It was quite adventurous to move without getting any accidents through the busy roads with the bulls and grizzled cows, passing motor bikes and cycle rickshaws. But the group of women and children moving by singing devotional songs surprised me. In those busy roads, tea, lassi and laddoes are sold out. This is a famous ancient Hindu land named Mathura. The city is famous for being the birthplace of Lord Krishna. When it comes to Mathura it is the Tamil Nadu Madurai Meenakshi temple that can be misunderstood. It is the Mathura in Uttar Pradesh. The trip to Mathura can be reached by trekking to 160 km from Delhi. There are many places and temples associated with the life history of Krishna.

The Attractions

Apart from the birth place of Krishnan, Vrindavana and Govardhana are also located near.  Mathura is on the banks of Yamuna as well as Delhi. The rush of devotees who come to see the worship and to worship Lord Bhagavan is visible at noon too. Everybody first goes to the temple known as Krishna Janmasthan. It is believed that the goddess Devaki imprisoned by Kalsan gave birth to the Krishna and the temple is built around the prison. The Vishnu Sharma who led us into the temple explained that this jail, called the Garbha Ground, was broken and later rebuilt. He asked us to chant the Krishna devotional songs. Though we could not comprehend the meaning of his words in the regional dialects of Hindi, we made some similar sounds standing behind.

The Features

The entry into the vast open space of temple is after strict security checks. No camera, mobile phones or bags are accessed inside. In ancient times, the temple was destroyed in battle for the establishment of kingship and was reconstructed several times. The today’s temple was built in the 1950s.The walls of the temple paint the scenes from the life of Sreekrishna. The colorful sculptures of the Radhakrishnans are also seen and  visitors are allowed to reach the premises where Krishna is born. There is a vast mosque situated in proximity to the temple, which was built by Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb in 1661. This shrine is still guarded by the security guard.

The Largest Temple

Apart from the shrine and the temple, the Hindu temples are also located here. The Krishna devotes flows in to the temples of Dwarakadish Premmandir. The Vrindavan Chandraya temple built by ISKCON, an international organization of Krishna devotees, is a wonder. The 700-feet high temple is being constructed on five acres of land at an estimated cost of Rs 300 crore. The temple is the largest temple in the world when it is built.