Vrindavan
Vrindavan is located about 15km north of Mathura on the bank of sacred Yamuna river.It is the place where Krishna spent his early life , where he played tricks with gopis and performed many pastimes.
The city got its name from its groves of vṛndā and vana (forest).
Vrindavan is filled with approximately 5000 temples.Every year about three milliion people visit praying in its beautiful temples,with amazing carvings and architecture. People bath in holy river of Yamuna and walks through the sacred streets of Vrindavan.
Devotees can sense the divinity of Vrindavan while imagining Krishna performing pastimes and playing with Gopis.One can feel the divine spiritual vibrations while seeing the places where Krishna performed the divine activities.The number of temples are such huge that one cannot visit all of the temples , so only some of the popular temples are frequently visited that are constructed during the reign of Akbar.
Vrindavan is one of the most sacred place in Vaishnav sect The other prominent areas surrounding Vrindavan are Govardhan ,Gokul ,Nandgaon, Barsana, Mathura, and Bhandirvan.
Temples
Vrindavan , the land of Radha Krishna has many prominent temples ,almost all of them are contributed to Radha ,Krishna and Balrama.
- Shri Radha Madan mohan Temple, located near the Kalidah Ghat .
- Sri Radha Raman Mandir, constructed at the request of Gopala Bhatt goswami and houses a saligram deity of Krishna as Radha Raman, alongside Radha.
- Banke Bihari Temple, built in 1862 after the image of Banke-Bihari was discovered in Nidhi Vana by Swami Haridas.
- Prem Mandir is dedicated to divine love. The temple structure was established by spiritual guru Kripalu Maharaj. The main structure built in marble and figures of Krishna cover the main temple.
- Sri Krishna Balram Temple was built by the (ISKCON) in Raman-Reti. The principal deities of this temple are Krishna and Balaram.
- Vrindavan Chandrodaya Mandir is housed in a modern geodesic structure with a traditional gopuram based on Khajuraho style of architecture. It is being built by one of the ISCKON factions based in Bangalore.
- Radha vallabh Temple is one of the ancient temple of Vrindavan. It was constructed in 1585 AD and was the first temple made up of red sandstones.
- Radha Damodar Temple is a Gaudiya Vaishnavism temple, which is dedicated to Radha Krishna .
Vrindavan is also called the city of widows because their are large number of widows living ,who move into the town and belong to the states of West Bengal , Assam and Odisha. They spend there time singing bhajans and praises for Radha and Krishna.
Interesting Facts
- Vrindavan is home to the popular Govinda Deva temple that attracts thousands of devotees each day. Not many people however know that this ancient temple was lost and rediscovered only in 1515 by mystic Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. He used his mystical abilities to find the ruins of an ancient location believed to be the true location of what is today the well-known Govinda Deva temple.
- Nidhi van in Vrindavan is the place where Krishna adorns the human avatar for Raas Leela.Such is the legend that no humans are allowed inside the Nidhi Van after sunset. It is believed that Lord Krishna and consort Radha come and play their Rasleela at midnight.
- It is believed by the locals and the legend that after their Ras Leela, the Lord and Radha rest in their abode at the Rang Mahal. Beds are decorated for both during the evening with foods and Prasad left for the lord,and the next morning the prasad is consumed by the lord.
- Bankey Bihari temple is one of the rare temples in Vrindavan that offers no bells of conch shells. People chant the name of the Lord instead during the prayers and distribution of Prasad in the temple at dusk and dawn.
- Radha damodar temple of Vrindavan has a rock which has the footprints of Lord krishna on it.The lord is believed to come in human form to give darshan to a devotee named Jiva Goswami. Along with the footprints of the Lord there is also a hoof print of a cow highlighting the companionship of cows and Lord Krishna.
Vrindavan is a place which is linked to many mysterious stories and thousands of people have witnessed changes in their understanding of themselves after visiting this holy place.
It is said that nobody can get residence in Vrindavan by their own financial or devotional strength , it is only possible by the mercy of Srimati Radha Rani.As soon as one recieves the holy name of Srimati Radha Rani , the journey towards Vrindavan starts.