Braj, the country of Krishna
Krishna was born in a prison cell in Mathura, where his wicked uncle Kansa held his parents. On the night of his birth his father carried him across the flooded Yamuna to Gokul, where the cowherd chief Nanda and his wife Yashoda raised him.
The land: Braj is the old name for this flat country of fields, groves, tanks and villages, where every place has a story from Krishna's life.
The stories: known to every Hindu child. Krishna grew up stealing butter, playing his flute in the forests of Vrindavan and loving Radha, the daughter of Barsana.
- Where
- Along the Yamuna, between Delhi and Agra
- Pilgrim circuit
- About 84 kos
- Dialect
- Braj Bhasha
- Govind Dev temple
- 1590, by Man Singh of Amber
- Deities moved west
- 1670s
- Govardhan: he lifted the hill to shelter the villagers from the rain god's storm.
- The saints: in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, devotional movements led by Chaitanya, Vallabhacharya and Swami Haridas rediscovered these places and filled them with temples.
- The Goswamis: their followers came to Vrindavan, identified the sites of the stories, and set up deities still worshipped today.
- The great walk: pilgrims follow the Braj chaurasi kos parikrama, a circuit of about eighty-four kos, an old measure of distance, visiting groves, ponds and shrines.
- The language: Braj Bhasha, a soft dialect in which much of north India's devotional poetry was written.
- Rajasthan's bond: Raja Man Singh of Amber built Vrindavan's grandest temple, and when Aurangzeb's armies threatened Braj, the deities were carried west under Rajput protection.
- Where they live now: Govind Dev Ji in the City Palace of Jaipur, Madan Mohan Ji in Karauli, and Shrinathji in Nathdwara in Mewar.
- Go deeper: our journal piece on Nathdwara and Shrinathji tells that story.
- In paint: the pichwai paintings of Nathdwara are full of the cows, groves and festivals of Braj.
Mathura, the birthplace on the Yamuna
A city of the ancient world: long before it was a pilgrim town, Mathura was one of the capitals of the Kushan kings in the first centuries CE.
- Its sculptors: red sandstone workshops produced some of the earliest images of the Buddha, the Jain tirthankaras and Hindu gods.
- The Mathura style: full, smiling figures that shaped Indian art for centuries.
Shri Krishna Janmasthan
What it is: the temple complex over the place traditionally identified as Krishna's birthplace, with a shrine on the site of Kansa's prison cell.
- Security: the most visited site in Mathura, with tight checks. Phones, cameras and bags are usually not allowed, so leave them with your guide.
- Janmashtami: at midnight, the moment of Krishna's birth, it is packed with devotees.
Vishram Ghat and the evening aarti
The most sacred ghat: Krishna is said to have rested here after killing Kansa.
- The aarti: every evening, with lamps and bells offered to the Yamuna, smaller and more intimate than at Varanasi.
- From the water: we arrange a boat just before sunset to see the ghats and the old riverside houses.
Dwarkadhish temple
Where: near Vishram Ghat, an early nineteenth-century temple and one of the busiest in the city, with a painted courtyard.
- Its tradition: the Pushtimarg of Vallabhacharya, the same that worships Shrinathji at Nathdwara.
- In Shravan: in the monsoon month the deity is placed on golden and silver swings, and the temple fills with music.
The Government Museum
Its importance: one of the finest collections of early Indian sculpture anywhere, and often nearly empty.
- Look for: the headless standing statue of the Kushan king Kanishka in his long coat and boots, serene seated Buddhas, yakshis and Jain images.
- For Khajuraho lovers: if you love the sculpture of Khajuraho, come here to see where so much of it began.
Kans Qila and the lost observatory
The fort: on the riverbank, associated with Raja Man Singh of Amber.
- The observatory: Sawai Jai Singh II, Jaipur's founder, built one of his five on top of it, alongside Jaipur, Delhi, Ujjain and Varanasi.
- Gone, but imaginable: it no longer survives, but our own Jantar Mantar shows what it looked like.
Vrindavan, a town of five thousand temples
The monkeys: Vrindavan's rhesus monkeys are famous for snatching spectacles, phones and bags and returning them only for food.
- Banke Bihari
- Present temple, 1860s
- Govind Dev
- 1590, red sandstone
- ISKCON temple
- Opened 1975
- Prem Mandir
- Completed 2012
- Best time
- Weekday, at opening
- Protect yourself: wear contact lenses if you can, keep belongings zipped away and follow your guide's advice.
- More: our page on wildlife around the temples.
Banke Bihari, the most loved
The temple people mean: when devotees say they are going to Vrindavan, this is where.
