Places to Visit in Govardhan

Located about 22 kilometres from Mathura, Govardhan is a key pilgrimage centre, comprising of many temples in the town. It is mainly famous for its 21 kilometres long Parikrama (going around the path) of the Govardhan hill.

Daan Ghati is a temple where deity is believed to be in the form of a rock, which is said to be going down in earth by a few millimeters every year. Local people, who have been witnessing this, confirm it, though there is no scientific proof.

Govardana Parikrama (going 21 kilometres around the path) is a sacred ritual performed by many believers as spiritual purification. There is no time limit for performing this Parikrama. This ritual of Parikrama is considered to be even better if it’s done with milk. A clay pot filled with milk, with a hole at the bottom, is carried by the devotees in one hand and a pot filled with dhoop (incense smoke) in another. An escort continuously fills up the pot with milk till the parikrama is completed.

Radha Kunda (well) is known to be the sacred bathing place of Radharani. She had rebuked Krishna, saying that he became impure by killing a bull, the symbol of religion. She suggested that he could purify himself by taking bath in all holy rivers.

Rather than travelling to all sacred places, he struck the ground with his heel and water from all holy rivers appeared. The place was then known as Shyama-kunda. In a competitive mood, the Gopis led by Radharani also created a kunda by digging the earth with their bangles. Thus, Radha kunda appeared.

Manasi Ganga used to be a large lake, but has gotten much smaller over the years. It is said that Radharani and Krishna would go boating on this lake. Even though it is a large, there are buildings blocking it, so you can barely see it from the road. But, ask anyone and chances are they will know where it’s located.

25-minute walk from Radha Kunda, this sandstone monument is usually a peaceful place, not visited by many people. The ghats at this kunda and the buildings above were built in 1764, by Jawahir Singh, the king of Bharatpur, in honour of his father Raja Suraj Mall. The main tomb has beautiful paintings on its ceiling.

Hundreds of devotees visit this temple daily to worship with milk and flowers. Many of them begin their Govardhan Parikrama from this point. The place is always alive with positive vibrations and energy.