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.The place is famous as the spot where Krishna indulged in adolescent pranks like flirting with milkmaids and stealing their clothes while they bathed in the river. Krishna, his brother Balarama and his cowherd friends stole butter, engaged in childhood pranks and fought with demons. Along with these activities, Krishna is also described as meeting Radha. There is very little left of the Jungle itself but one can still find sporadic groves of Tulsi Plant here.
Vrindavan today, is noted for its numerous temples. The bulky red sandstone Gobind Dev Temple is the most impressive building in Vrindavan. The name means in Hindi, 'Divine Cowherd' or Krishna. Architecturally Gobind Dev Temple is one of the most beautiful Hindu temples in northern India. It and was built in the year 1590 by Raja Man Singh of Amber. Other important temples in Vrindavan include Madan Mohan Temple built by Kapoor Ram Das of Multan, Banke-Bihari Temple, built in 1864, Radha Vallabh Temple set up by the Radha - Vallabh Sampradaya, Shah Ji Temple, built by Shah Kundan Lal of Lucknow and Ranga Ji Temple, built in 1851.
