Vrindavan (; ), also spelt Vrindaban and Brindaban, is a historical city in the

Mathura district Mathura district () is situated along the banks of the river Yamuna is a district of Uttar Pradesh States and Territories of India, state of north-central India. The historic city of Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, Mathura is the district headquarters. ...

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh ( ; UP) is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. With over 241 million inhabitants, it is the List of states and union territories of India by population, most populated state in In ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. It is located in the Braj Bhoomi region and holds religious importance for Hindus who believe that

Krishna Krishna (; Sanskrit language, Sanskrit: कृष्ण, ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme God (Hinduism), Supreme God in his own right. He is the god of protection, c ...

, one of the main Gods in

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Hypernymy and hyponymy, umbrella term for a range of Indian religions, Indian List of religions and spiritual traditions#Indian religions, religious and spiritual traditions (Sampradaya, ''sampradaya''s) that are unified ...

, spent most of his childhood in this city. Vrindavan has about 5,500 temples dedicated to the worship of Krishna and his chief consort,

Radha Radha (, ), also called Radhika, is a Hindu goddess and the chief consort of the god Krishna. She is the goddess of love, tenderness, compassion, and devotion. In scriptures, Radha is mentioned as the avatar of Lakshmi and also as the Prak� ...

. It is one of the most

sacred Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects ( ...

places for

Vaishnava Vaishnavism () ), also called Vishnuism, is one of the major Hindu traditions, that considers Vishnu as the sole supreme being leading all other Hindu deities, that is, '' Mahavishnu''. It is one of the major Hindu denominations along wit ...

traditions. Vrindavan forms a part of the "Krishna pilgrimage circuit" under development by the Indian Ministry of Tourism. The circuit also includes

Mathura Mathura () is a city and the administrative headquarters of Mathura district in the states and union territories of India, Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is located south-east of Delhi; and about from the town of Vrindavan. In ancient ti ...

Barsana Barsana is a historical town and ''nagar panchayat'' in the Mathura district of the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. The town holds cultural and religious significance as the birthplace of Hindu goddess Radha, the chief consort of Krishna. Barsa ...

Gokul Gokul is a town in the Mathura district of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is located south-east of Mathura. History In the ''Viṣṇu Purāṇa'' and '' Bhāgavata Purāṇa'', the term "gokula" does not refer to any specifi ...

Govardhan Govardhan also called Giriraj, is a key pilgrimage centre in India and a municipal town; a nagar panchayat; seat of an MLA (Member of the Legislative Assembly (India), Member of Legislative Assembly) of Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly, Uttar ...

Kurukshetra Kurukshetra () is a city and administrative headquarters of Kurukshetra district in the Indian state of Haryana. It is also known as Dharmakshetra ("Realm of duty") and as the "Land of the Bhagavad Gita". Legends According to the Puranas ...

Dwarka Dwarka () is a town and municipality of Devbhumi Dwarka district in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Gujarat. It is located on the western shore of the Okhamandal Peninsula on the right bank of the Gomti river at ...

and

Puri Puri, also known as Jagannath Puri, () is a coastal city and a Nagar Palika, municipality in the state of Odisha in eastern India. It is the district headquarters of Puri district and is situated on the Bay of Bengal, south of the state ca ...

Etymology

The ancient

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

name of the city, (), comes from its groves of ''vṛndā'' (

holy basil ''Ocimum tenuiflorum'', commonly known as holy basil, ''tulasi'' or ''tulsi'' (), is an aromatic perennial plant in the family Lamiaceae. It is widely cultivated throughout the Southeast Asian tropics. It is native to tropical and subtropical r ...

) and ''vana'' ( grove, forest).

History

Vrindavan has an ancient past, associated with Hindu culture and history, and was established in the 16th and 17th centuries as a result of an explicit treaty between Muslims and Hindu Emperors, and is an important Hindu pilgrimage site since long. In contemporary times,

Vallabha Vallabha, also known as Vallabhācārya or Vallabha Dīkṣita (May 7, 1478 – July 7, 1530 CE), was the founder of the Krishna, Kr̥ṣṇa-centered Pushtimarg, Puṣṭimārga sect of Vaishnavism, and propounded the philosophy of Shuddhadvait ...

