Connecting With the God

Prem Mandir in Vrindavan

After a long time, I recently visited the sacred destinations of Vrindavan and Mathura. The earliest memories of these places are embedded like a transparency. Going to the Dwarkdeesh Temple in Mathura in the wee morning at dawn was an exhilarating experience. The ringing of chimes and the ' Aarti' amidst chants of devotees was always looked forward to. In subsequent years it became an annual ritual to visit Mathura and adjoining places at the beginning of each New Year. This continued till almost a decade back when the constant construction of roads, haphazard traffic and wrong-side driving took menacing proportion. About a fortnight ago, some of our relatives travelling to Delhi wanted to visit these destinations and asked us to accompany them. The offer was tempting and hurriedly the plan was drawn out including a two-night stay in Vrindavan. 

Yamuna Expressway

We left by Yamuna Expressway which was a breeze. The beginning of the journey could not have been better and the effort to modernise Indian infrastructure was evidently visible. In just over two hours the driver stopped at a roadside eatery that appeared to be an extension of a mall in any metro city. 

Beautiful gardens and murals in Prem Mandir

After a brief halt, we entered Vrindavan to visit the Prem Mandir. Crossing the traffic barriers set up to regulate the vehicles in the temple town was a challenge. The floodlit Prem Mandir had a tsunami of visitors of all hues. 

Since, we had not seen the place, an hour plus passed away in a jiffy to witness the beautiful portrayal of murals, paintings from the life of Lord Krishna and dancing musical fountains. By the time we came out of the temple, it was dinner time. 

Traditional Kitchen of Anandram Jaipuria Bhawan in Vrindavan

Near the Bankey Bihari temple is Anandram Jaipuria Bhawan- a good place to eat. The Marwari food was cooked on ' Chulah '. A simple dinner of dal, curry, vegetables, Papad, assorted chapatis, rice and Kheer with dollops of ghee was beyond delicious.

 

Colourful shops in Vrindavan

After dinner, we checked into the hotel. The next day, we started with a visit to Bankey Bihar Temple after manoeuvring through a congested market which was very colourful. The never-ending stream of tourists and monkeys is a special feature. One has to be very cautious as the monkeys are notorious for robbing the tourists of their handbags, eatables and glasses.

The Bankey Bihari Temple in Vrindavan

A 'Darshan' of Bankey Bihari( Lord Krishna as a child) is mesmerising. The folklore and love for the child form of Lord Krishna is difficult to describe in words. As most children wake up late, even this temple opens around 8.30 AM, unlike others. After the visit, we headed to Brijwasi a renowned chain in the region to flavour the amazing 'Lassi', 'Puri Sabzi' and 'Pedas'.  Everything is worth trying! 

ISKON Temple Vrindavan

We next went to, the ISKON temple which is worth visiting. Steaming hot ' Khichdi' was served as 'prasad'. The idols of Lord Krishna, Radha and Balram are stunningly beautiful.

Potra Kund at Krishna Janambhumi Mathura

We continued by heading to the ' Krishna Janambhumi temple'( the birthplace of Lord Krishna). It is midway from Vrindavan to Mathura. The sprawling complex has the prison where the lord was born. Next to this temple is the Shahi Idgah built by Aurangzeb. Hardly 50m away from the temple complex is a huge stepped bathing tank called ' Potra Kuind' which has significance as the spot where the infant Lord Krishna was bathed. 

The Holi Gate in Mathura

In the evening we entered Mathura and meandered through Holi Gate(or Tilak Dwar) walking past the oldest Brijwasi Sweet shop, Oma Kachori shop, and a very congested market.

The Dwarkadeesh Temple Mathura

We reached the Dwarkadeesh Temple and were fortunate to have the darshan of ' Lord Krishna'. A flood of memories sailed past my eyes of the yesteryears of earlier visits. Only a little had changed except the crowd was better managed and there were huge TV monitors installed where one could see the image of the lord even from a distance. The flavour of Prasad was just the same. 

A Chaat Shop in Mathura

My relatives had a shopping list of eats, clothes for god idols at home, pickles, 'Churan' among others. So we went exploring the Vishram Ghat and the market around 'Bengali Ghat' on the Yamuna riverfront. Later we had the famous Chat and dinner at Shankar Mithai Bhandar. The place is to be noticed for the delicious ' kachori aloo and pumpkin sabzi'.

The Radha Kund at Goverdhan

On the final day, we headed for Goverdhan, after checking out from the hotel. The place is known for the mountain that was lifted by Lord Krishna to protect the people from the incessant rains. Hundreds of devotees come here to circumambulate around Goverdhan and Radha Kund( a distance of about 21 km). 

The Shyam Kund at Goverdhan

We visited the Radha Kund and Shyam Kund the two ponds adjacent to each other and offered our prayers. Our final stop was Barsana, where Radha lived in her early years. The place is about 30 km from Goverdhan.

 

The Ladli Temple at Barsana

The Ladli Temple, dedicated to Radha is atop a hill from where a panoramic view of the entire village can be had. The beauty of this temple and the love for Radha is to be seen to believe. There could not have been a better culmination of the trip. It was a satisfying whirlwind trip to assimilate flavours of new places and exposition to the immortal love story of Lord Radha and Krishan