Mathura

Mathura Travel Guide

Information	Details
Location:	Uttar Pradesh, India
Population:	2,541,894
Religion:	Hinduism 93.23 % | Islam 6.19 % | Sikhism 0.14 % | Buddhism 0.12 % | Jainism 0.10 % | Christianity 0.09 %
Area:	3,329.4 Km2 (1,285.5 sq mi)
Language:	Hindi, Urdu and Braj Bhasha
Weather	33° C - 10° C
Ideal Duration	2-3 Days
Best Time	Nov-Feb
Nearest Airport	Mathura

Shri Krishna Janmabhumi is the most famous tourist attraction in Mathura, as this place is believed to the be the exact place where Lord Krishna was born, and the prison where he was born is now on display for tourists to see. Apart from the prison, the Shri Krishna Janmabhumi also has a majestic temple with idols of Krishna and Radha, making this place one of the top places to visit in Mathura.

Mathura has many temples, both big and small, dotting the entire city, with many of these temples being dedicated to Lord Krishna. The two most important temples in town are the Dwarkadheesh Temple and the Gita Mandir. The Dwarkadheesh Temple is an ancient temple that has been standing from the 1800s and boasts of some of the most stunning architecture in and around this region. If you happen to visit Mathura during the festivals of Janmashtami or Holi, the Dwarkadheesh Temple is the place to be in, as these festivals are celebrated on a grand scale in the premises of the temple. The Gita Mandir is a unique temple in India, and it gets its name from the fact that the walls of the temple are filled with inscriptions from the entire Bhagavad Gita.

If you are looking for more than just the standard tourist fare, then the best way to explore Mathura is by taking a walk around the streets of the city. Every nook and cranny of the narrow lanes and bylanes of this place still retains an old-world charm that belies the urbanization the city has kept up with. There is a lot of history to Mathura that you can experience only by exploring the old-fashioned architecture, the crumbling ruins of old houses, and the genial amiability of the locals who are always willing to show you around.

It is not possible to think of a city as old as Mathura and imagine it not having a delicious history of street food! Don’t forget to try out local snacks like kachodis, aloo-puri and chaat, which are available at any and all eateries lining the streets. Jalebis and gulab-jamuns are also very popular local street food items that are available at all shops throughout the day.

About Mathura

You can go on counting the holy places in Mathura without ever coming to an end. This is easily understandable in light of the fact that there is the legend of Lord Shri Krishna connected to virtually every nook and corner of the city. For instance, the ‘Vishram Ghat’ on the Yamuna Waterfront is said to be the holy place where Krishna is supposed to have rested after killing his tyrannical and evil uncle – King Kamsa.

From the moment Krishna was born up till the time He grew into a valiant youth, the bigger part of his time was spent in Brajbhumi, mainly constituting Mathura, Vrindavan, Gokul, Nandgaon, Govardhan and Barsana.

The story begins from Krishna’s birth in a prison cell of Mathura. Since Kamsa had vowed to kill Krishna, His father Vasudev carried Him across the ravaging river Yamuna to the house of Nanda in Gokula. Krishna spent his early childhood in Gokula and revealed His divinity in many a way, including killing Demon Putna by sucking her breasts. Kansa’s continual murderous forays forced Krishna to move to Nandgaon, a much more secure and safe home higher up on a hill. From Nandgaon, the young Krishna would venture into Vrindavan to play with His fellow cowherd friends and dillydally with Radha, His beloved. Each bud and flower of the area bespeaks and is a testimony to their Divine Love, even today.

The Bhagavad says that Shri Krishna had performed the famous “Rasa Dance” with the Gopis of the area close to the banks of the river Yamuna in Vrindavan. And, when the Gopis were conceited about Lord Krishna dancing with them, He vanished from their sight. The agony of separation from their beloved Krishna led the Gopis to recall and enact His ‘lilas’, which in due course came to be known as “Rasalilas”.

Mathura has an ancient history and finds a place in the oldest Indian epic – the Ramayana. The Ramayana says that Shatrughna, the Ikshwaku prince, had slayed a Demon called Lavanasura and gained the place. Later on, the place came to be known as Madhuvan, being wooded thickly, still later Madhupura and finally Mathura.

On his journey to India in the 3rd century BC, the famous historian Megasthenes describes Mathura not only as a place of great regional importance but goes on to suggest that it was then, as it is even today, a centre of Krishna worship.

About A.D. 400, the Chinese traveler, Fa Hien, mentions the city, as it were, as a centre of Buddhism and many a famous temples; the city was ransacked and quite a few of its temples were destroyed and defiled by Mahmud of Ghazni and, later on, by Sikandar Lodhi.

Holiday Packages

Tour Package	Duration
Mathura Vrindavan Tour Package	02 Days & 01 Nights
Best of Uttar Pradesh Tour Package	13 Days & 12 Nights
Golden Triangle Tour With Mathura	09 Days & 08 Nights
Mathura Vrindavan Gokul Tour Package	02 Days & 01 Nights

Things to Do

When you think about interesting things to do in Mathura Vrindavan, your mind might go blank. But do not worry as we have come up with a list of some amazing things you can do when visiting these two beautiful cities. From exploring the hundreds of temples dedicated to Radha Krishna to travelling through centuries-old Kan Quila and Jama Masjid, and shopping for devotional products to taking bath at various ghats of Yamuna River—a trip to Mathura Vrindavan guarantees to fill you up with some spirituality and peace of mind.

• History of Mathura

• Culture of Mathura

• How to Reach Mathura

• Tourist Attractions in Mathura

• Best Time to Visit Mathura

• Shopping in Mathura

Accommodation Services

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Transport Services

Allahabad City Transport Service Ltd. is a city based service under JnNURM scheme of Government of India which operates primarily in the city of Allahabad. It covers the entire city and is used by daily commuters. Allahabad City Transport Service Ltd. has 10 Non A/c low Floor Marcoplo Buses, 58 big ordinary buses with air suspension And 59 Mini Buses, totaling 127. These types of buses have been very successful in Allahabad is liked by all sections of commuters it is liked very much for environment friendly, easy, comfortable & safe transportation by daily commuters like office goers, students, senior citizen and ladies.