Charya, aged eleven visited Vrindavan. Later on, he performed three pilgrimages of

, barefoot giving discourses on

Bhagavad Gita The Bhagavad Gita (; ), often referred to as the Gita (), is a Hindu texts, Hindu scripture, dated to the second or first century BCE, which forms part of the Hindu epic, epic poem Mahabharata. The Gita is a synthesis of various strands of Ind ...

at 84 places. These 84 places are known as

Pushtimarg Baithak Baithak or Bethak, , is a site considered sacred by the followers of the Pushtimarg tradition of Vaishnava Hinduism in India for performing devotional rituals. These sites are associated with Vallabhacharya, the founder of Pushtimarg and his d ...

and since then have the places of pilgrimage. Yet, he stayed in Vrindavan for four months each year. Vrindavan thus heavily influenced his formation of

Pushtimarg The Puṣṭimārga, also known as Pushtimarg (Path of Nourishing or Flourishing) or Vallabha Sampradāya, is a Hindu Vaiṣṇava saṁpradāya. It was established in the early 16th century by Vallabha (1479–1530) and further developed by his ...

The essence of Vrindavan was lost over time until the 16th century when it was rediscovered by

Chaitanya Mahaprabhu Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (; ), born Vishvambhara Mishra () (18 February 1486 – 14 June 1534), was an Indian Hindus, Hindu saint from Bengal and the founder of Gaudiya Vaishnavism. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's mode of worshipping Krishna with bha ...

. In the year 1515,

visited Vrindavan, with the purpose of locating the lost holy places associated with Krishna's life. In the last 250 years, the extensive forests of Vrindavan have been subjected to urbanisation, first by local Rajas and in recent decades by apartment developers. The forest cover has been whittled away to only a few remaining spots, and the local wildlife, including

peacock Peafowl is a common name for two bird species of the genus '' Pavo'' and one species of the closely related genus '' Afropavo'' within the tribe Pavonini of the family Phasianidae (the pheasants and their allies). Male peafowl are referred t ...

cows Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, bovid ungulates widely kept as livestock. They are prominent modern members of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus '' Bos''. Mature female cattle are called co ...

monkey Monkey is a common name that may refer to most mammals of the infraorder Simiiformes, also known as simians. Traditionally, all animals in the group now known as simians are counted as monkeys except the apes. Thus monkeys, in that sense, co ...

s and a variety of bird species has been virtually eliminated.

Geography

Situated on the west bank of the Yamuna River, about 15 kilometres north of

and 125 km from

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...

, Vrindavan has an average elevation of 170 metres (557 feet). The

Yamuna The Yamuna (; ) is the second-largest tributary river of the Ganges by discharge and the longest tributary in India. Originating from the Yamunotri Glacier at a height of about on the southwestern slopes of Bandarpunch peaks of the Low ...

river flows through the city.

Climate

Demographics

As of 2011 Indian Census, Vrindavan had a total population of 63,005, of which 34,769 were males and 28,236 were females. The population within the age group of 0 to 6 years was 7,818. The total number of literates in Vrindavan was 42,917, which constituted 68.11% of the population with male literacy of 73.7% and female literacy of 61.2%. The effective literacy rate of the 7+ population of Vrindavan was 77.8%, of which the male literacy rate was 83.7% and the female literacy rate was 70.3%. The sex ratio is 812 females per 1000 males. The Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes population was 6,294 and 18, respectively. Vrindavan had 11,637 households in 2011. Vrindavan lies in the cultural region of

Braj Braj, also known as Vraj, Vraja, Brij or Brijbhumi, is a region in India on both sides of the Yamuna river with its centre at Mathura-Vrindavan in Uttar Pradesh state encompassing the area which also includes Palwal, Ballabhgarh and Nuh in ...

