A trip to Vrindavan: City of Lord Krishna
- Ashima Sharma
When one is too tired or bored of their daily life , the best way to get out of it and change up your mood and get relaxed is to travel somewhere or is to go on a weekend to relax and enjoy over there without any load and stress of life . And the same thing happened with me, I was just getting way too tired because of this stressful life, just then I decided to go on a 2 days road trip with my friends to Vrindavan , where Lord Krishna spent his childhood.
The holy town is in Uttar Pradesh and is 160 kms from Delhi, so to reach at our destination on time we left at 8.30 in the morning and were there by 12 in the afternoon as it is just a 3 hours drive through the Yamuna expressway .
We checked in into a nearby hotel, after having some rest we all set out to the Iskcon temple, the autowala took around Rs.50/- . Being a Saturday the temple was beaming with bhakts in ecstasy. The temple had a whole new dimension of energy and bhakti, the chants and the dance of Krishna bhakts lost in devotion was a new feeling altogether, with the chants of “Hare Rama Hare Krishna” and the spiritual fervor dances pulsates vibrant energy.
The temple and its premises were beaming with curious visitors, chanting ‘Radhe Radhe’ with chandan on their forehead and cheeks proclaiming their love for Lord. The temple serves Maha Prasadam, a religious food offered to the devotees in the name of Krishna, from 7:30 to 12.45 in the morning and 4.30 to 8pm daily .The temple was worth spending the evening. After we collected our footwear, we picked up some sweets for our families and friends and walked down to Prem Mandir.
Prem mandir is dedicated to the love of Radha Krishna and Sita Ram. The timing for the temple is 5.30am to 8.30pm .You cannot imagine the beauty of the temple unless you yourself visit the place. The whole temple is made of white marble and adorned with very intricate carvings, this temple is famous for its architectural beauty. The temple and its surroundings are very beautifully created. Various scenes from Krishna’s life, like raising the Govardhan Mountain, have been depicted on the periphery of the temple.
The musical fountain along with the light display left us awestruck. Best time to visit the temple is at dark once the illumination is activated.
Next morning we set out to visit the Banke Bihari Temple located in the narrow by lanes of Mathura city. The streets were so narrow that we have to walk down a certain distance to the temple. It is the oldest temple in Mathura. It is believed by the locals that the Lord appeared in person with his beloved in front of one of his devotee and left a black charming image. This is the reason why the Idol of Lord Krishna is black in color . The priests of the temple take care of the deity as a small child . Hence, the deity is woken gently in the morning unlike ringing loud temple bells. Various events are celebrated in the temple like the Mangala-arati is performed only once a year on the occasion of Janmashtami and people from all over the world come to celebrate holi.
Jhulan yatra is another prime festival, also known as “Swing Festival” of Lord Krishna, in which the deity is placed on a solid silver ornamented swings. Third day of the waxing moon is Jhulan yatra’s main day. On this day, Shri Banke Bihari is placed on a golden swing and the curtain before the Lord Krishna is not left open for long time as people believe that the eyes of the deity are so astonishing that the people may get so awestruck that they may faint.
Being Sunday there was a huge rush awaiting us at the temple. Though the temple was extremely crowded but the aarti was a spectacular event to watch. After spending a bit more time at the temple we all knew that it was time to get back to our stressful lives but these two days were super peaceful for all of us.
Overall this place might not be heaven but the peace it enlightens you with is heavenly… You experience, you learn, the eternal that lies within, but here, you see it outside as well as inside simultaneously!