The image: Krishna in his famous bent pose, first worshipped by Swami Haridas, the saint-musician who taught Tansen.
- A child god: Krishna is worshipped here as a child, so there are no bells and no dawn aarti except on Janmashtami.
- The curtain: it is drawn across the shrine every few minutes because, it is said, if you looked at him too long he would follow you home.
- The crowds: overwhelming on weekends and festivals. We go on a weekday at opening time and keep children close.
Govind Dev, Amber's gift to Vrindavan
The grandest: built in red sandstone by Raja Man Singh of Amber, the greatest temple of Mughal-era Vrindavan.
- Its hall: vast and cross-shaped, with carving that recalls Fatehpur Sikri.
- Its history: damaged in the 1670s and its deity taken to Jaipur, but the building survives.
- For a Jaipur family: standing in its echoing hall is like visiting an ancestral house.
Radha Raman and Madan Mohan
Radha Raman: a small, intimate temple whose deity is said to have manifested from a sacred stone in the sixteenth century for the saint Gopal Bhatta Goswami.
- The same families: its worship has stayed with them ever since.
- Madan Mohan: on a hillock above the old course of the Yamuna, one of the oldest temples in Vrindavan, with a tall sandstone spire.
- Its image: now lives in Karauli in Rajasthan.
Rangji, ISKCON and Prem Mandir
Rangji: a nineteenth-century temple in South Indian style, with a towering gateway and a gilded flagstaff, a surprise in the north.
- ISKCON Krishna Balaram: draws devotees from all over the world for its kirtan and its calm.
- Prem Mandir: a white marble temple lit in changing colours every evening, popular with Indian families.
Nidhivan, Seva Kunj and Keshi Ghat
The groves: Nidhivan and Seva Kunj are walled groves of twisted, low trees where devotees believe Krishna and Radha still dance the raas every night.
- Locked at dusk: everyone, even the monkeys it is said, leaves, and the gates are shut.
- Keshi Ghat: carved sandstone pavilions on the Yamuna and an evening aarti. The loveliest place in Vrindavan to watch the sun go down.
Govardhan, the hill Krishna lifted
Krishna persuaded the people of Braj to worship Govardhan hill, which fed their cows, instead of Indra, the rain god. Indra sent a terrible storm, and Krishna lifted the whole hill on his little finger and held it like an umbrella for seven days. Indra gave in, and Govardhan is worshipped as Krishna himself.
Never climbed: because the hill is Krishna, pilgrims never set foot on it.
- Parikrama
- About 21 km
- Big fair
- Mudiya Purnima, Guru Purnima in July
- Climbing the hill
- Never
- Shrinathji left
- For Mewar in 1672
- Barefoot: pilgrims walk the circuit barefoot, often through the night, chanting as they go.
- Dandavat parikrama: the most devoted lie flat on the ground, mark the spot, rise, step to the mark and lie down again, a journey that can take weeks.
- Mudiya Purnima: enormous crowds make the circuit at this fair.
- How we do it: a short stretch on foot in the early morning, then drive the rest, stopping at the main sites.
Kusum Sarovar, a Rajasthani memorial
Who built it: Maharaja Jawahar Singh of Bharatpur, in the eighteenth century, in memory of his father, the great Jat ruler Suraj Mal.
- What it is: a large stepped tank surrounded by graceful sandstone cenotaphs. The central chhatri has painted ceilings.
- Why go: one of the most beautiful places in Braj, and a reminder that Bharatpur is only a short drive away.
Radha Kund and Shyam Kund
The holiest for many: twin sacred ponds at the northern end of the parikrama, revered above all by devotees of Radha.
- Around them: lanes of small temples and the houses of saints.
- At dusk: the lamps are reflected in the water.
Mansi Ganga, Daan Ghati and Jatipura
Mansi Ganga: a large tank in the town of Govardhan, said to have been created from Krishna's mind.
- Daan Ghati: a temple marking where Krishna playfully demanded a toll of butter from the milkmaids.
- Jatipura: devotees pour milk over the rock at the shrine where Shrinathji was first worshipped, before he was carried to Mewar.
Holi in Braj, at Barsana and Nandgaon
Krishna, from Nandgaon, came with his friends to throw colour on Radha and her friends in Barsana, and was driven off with sticks. Every year the men of Nandgaon re-enact the raid as Barsana's playful sons-in-law, with leather shields and songs, and the women rain blows on them with lathis amid clouds of coloured powder.
Like no other: celebrations run for days, sometimes weeks, before the main festival.
Lathmar Holi: the name for the stave-wielding day at Barsana. The next day the roles are reversed in Nandgaon.
