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 Vrindavan,
around 15 km from Mathura, is a major place of pilgrimage,
on the banks of Yamuna. Attracting about 5 lakhs pilgrims
every year, it is noted for its numerous temples- both old
and modern. Vrindavan is synonymous with the innocent mirth
and child like playfulness of Shri Krishna. Vrindavan, the
dusty little town known for the temples, big and small,
famous and remote strewn all over the place.
Lord Krishna was born in a prison cell in Mathura. His
father Vasudev aided by several celestial forces stole him
out of Mathura, across the raging river Yamuna and into the
house of Nand in Gokul. Krishna spent his early childhood
here and revealed the first signs of his divinity. His uncle
Kansa's muderous attempts forced Krishna to leave Gokul and
move to Nandgaon, a more secure home high up on a hill. From
here, the adolescent Krishna, the cowherd, would wander into
the Vrindavan forests to play with his friends and dally
with Radha, his lady love. Vrindavan, is still a
transcendental world, a place of Krishna's leela, (play), of
deep eroticism and an archetypal connection to nature. Each
tree in the area speaks, as it were, of the love of the
divine couple.
Vrindavan
today, is noted for its numerous temples. The most important
are:
The Madan Mohan Temple located near the Kali Ghat
which was built by Kapur Ram Das of Multan. This is the
oldest existent temple in Vrindavan today. The temple is
closely associated with the saint Chaitanya. The original
idol of Lord Madan Gopal was shifted from the shrine to
Karauli in Rajasthan for safe keeping, during Aurangzeb's
rule. Today, a replica of the image is worshipped at the
temple.
The Banke-Bihari Temple built in 1864 is the most
popular shrine at Vrindavan. The image of Banke-Bihari was
discovered in Nidhi Vana by Swami Haridas, the great Krishna
devotee, belonging to the Nimbarka sect.
The famous Radha Vallabh Temple set up by the Radha -
Vallabh sect, has the crown of Radha-Rani placed next to the
Shri Krishna idol in the sanctum.
The Jaipur Temple which was built by Sawai Madhav
Singh, the Maharaja of Jaipur in 1917, is a richly
embellished and opulent temple. The fine hand - carved
sandstone is of unparalleled workmanship. The temple is
dedicated to Shri Radha Madhav.
The Shahji Temple, another popular temple at
Vrindavan, was designed and built in 1876 by a wealthy
jeweller, Shah Kundan Lal of Lucknow. The deities at the
temple are popularly known as the Chhote Radha Raman.
Noted for its magnificent architecture and beautiful marble
sculpture, the temple has twelve spiral columns each 15 feet
high. The `Basanti Kamra' - the darbar hall is famed for its
Belgian glass chandeliers and fine paintings.
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