holy cities of Hindus in India. Besides temples in the city, there are numerous pious Ghats along the bank of Yamuna, where people come for sacred baths. Throughout the year the city remains draped in the colors of festivals that describe the life of Krishna from his childhood and up to his adulthood. Holi, the festival of colors is celebrated here with great fervor and pomp.

While the twin city of Mathura, Vrindavan also has its charm for every visitor. For one, the place is quite recognized with the love story of Radha and Krishna and the several Gopis that charmed Krishna.

Vrindavan is made of two words-Vrinda is akin to Tulsi and Van means garden. At one point in time the place was considered to be a garden of beautiful forest trees and tulsi shrubs. This is where Lord Krishna spent most of his childhood, dancing and singing.

The two cities are well connected with the rest of the country. The capital, Delhi is about 147 km from here. The nearest airport is in Delhi. If you come here by train, the Mathura rail junction is on the Delhi-Mumbai-Chennai route.