Excursions
around Mathura are no less interesting than the city itself. There are
places that are closely attached with the life and times of Lord Krishna
in some way or other. All of these sites are situated within 50
kilometers from Mathura therefore night stays are only optional.
Following are some of the famous excursions around Mathura: -Barsana
Barsana is a village that is located 45 kilometers from the downtown Mathura. Typical of villages in Braj, Barsana too is connected to Lord Krishna and his times. Barsana that is surrounded by hills from four sides is actually the birthplace of Radha, the consort of Krishna whom he never married. The place was earlier named Brahmsarin. The myth goes that Brahma asked Krishna to spend time on the earth. Krishna asked Brahma to take the form of hill. The four hills are said to represent the four heads of Brahma. Hence Brahma and Sarin (head) form this name.
Gokul
Gokul that lay 16 odd kilometers from the city Mathura has an importance of its own in the story of Lord Krishna. Gokul is famous as a town where infant Krishna was brought up in secrecy in the home of his foster mother, Yashoda. The story goes that Vasudeva, the father of Krishna secretly exchanged Krishna with the infant daughter of Nanda and Yashoda in order to save him from almost imminent death from the hand of Kansa, his maternal uncle. Lord Krishna spent his childhood and adolescence in Gokul only. During his stay at Gokul, Krishna spent his time in fun and frolic, though he his life did come under threat a few times.
Govardhan
Govardhan is situated 26 kilometers west of Mathura. The place had a great importance in the life and the times of Lord Krishna. The place is a very famous Hindu Pilgrimage in Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The place is actually located atop a 9 Kilometers Hill named Giriraj. Legend has it that Lord Krishna held the Govardhan or Giriraj hills on his finger tip for 7 days and 7 nights in a stretch to save the people from the being drown in rainwater. It is said that the deluge was the work of Lord Indira who was upset with them because of some reason.
Nandgaon
Nandgaon is situated 10 kilometers from Barsana on the road towards Mathura. Typical of villages of Braj, Nandgaon too is connected to the legend of Lord Krishna. Nandgaon was the home of Nanda, the foster-father of Lord Krishna. Infant Krishna was actually exchanged with the daughter of Nanda by Vasudeva, the blood father of Krishna, in order to save him from the imminent death from the hands of Kansa. Nanda thought that his wife Yashoda has given birth to the baby boy and started raising him as his son
Vrindavan
Vrindavan is located just 15 kilometers from Mathura. The place is also connected to the life and times of Krishna. In fact, Vrindavan boasts of the largest cluster of temples in the Braj region. Many of these temples are very old and can be easily classified as 'Ancient Temple'. The place had a large Jungle in the days of Krishna. The town includes many hundreds of temples dedicated to the worship of Radha and Krishna and is considered sacred by a number of religious traditions such as Gaudiya Vaishnavism, Vaishnavism, and Hinduism in general.