Culture and cityscape

Religious heritage

Vrindavan is considered to be a sacred place for

Vaisnavism Vaishnavism () ), also called Vishnuism, is one of the major Hindu traditions, that considers Vishnu as the sole supreme being leading all other Hindu deities, that is, '' Mahavishnu''. It is one of the major Hindu denominations along wit ...

tradition of

. It is believed that Krishna spent part of his childhood in this city. The other prominent areas surrounding Vrindavan are Govardhana,

, Nandgaon,

and Bhandirvan. Along with Vrindavan, all these places are considered to be the center of

and

worship. Millions of devotees of

Radha Krishna Radha-Krishna (IAST , ) is the combined form of the Hindu god Krishna with his chief consort and ''shakti'' Radha. They are regarded as the feminine as well as the masculine realities of God and gender in Hinduism, God, in several Krishnaism, Kr ...

visit Vrindavan and its nearby areas every year to participate in a number of festivals. Vrinda means Tulsi (A sacred species of flora) and van as forest, therefore Vrindavan is a holy forest of Tulsi. Vijaypal Baghel, known as GreenMan is promoting, planting, and farming Tulsi in mass around the Vrindavan. The common salutation or greetings used in

Braj region Braj, also known as Vraj, Vraja, Brij or Brijbhumi, is a region in India on both sides of the Yamuna river with its centre at Mathura-Vrindavan in Uttar Pradesh state encompassing the area which also includes Palwal, Ballabhgarh and Nuh in H ...

by its residents is '' Radhe Radhe'' which is associated with the Goddess Radha or

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna may refer to: * International Society for Krishna Consciousness, a group commonly known as "Hare Krishnas" or the "Hare Krishna movement" * Hare Krishna (mantra), a sixteen-word Vaishnava mantra also known as the "Maha Mantra" (Great ...

which is associated with Krishna. Devotees of Krishna believe that he visits the town each night to adore Radha.

Temples

Vrindavan, the land of

has about 5500 temples dedicated to them to showcase their divine pastimes. Some of the important pilgrimage sites are - * Shri Radha Madan Mohan Temple, located near the Kalidah Ghat was built by Kapur Ram Das of

Multan Multan is the List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, fifth-most populous city in the Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab province of Pakistan. Located along the eastern bank of the Chenab River, it is the List of cities in Pakistan by populatio ...

. One of the oldest temples in Vrindavan, it is closely associated with

. The original deity of Madan Gopal was shifted from the shrine to

Karauli Karauli (also formerly spelled Karoli or Karaulee) is a city located in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It is located in the Braj region and holds religious importance in Hinduism. The city is the administrative center of Karauli District, a ...

in Rajasthan for safekeeping during

Aurangzeb Alamgir I (Muhi al-Din Muhammad; 3 November 1618 – 3 March 1707), commonly known by the title Aurangzeb, also called Aurangzeb the Conqueror, was the sixth Mughal emperors, Mughal emperor, reigning from 1658 until his death in 1707, becomi ...

's rule. Today, a replica of the original (deity) is worshipped at the temple * Sri Radha Raman Mandir, constructed at the request of

Gopala Bhatta Goswami Gopala Bhatta Goswami (1503–1578) is one of the foremost disciples of the Vaishnava saint, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, and a historical figure in the Gaudiya Vaishnava school of Hinduism. He was part of a group of Vaishnava devotees known collec ...

and houses a

saligram A shaligram, or shaligrama shila ( deva, शालिग्राम शिला; IAST: ''Śāligrāma-śilā''), is a fossilized stone or ammonite collected from the riverbed or banks of the Kali Gandaki, a tributary of the Gandaki River in ...

deity of Krishna as

Radha Ramana Radha Ramana () is one of the three combined forms of the Hindu deities Radha and Krishna. The other two forms are Banke Bihari and Radha-Vallabha. Radha Ramana is typically adorned with feathers, a crown, a yellow dress, and a shining '' vaija ...

, alongside

. *

Banke Bihari Temple Banke Bihari Temple is a Hindu temple situated in the town of Vrindavan, Mathura district of Uttar Pradesh, India. The temple is dedicated to Banke Bihari who is believed to be the combined form of Radha and Krishna. Banke Bihari was originally ...

, built in 1862 after the image of Banke-Bihari was discovered in Nidhivan by

Swami Haridas Swami Haridas (, also spelt ''Svāmī Haridās'') was an Indian spiritual poet and Hindustani classical music, classical musician. He was a Court musician of Man Singh Tomar, Raja Man Singh Tomar of Gwalior and credited with a large body o ...

