GapFiller 2023

This trip has been designed to visit sites which we hadn't been able to see on previous trips, either because we didn't have the time or because they were too difficult to reach.

We covered a lot of ground, starting in Delhi and making a big loop to finish in Mumbai.

Full map of all GapFiller 2023 pages

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Thinking of our next destination: Italy and Portugal come to mind, or maybe the time has finally come for a US road trip…

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Mathura and Vrindavan

(vero;2024-Feb-29)

Mathura, on the west bank of the Yamuna river is revered as the birth place of Lord Krishna; Vrindavan is where he spent most of his youth. No wonder that these two sites are a magnet for pilgrims from all over India. Vrindavan is also the seat of ISKCON, the International Society for Krishna Consciousness also known as the Hare Krishna Community and attracts devotees from all over the world.

Check our blog entry about Uttar Pradesh to read about temple madness and thievish monkeys…

Mathura - the entry gate to the Sri Krishna Janmbhoomi temple, birth place of Krishna.

Mathura - top of the entry gate to the Sri Krishna Janmbhoomi temple.

Potara Kund in Mathura. It is believed that Krishna took his first bath in its water and that it was here that his baby clothes (potre) were washed.

View of Mathura and the Yamuna river from the town's fort.

Mathura: cow meditating on the ghats along the Yamuna river.

Mathura has many shops selling all kind of religious paraphernalia. We saw this doll in a shop near the ghats.

Mathura: inside the Dwarkadhesh temple just after it opened its doors for the evening puja at 16:30 with the first devotees coming in. This temple with its bright and colourful interior was commissioned by a treasurer of the state of Gwalior and dates from 1815.

Mathura: ornated ceiling of the Dwarkadhesh temple.

Mathura, Dwarkadhesh temple: pilgrims inside the temple waiting for the puja to start.

Mathura, Dwarkadhesh temple: the puja ceremonials are starting, men and women wait in separate queues to see the idol and pay their respects.

Mathura, Dwarkadhesh temple: women cutting and peeling vegetables in preparation of a meal for their group of pilgrims.

Vrindavan: the Govind Dev temple was built in 1590 by a general of Akbar named Man Singh I of Amber.

Vrindavan: inside the magnificent Govind Dev temple. Its interior is empty and cavernous, actual worship is taking place in a side temple next to it.

Vrindavan: architectural detail of the Govind Dev temple.

Vrindavan: a small squirrel against the red sandstone of the Govind Dev temple, probably feeding on the offerings of devotees.

Vrindavan: gate to the Rangnathji temple built in 1851.

Vrindavan: gopura of the South Indian-style Rangnathji temple.

Vrindavan: detail of the sculptures on the gopura of the Rangnathji temple.

Vrindavan: colonnade in the courtyard of the Rangnathji temple. Unfortunately, non-Hindus are not allowed inside the inner temple and have to stick to the courtyard.

Vrindavan: bas-relief in the Rangnathji temple.

Vrindavan: Banke Bihari temple built in 1864 is Vrindavan's most popular shrine, renowned for its impressive floral decorations. We joined the devotees to enter the temple, a quite frightening experience, pushed forward by the crowds in narrow corridors to be finally expelled into this main hall full of excited people.

Vrindavan: crowds in the main hall of the Banke Bihari temple. Its main deity, known as Biharji, is a black image of Krishna. A curtain in front of the image is opened and closed every few minutes because it is believed that looking at it for too long will make one lose consciousness. People will raise their arms and shout "radhe, radhe" each time the curtain hiding the deity is lifted (Radhe stands for Radha Rani, Krishna's consort).

Vrindavan: one of the many flower sellers around the Banke Bihari Temple.

Vrindavan: devotees inside the Radha Vallabh temple built in 1626. The crowds were not so oppressive as in the Banke Bihari temple.

Vrindavan: temple attendants in the Radha Vallabh temple accepting the offerings of the pilgrims. It is a good business, as shows the pot full of bank notes.

Vrindavan: the 16th century Sri Madan Mohan temple stands above a ghat on an arm of the Yamuna.

Vrindavan: one of the many cheeky monkeys roaming in the town. We saw this one at the Sri Mohan temple. Check our blog entry about Uttar Pradesh (scroll to Mathura and Vrindavan) to read how Vero got her reading glasses stolen from one of those pests…

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