All of us know the association of Krishna and Vrundavan, but do we really know Vrundavan, other than what is in the lore?
LOCATION
Vrundavan also spelt as Vrindaban and Brindaban, is a historical city in the Mathura district of Uttar Pradesh, India. One of the oldest cities on the banks of Yamuna, Vrundavan is considered to be one of the most important places of pilgrimage for the devotees of Krishna. It is located in the Braj Bhoomi region, 11 km away from Mathura City and about 125 km away from Delhi.
MYTHOLOGY
One of the oldest cities on the banks of Yamuna, Vrundavan is considered to be one of the most important places of pilgrimage for the devotees of Krishna. Located in the Braj Bhoomi region, and is where, according to Hinduism, Krishna spent most of his childhood days. It is about 11 km from Mathura, Krishna’s Vrundavan has many temples dedicated to the worship of Radha and Krishna. The ancient Sanskrit name of the city Vrundavan comes from its groves of ‘Vrinda’ meaning Holy basil and vana meaning a grove, which perhaps refer to the two small groves at ‘Nidhivan’ and ‘Seva Kunj’.
Vrundavan was where Krishna was born, lived his precocious childhood, and grew into the attractive and intoxicating youth who would lure young maidens into the forest to participate in his divine play.
SIGNIFICANCE
Vrundavan is considered to be a sacred place for Hindus. The other prominent areas surrounding Vrundavan are Govardhan, Gokul, Nandgaon, Barsana, Mathura and Bhandirvan. Along with Vrundavan, all these places are considered to be the centre of Radha and Krishna worship. Millions of devotees of Radha Krishna visit Vrundavan to participate in number of festivals.
The essence of Vrundavan was lost over time till the 16th century, when it was rediscovered by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. In the year 1515, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu visited Vrundavan, with the purpose of locating the lost holy places associated with Krishna’s life. It is especially important to the Gaudiya sect of Vaishnavism and is a major pilgrimage site. Of the contemporary times, Vallabhacharya, aged eleven visited Vrundavan. Later on, he performed three pilgrimages of India. He stayed in Vrundavan for four months each year. This heavily influenced his formation of Pushti Marg.
ARCHITECTURE
The city of Vrundavan hosts hundreds of Lord Krishna and Radha temples scattered throughout, the most famous ones being Banke Bihari temple and the world-famous ISKCON temple. The vibrant surroundings perfectly depict the playful and benevolent nature of Lord Krishna. Located along the waters of River Yamuna, the numerous temples set amidst the thick woods and lush greenery of Vrundavan are the major attractions here. Some of the important pilgrim sites are:
- Shri Radha Madan Mohan Temple, located near the Kalidah. One of the oldest temples in Vrundavan, it is closely associated with the Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.
- Sri Radha Raman Mandir, constructed at the request of Gopala Bhatta Goswami and houses a Shaligram deity of Krishna as Radha Ramana, alongside Radha.
- Banke Bihari Temple, built in 1862 after the image of Banke-Bihari was discovered in Nidhi Vana by Swami Haridas.
- Prem Mandir is a spiritual complex situated on a 54-acre site on the outskirts of Vrundavan dedicated to divine love. The temple structure was established by spiritual guru Kripalu Maharaj.
- Radha Vallabh Temple is one of the ancient temples of Vrundavan. It was constructed in 1585 AD and was the first temple made up of red sandstones.
- Radha Damodar Temple is a Gaudiya Vaishnavism temple, which is dedicated to Radha Krishna and was constructed in 1542 CE.
DEMOGRAPHY
As of 2011 Indian Census, Vrundavan had an approx. population of 63000 constituting approx. 11,500 households.
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