Vrindavan
The town of Lord Krishna
Vrindavan Tourism
Vrindavan is a city in the state of Uttar Pradesh. It is located in the Mathura district. The place is located at a distance of round 12 km from Mathura, which according to Hinduism, is considered to be the birth place of Lord Krishna. It is believed that Lord Krishna has spent most of his childhood days in Vrindavan. It is one of the most holy towns in the country for the followers of Vaishnavism tradition of Hinduism and has several temples dedicated to Lord Krishna and Radha. Hundreds of devotees of Radha and Krishna visit the place every year and experience the different festivals. The place is also known as the “City of widows” because of the large number of windows who come to Vrindavan every year and there are also NGOs that help these deprived women and children. The name of the place has been derived from Vrinda, which means basil, and Van, which means grove, that refers to the two small groves at Nidhivan and Seva Kunj. During summers, the temperature generally varies from 22⁰C to 45⁰C and during winters, the temperature ranges from 10⁰C to 30⁰C.
Food
Vrindavan is famous for the lassi, which is a yoghurt based shake, chai and jal jeera. The food of this place is completely vegetarian and does not even contain onion or garlic. There are wide range of milk based products and street chaats that are popular in the area. Kachoris, samosas, Khurchan, mava, laasis served in kulhads, Makhan Mishri are all very popular dishes of Vrindavan. Aloo-Puri, pakodas, Hing ki Kachori, Kachori-Sabzi, Chana-Bhatura, Bhalle Papdi, Chhole-Puri are also very popular. Sweets such as Laddos, Pedhe, rabri, Jalebi, Kheer, Kalakand, Khurchan, Ghewar,Malpua, Balushai and many more are some of the mouth watering dishes available in the city. The city also has certain multi cuisine restaurants that serve Chinese, Italian and South Indian food like MVT Restaurant, 56 Delights etc. Few popular restaurants of the place are Govinda Restaurant, Bharti Food Restaurant etc.
Top things do in Vrindavan
1. Banke Bihari Mandir
4 kilometres from city centre2. Gopishvar Mahadev Temple
5 kilometres from city centre3. Prem Mandir
1 kilometres from city centre4. Radha Raman Temple
4 kilometres from city centre5. Shahji Temple
4 kilometres from city centre6. ISKCON Temple
723 kilometres from city centre7. Gokulnanda Temple
5 kilometres from city centre
How to reach
Vrindavan does not have an airport. The place has a very small railway station. There are roadways that connect the place to other neighbouring cities.
How to Reach by Flight
Vrindavan does not have an airport of its own. The nearest airport is the Agra Airport, which is located at a distance of around 54 km from Vrindavan. Delhi Airport is also very close to the place. There are taxi services available outside the airport.
How to Reach by Train
Vrindavan has a railway station with the name Vrindavan Railway Station, though it is connected to other major cities of the country but it is a very small railway station. The nearest major railway station to Vrindavan is at Mathura, Mathura Junction Railway Station, which is located at a distance of around 10 km.
How to Reach by Bus
There are no non-stop bus routes from places, except for Mathura, which is located at a distance of around 10 km, and Bharatpur, which is located at a distance of around 45 km.
How to Reach by Road
There are roadways to reach Vrindavan. Private taxis are available and the place is also well connected via road to Haridwar, Agra, Jaipur and other cities of India.
How to travel within
Walking and rickshaws are a very good option in the city. It is a very congested place and so taxis and buses are generally not preferable.
Festival
One of the main festivals of Vrindavan is Holi. It is celebrated for days in the month of March. Latthmar Holikotsav, on the day of Holi wooden logs are used by women to play with men, Raasleela, the day on which the events related to the life of Lord Krishna are shown in the drama form, Charkula Dance, Yamuna Janmotsav, it is the day on which the River Ganges is worshipped. There are several music and cultural programmes organized on this day. Janmashtami Mela, it is one of the most awaited fairs of the place that is celebrated on the birthday of Lord Krishna. Haridas Jayanti Mela, it is celebrated in the memory of Haridas, the famous musician of Vrindavan. Jhulanotsav, during this festival swings made of silver and gold are prepared for rasleela, and Brahmotsav, celebrated in the month of March-April, are the main festivals of Vrindavan.
Vrindavan Itinerary
Day 1- After reaching Agra airport, leave for Mathura. Then visit the Banke Bihari Mandir, Gokulnanda Temple and the ISKCON Temple.
Day 2- After breakfast leave for Gopishvar Mahadev Temple, Prem Mandir, Radha Raman Temple and Shahji Temple.