- Main festival
- February or March
- Laddoo Holi
- Barsana, the day before Lathmar
- Lathmar Holi
- Barsana, then Nandgaon next day
- Huranga
- Baldeo, the day after Holi
- Dates
- Lunar, confirmed each year
- Laddoo Holi: at the Shriji temple of Radha on Barsana's hilltop, sweets are thrown into the crowd.
- Rangbhari Ekadashi: in Vrindavan, the Banke Bihari temple celebrates with flowers and colour.
- The Huranga: at the Dauji temple in Baldeo, women tear the shirts of the men and beat them with the shreds.
- Honestly intense: the crowds are huge, the lanes narrow, and some men in the crowds behave badly, especially towards women.
- How we plan it: we watch from a rooftop or balcony arranged with a local family, reached early in the morning, with our own team around you.
- What to wear: old white cotton you can throw away. Oil your hair and skin beforehand, and seal your phone in a plastic pouch.
- For women travellers: stay with our team at all times. We never take guests into the thick of the crowd.
- A gentler Holi: our Holi festival guide and Holi in Rajasthan journey combine Braj with Holi in a Rajasthan palace, just as joyful.
Gokul, Nandgaon, Barsana and the villages
Gokul and Mahavan
Where Krishna grew up: across the Yamuna from Mathura, where he was carried on the night of his birth and raised by Yashoda.
- Its temples: they show the infant Krishna in his cradle.
- Nandotsav: the day after Janmashtami, the joy of Krishna's foster father is celebrated with curd and turmeric in the lanes.
- Mahavan: nearby, with old shrines linked to the same stories.
Barsana and the Shriji temple
Radha's village: it climbs a hill crowned by the Shriji temple, also called Ladli Ji, the beloved daughter.
- The climb: the steps are steep, the view over the plains wide.
- Rangeeli Gali: the colourful lane at the heart of Barsana's Holi.
- Radhashtami: Radha's birthday, about two weeks after Janmashtami, is its great day.
Nandgaon
Where: a few kilometres from Barsana, the village of Krishna's foster father, also on a hill.
- At the top: the Nand Bhavan temple.
- The view: across to Barsana, and you understand why the two villages have played their Holi game for so long.
Baldeo, the temple of Krishna's brother
- The Dauji temple: dedicated to Balarama, Krishna's elder brother, and famous for its Huranga at Holi.
- On ordinary days: a peaceful village temple with a large tank.
How Braj lives its faith
Crafts that serve the gods: Braj is a place of daily devotion.
Poshak: families in Vrindavan make the embroidered clothes and jewellery for temple and household images of Krishna, in sizes from a finger to a child.
For worship: garlands of tulsi beads, brass and silver ritual vessels, and sweets for offerings.
- Sanjhi: the delicate art of cutting paper stencils and filling them with coloured powder to make images on the temple floor, practised in a few temples in the weeks of autumn.
- Raas leela: troupes of young performers called raas mandalis stage dance-dramas of Krishna's life in courtyards and festivals.
- The widows of Vrindavan: thousands, many from Bengal, have come over generations to live out their lives in prayer, often in poverty.
- Their days: singing devotional songs in ashrams for a small daily allowance. A moving and sometimes difficult sight.
- With respect: do not photograph them without permission. To help, give through a reputable organisation rather than in the street. We can suggest some.
- Cows: central to Braj, as they were to the cowherd god. Many temples keep a gaushala, a cow shelter.
- A gentle morning: visit one as the calves are fed and the bells ring.
- Our guides: from Braj families. Ask, and they will teach you a few verses of the old songs.
Butter, milk and the sweets of Braj
Mathura peda: milk cooked down for hours to a brown, caramel-scented fudge. Pilgrims carry boxes home.
Makhan mishri: fresh white butter with crystals of sugar, offered to Krishna in temples and sold in the lanes.
- Everywhere: thick lassi, rabri layered with cream, and hot saffron milk in clay cups.
- Breakfast: kachori with a spiced potato curry, and jalebi.
- Vegetarian towns: the holy towns are strictly vegetarian, and alcohol is not sold in the pilgrim areas.
- No onion or garlic: many temple kitchens cook without them.
- Prasad: food first offered to the deity is given to visitors. Accept it with your right hand.
- Lunch on a long day: a simple, beautiful meal in a family home or ashram guest house, or a picnic in a garden near Govardhan.
Where to stay for Braj
From Agra
About an hour away: a day in Mathura and Vrindavan fits easily between two nights in Agra.
- For the Taj view: The Oberoi Amarvilas.