. * Radha Vallabh Temple is one of the ancient temple of Vrindavan. It was constructed in 1585 AD and was the first temple made up of red sandstones. * Radha Damodar Temple is a

Gaudiya Vaishnavism Gaudiya Vaishnavism (), also known as Chaitanya Vaishnavism, is a Vaishnavism, Vaishnava Hindu denominations, Hindu religious movement inspired by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (1486–1534) in India. "Gaudiya" refers to the Gaura or Gauḍa region o ...

temple, which is dedicated to Radha Krishna and was constructed in 1542 CE. * Sri Krishna-Balarama Temple was built by the

International Society for Krishna Consciousness The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), commonly known as the Hare Krishna movement, is a religious organization that follows the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition of Hinduism. It was founded on 13 July 1966 in New York City by ...

(ISKCON) in Raman-Reti. The principal deities of this temple are Krishna and Balaram, with Radha– Shyamasundar and

Gaura ''Gaura'' was a genus of flowering plants in the family Onagraceae, native to North America. The name was derived from Greek Language, Greek ''(gaûros)'' meaning "superb" and named in reference to the stature and floral display of some specie ...

- Nitai alongside. Adjoining the temple is the samadhi of

A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada Abhay Charanaravinda Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (; ) (1 September 1896 – 14 November 1977) was a spiritual, philosophical, and religious teacher from India who spread the Hare Krishna mantra and the teachings of "Krishna consciousness" ...

, the founder of ISKCON, was built in pure white marble. * Prem Mandir, one of the ten largest Hindu temples in the world, is a spiritual complex situated on a 54-acre site on the outskirts of Vrindavan dedicated to divine love. The temple structure was established by spiritual guru Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Kripalu Maharaj. The main structure built in marble and figures of Krishna cover the main temple. * Vrindavan Chandrodaya Mandir is housed in a modern geodesic structure with a traditional gopuram based on

Khajuraho Khajuraho () is a city, near Chhatarpur in Chhatarpur district of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. One of the most popular tourist destinations in India, Khajuraho has the country's largest group of medieval Hindu and Jain temples, famous ...

style of architecture. It is being built by one of the

ISKCON The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), commonly known as the Hare Krishna movement, is a religious organization that follows the Gaudiya Vaishnavism, Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition of Hinduism. It was founded on 13 July 1966 ...

factions based in

Bangalore Bengaluru, also known as Bangalore (List of renamed places in India#Karnataka, its official name until 1 November 2014), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the southern States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kar ...

. At cost of it will be the tallest temple in world on completion. *Shri Rambag Mandir, Vrindavan Shri Rambag Mandir is a Ramanandi Sampradaya temple, which is the first and oldest Shri Ram Mandir. Made up of white sandstones and dedicated to Shri Ram Darbara, the temple was constructed in 1930.

City of Widows

Vrindavan is also known as the "city of widows" due to the large number of

widow A widow (female) or widower (male) is a person whose spouse has Death, died and has usually not remarried. The male form, "widower", is first attested in the 14th century, by the 19th century supplanting "widow" with reference to men. The adjecti ...

s who move into the town and surrounding area after losing their husbands. There are an estimated 15,000 to 20,000 widows. Many live in extreme poverty and spend time singing

bhajan Bhajan is an Indian term for any devotional song with a religious theme or spiritual ideas, specifically among Dharmic religions, in any language. The term bhajanam (Sanskrit: भजनम्) means ''reverence'' and originates from the root w ...

hymns at bhajanashrams, as documented in historian

William Dalrymple William Benedict Hamilton-Dalrymple (born 20 March 1965) is a Delhi-based Scottish people, Scottish historian and art historian, as well as a curator, broadcaster and critic. He spends nine months of each year on his goat farm in India. He i ...

's '' The Age of Kali'' (1998). An organisation called Guild of Service was formed to assist these deprived women and children. According to a survey report prepared by the government, several homes run by the government and different NGOs for widows.

Culinary tradition

Vrindavan and

, the twin cities which are associated with Krishna are main centers of

Braj Cuisine Braj Cuisine () is a style of traditional cooking originating from Braj, Braj region of Northern India, particularly states of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh. This sacred land, revered as the childhood home of Krishna, Lord ...

. Vrindavan

Peda Peda () or Pera is an Indian sweet that originated in the city of Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, India. Traditionally prepared as thick, semi-soft round balls, its main ingredients are khoa, sugar and traditional flavourings including cardamom seeds. ...

