Braj Yaatra-I

My trip to Braj Bhoomi,the land of lord Krishna, was over due since long time.My younger son showed deep interest in Govardhan hill since he watches on krishna leela on tv.  Since the city was new to me so i decided to go by  hiring a car rather self driving. My journey began on 30 oct 2011.

5.00 am Left for Govardhan. It is lying in the south direction(approx 140 km). One has to follow national highway NH2 which passes through Faridabad.

Make sure you follow the route which passes through Mathura. There is another bypass which is shorter but the roads are pathetic and unsafe.

8.30 am after reaching Govardhan, the first aim was the breakfast. Brijwasi sweets at the entrance of the town is the best option. But do not expect much at eat at this early hours. We satisfied with poori sabzi and Dhokla.

9.30 am Offer prayer at Daan Ghati temple(few meters away) which is the starting point of parikrama(circumambulation of 21 km.). Offering milk to the deity here is a custom before the start of journey.

The Map of Parikrama: I began the Parikrama from Point number 26 

.Daan Ghaati Temple

There are 2 modes of Parikrama. Either on foot or by car. To explore the town better i hired a van from the begining of Parikrama Marg. The driver's name was Kishan Murari(tel no-09720130614). I strike the deal at Rs 350 including the parikrama of Radha kund. Donot forget to include the parikrama of Radha Kund also(called chotti Parikrama)

The Parikrama Marg

Duration of Parikrama lasts for 2 hrs and one has to stop at the important points to offer the milk to the deity.Donot leave valuables in the car .

Offering of milk to the deity

The narrow lanes of Govardhan

The fascinating way of doing Parikrama

The height of faith:Dandvat Parikrama(full prostration)

Cows are the life of Braj Bhoomi: Spending time with them is a must do!

At 1 pm : Parikrama finished and headed towards the Brijwaasi sweet again for the lunch. Again limited choice of food was available . 

1.30 pm we headed towards Mathura, one of the 7 most sacred cities of India.

2.00 pm reached Krishna Janm bhoom temple(the birth place of Lord Krishna). I came to know that the temple is schedule to open at 4 pm . so we had 2 hrs spare. I dont know from where I got an idea that we should explore the Yamuna river bank. We drove our car to the old part of city. To reach the bank of Yamuna river one has to pass through the narrow lanes and hiring a rickshaw is advisable.

2.30 hired a boat @ Rs 20 per passenger. The boatman showed the fort of King Kansa,who was killed by Krishna and Vishraam Ghaat, where Krishna took rest after killing Kansa. 

Getting ready for the boat ride :) I had to convince my family members with mythological stories to overcome the ill maintainance of these sites.

The Fort of King Kansa

Vishraam Ghaat

The pollution level of Yamuna was at its height and its colour was as dark as colour of petrol .Still if you keep the mythological importance of Vishraam Ghaat and this place in mind, these conditions will not bother you :)

3.30 Dwarkadheesh temple . we had to wait for half an hour as the temple open at 4 pm.

DwarkaDheesh Temple: On Janmastmi from here you see the live coverage of celebrations.

5 pm to 6 pm                                Enjoyed the famous Mathura Chaat :)

  m'loving it...yummy

6 pm Time to witness the most holiest spot of Mathura, the Krishna janam Bhoomi.

The Glorious Krishna Janam Bhoomi

.Since i was running out of time so hiring a guide was the only choice to explore the birth place of Lord Krishna. Guide can be available easily and their charges are negotiable tp Rs 100 which is value for money. Make sure that no camera and cell phones are allowed in the campus and that has to deposited at the cloak room.At first i witnessed Lord Krishna as Keshav roop ( a boy 0f 12 years).With in 10 meters from here there was a stone from Govardhan Parvat called Govardhan shilla was placed. It is believe that circumambulation(parikrama) of this shila is equivalent to Govardhan Parikrama. Though I found this information by my guide a bit suspicious. Moving towards right, in the same campus there is a small temple of Yogmaya. Then came the most interesting point, the entry of the cellar where Lord Krishna was born.In the cellar there is slab where Lord Krishna was born.At the exit the wall of krishna Janm Bhoom and the adjoining mosque is clearly visible.Adjoining it there is a hall called Bhagwad Bhawan which was recently built around eighties. Overall the whole journey in Janm Bhoomi last for 45 minutes and it was so thrilling because the guide was constantly firing information(though some were totally contradictory) .

@ 7.30 Adios to Mathura .....

I completed the first leg of my Braj Yaatra with thrilling experience. My next trip will be to Gokul, the land which witnessed the childhood miracles of Lord Krishna!!!