- For gardens and a spa: ITC Mughal.
- The rhythm: leave early, and you are back for a quiet dinner.
From Bharatpur
- Close to Govardhan and Barsana: the old Jat capital has heritage hotels in former royal buildings, and the Keoladeo bird sanctuary.
- Who it suits: a gentle base for travellers coming from Jaipur, and an excellent one for Holi at Barsana.
In Vrindavan
What's there: comfortable modern hotels and ashram guest houses.
- Why stay a night: be at Banke Bihari at opening time and Keshi Ghat at dusk.
- Expect: simple rather than luxurious rooms. We choose quiet ones away from loudspeakers.
When to come, and the festivals of Braj
October to March: the most comfortable season, with warm days and cool nights.
- Best season
- October to March
- Cold and fog
- December and January
- Hot
- April to June, often above 40°C
- Holi
- February or March
- Janmashtami
- August or September
- The monsoon: humid months.
- What matters most: the festivals, more than the weather.
Holi, February or March
- The most famous weeks: from Laddoo and Lathmar Holi in Barsana and Nandgaon to the Huranga at Baldeo the day after.
Janmashtami and Radhashtami, August or September
Krishna's birthday: celebrated at midnight in every temple, above all in Mathura and Vrindavan.
- Radha's birthday: about two weeks later in Barsana.
- The crowds: immense.
- In Rajasthan: Nathdwara celebrates in the Pushtimarg way, as our page on Janmashtami in Nathdwara describes.
The swing festivals of Shravan
July or August: in the monsoon month of Shravan, deities across Braj are placed on decorated swings.
- Hariyali Teej: the Banke Bihari temple brings out its golden swing.
- Our Teej too: it is our own Teej season in Rajasthan, and the songs are much the same.
Govardhan Puja and the month of Kartik
- Annakut: the day after Diwali, in October or November, temples heap up mountains of food in honour of Govardhan.
- Kartik: the whole month is especially sacred, with lamps floated every evening on the Yamuna.
Getting to Mathura and Vrindavan
From Delhi: on the Yamuna Expressway, or by fast train to Mathura Junction.
From Agra: Vrindavan is a little further than Mathura.
- From Delhi
- About 3 hours by road, 2 by train
- From Agra
- About an hour to Mathura
- From Jaipur
- 4.5 to 5 hours via Bharatpur
- Mathura to Vrindavan
- About half an hour
- Govardhan to Barsana
- About half an hour
- From Jaipur: a little less to Govardhan.
- Between the towns: Mathura to Govardhan is under an hour.
- Inside Vrindavan: the lanes are narrow, so we switch to walking and electric rickshaws near the temples.
- On our journeys: our Holi in Rajasthan journey can begin in Braj.
- The pilgrim trail: our sacred Rajasthan journey continues to Nathdwara, Pushkar and Ajmer.
One long day, or two slow ones, in Braj
- With only one day: Vrindavan in the morning, Mathura's museum and Vishram Ghat in the afternoon. Leave Govardhan and Barsana for another visit.
Day one, Vrindavan
Dawn: leave Agra and reach Vrindavan as Banke Bihari opens.
- Morning: Radha Raman and Govind Dev, then the lanes past the poshak makers and sweet shops.
- Afternoon: after lunch, ISKCON, then rest.
- Evening: Keshi Ghat for the aarti and a boat on the Yamuna.
Day two, Govardhan, Barsana and Mathura
Sunrise: walk a stretch of the Govardhan parikrama with your guide, then Kusum Sarovar and Radha Kund.
- Late morning: drive to Barsana, climb to the Shriji temple and look across to Nandgaon.
- Afternoon: the Government Museum in Mathura.
- Evening: Vishram Ghat for the aarti, then back to Agra or Bharatpur.
Visiting Braj with respect
Dress modestly: shoulders and knees covered, nothing tight or see-through. Carry a scarf for temples where women cover their heads.
Shoes off: before every temple, and leave leather belts and bags with your guide where asked.
Ask before photographing people: especially sadhus, widows and women at prayer. Inside most temples, photography is not allowed.
- Prasad: accept it with your right hand, and never throw it away in front of others.
- Never climb Govardhan: it is worshipped as Krishna himself.
- In crowds: keep children and older family members close, and follow your guide. Temple crowds here can surge without warning.
- Say Radhe Radhe: it is greeting, thanks and farewell in one, and faces light up when a visitor uses it. Our temple etiquette guide has more.
- Who will love Braj: anyone moved by music, devotion and festival.
- Who will not: travellers who want monuments without crowds, for whom Agra and Fatehpur Sikri are an easier day.