, Vrindavan Dahi Arbi jhor, Vrindavan khichdi, Bedmi

puri Puri, also known as Jagannath Puri, () is a coastal city and a Nagar Palika, municipality in the state of Odisha in eastern India. It is the district headquarters of Puri district and is situated on the Bay of Bengal, south of the state ca ...

, Dubki Aloo jhor, Moong Dal cheela, Heeng

Kachori Kachori () is a deep-fried, spicy, stuffed pastry originating from the Marwar region of Rajasthan, India. It is made of maida filled with a stuffing of baked mixture of moong dal or onions (usually, depends on the variation), besan, coria ...

are some of the famous cuisines popular in this religious city.

Transportation

Road

Vrindavan is well connected by roads and is connected to

by National Highway (NH) 44 of the

Golden Quadrilateral The Golden Quadrilateral (; abbreviated GQ) is a network of National Highway (India), national highways connecting major cities of India. It roughly forms a quadrilateral with major cities – Delhi (north), Kolkata (east), Mumbai (west) and ...

network. Earlier it was NH 2. 129 km from

New Delhi New Delhi (; ) is the Capital city, capital of India and a part of the Delhi, National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the Government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Parliament ...

117 km from

Gurgaon Gurgaon (), officially named Gurugram (), is a satellite city of Delhi and administrative headquarters of Gurgaon district, located in the northern Indian state of Haryana. It is situated near the Delhi–Haryana border, about southwest ...

54 km from

Agra Agra ( ) is a city on the banks of the Yamuna river in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, about south-east of the national capital Delhi and 330 km west of the state capital Lucknow. With a population of roughly 1.6 million, Agra is the ...

9 km from

While in Vrindavan, battery-powered

e-rickshaw Electric rickshaws (also known as electric tuk-tuks, Totos, e-rickshaws, and e-tricycles) are small three-wheeler, three-wheeled vehicles powered by an electric battery and motor. These small electric vehicles do not require petroleum fuel like ...

are available for commuting within city limits.

Rail

* BDB/Vrindavan is on the Mathura-Vrindavan MG link. * VRBD/Vrindavan Road is on the Agra-Delhi chord.

Flight

The nearest Airports are

Agra Airport Agra Airport , also known as Kheria Airport, is a domestic airport and an Indian Air Force base serving the city of Agra, in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. The air force station is one of the largest airbases of the Indian Air Force. On 15 ...

which is 71.3 km away and New Delhi International Airport is 150 km away.

Noida International Airport Noida International Airport is an international airport near Jewar in YEIDA city of Gautam Buddha Nagar district of Uttar Pradesh state of India. It is projected to become the largest airport in both India and Asia, with plans to handle 12 mil ...

Jewar Jewar is a town and a nagar panchayat in Gautam Buddha Nagar district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Noida, Dadri and Jewar are the 3 sub-divisions of GB Nagar district, each headed by a SDM. History The ancient name of the town wa ...

is expected to open in May 2025.

Gallery

KesiGhat River.JPG, Keshi Ghat on banks of the

river Vrindavan, India (20566547434).jpg, Rangaji Temple of Vrindavan PremMandirSideViewFromCanteen.jpg, Prem Mandir, Vrindavan ISKON TEMPLE 1.jpg,

Krishna Balaram Mandir ISKCON Vrindavan, also called Sri Krishna Balaram Mandir, is one of the major ISKCON temples in the world. It is a Gaudiya Vaishnava temple located in the city of Vrindavan, Mathura district, in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The temple is ...

Madanmohan Mandir Vrindavan.JPG,

Radha Madan Mohan Temple, Vrindavan Shri Radha Madan Mohan Temple, is a Hindu temple situated in Vrindavan of Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is one of the oldest and highly revered temple of Vrindavan. The presiding deity of the temple is Madan Mohan, a form of the god Krishna ...

Radharani 5.jpg, Wall art of the name

Pagal Baba Mandir.jpg, Pagal Baba Temple

References

External links

{{Authority control Krishna Cities and towns in Mathura district Widowhood in India Yamuna River Krishna temples Places in Hindu mythology Hindu holy cities Hindu pilgrimage sites in India Ancient Indian cities