Vrindavan

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Vrindavan
v • d • e
Uttar Pradesh • India
Map indicating the location of Vrindavan
Location of Vrindavan
District(s) Mathura
Coordinates 27.58° N 77.7° E
Time zone IST (UTC+5:30)
Area
• Elevation
• 170 m (558 ft)
Population 56,618 (2001)

Coordinates: 27.58° N 77.7° E

Vrindavan pronunciation (help·info) (alternate spellings Vrindaban or Brindavan), or Vraj in Mathura district, Uttar Pradesh, India is a town on the site of an ancient forest which is believed to have been the region where the famous cowherd boy, Krishna, from Hindu scriptures spent his childhood days. It is about 15km away from Mathura city (said to be Krishna's birthplace), near the Agra-Delhi highway. The town includes many hundreds of temples dedicated to the worship of Radha and Krishna and is considered sacred by a number of religious traditions such as Gaudiya Vaishnavism, Vaishnavism, and Hinduism in general.

In recent decades the name of Vrindavan has often been used within India, to represent an idyllic place or garden. Even in urban areas the town is busy with wildlife, including peacocks, cows, monkeys and a variety of bird species. Some of the ancient forest still remains, including a number of protected tulsi woods, which are of special significance to the local inhabitants, many of whom use leaves from the tulsi plant each day in their worship (puja).

Contents

[edit] Religious heritage

Main article: Krishna

According to tradition, Krishna was raised in the cowherding village of Gokul by his foster parents Nanda Maharaj and Yasoda. The Bhagavata Purana describes Krishna's early childhood pastimes in Vrindavan forest wherein he, his brother Balarama, and his cowherd friends stole butter, engaged in childhood pranks and fought with demons. Along with these activities, Krishna is also described as meeting and dancing with the local girls of Vrindavan village including Radharani who were known as gopis. These pastimes were the source of inspiration for the famous poem, Gita Govinda.

[edit] Temples

Temple of Radha-Madan Mohan in Vrindavan
Temple of Radha-Madan Mohan in Vrindavan

The most popular temples include:

  • The Madan Mohan Temple located near the Kali Ghat which was built by Kapur Ram Das of Multan. This is the oldest existent temple in Vrindavan today. The temple is closely associated with the saint Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. The original image of Lord Madan Gopal was shifted from the shrine to Karauli in Rajasthan for safe keeping during Aurangzeb's rule. Today, a replica of the image is worshiped at the temple.
  • The Banke-Bihari Temple built in 1864 is the most popular shrine at Vrindavan. The image of Banke-Bihari was discovered in Nidhi Vana by Swami Haridas, the great Krishna devotee, belonging to the Nimbarka sampradaya.
  • The famous Radha Vallabh Temple set up by the Radha - Vallabh sampradaya, has the crown of Radharani placed next to the Shri Krishna image in the sanctum.
  • The Jaipur Temple which was built by Sawai Madho Singh II, the Maharaja of Jaipur in 1917, is a richly embellished and opulent temple. The fine hand - carved sandstone is of unparalleled workmanship. The temple is dedicated to Shri Radha Madhava.
  • The Shahji Temple, another popular temple at Vrindavan, was designed and built in 1876 by a wealthy jeweller, Shah Kundan Lal of Lucknow. The deities (images) at the temple are popularly known as the Chhote Radha Raman. Noted for its magnificent architecture and beautiful marble sculpture, the temple has twelve spiral columns each 15 feet high. The `Basanti Kamra' - the darbar hall is famed for its Belgian glass chandeliers and fine paintings.
  • The Rangaji Temple, built in 1851 is dedicated to Lord Ranganatha or Rangaji depicted as Lord Vishnu in his sheshashayi pose, resting on the coils of the sacred Sesha Naga. The temple built in the Dravidian style has a tall gopuram (gateway) of six storeys and a gold - plated Dhwaja stambha, 50 feet high. A water tank and a picturesque garden lie within the temple enclosure. The annual festival of Jal Vihar of the presiding deity is performed with great pomp and splendour at the tank. The temple is also famous for its `Brahmotsdav' celebration in March-April, more popularly known as the `Rath ka Mela'. The ten day long celebrations are marked by the pulling of the rath (the chariot car) by the devotees from the temple to the adjoining gardens.
  • The Govind Deo (Govindaji) Temple was once a magnificent seven storeyed structure built in the form of a Greek cross. It is said that the Emperor Akbar donated some of the red sandstone that had been brought for the Red Fort at Agra, for the construction of this temple. Built at the astronomical cost of one crore rupees in 1590 by his general Raja Man Singh, the temple combines western, Hindu and Muslim architectural elements in its structure. It was destroyed by Mughal ruler Aurangzeb.
  • The Radha Damodar Mandir Located at Seva Kunj, the Mandir was established in 1542 by Srila Jiva Goswami. The deities Sri Sri Radha Damodar are here. The bhajan kutir of A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada is also situated at the Mandir.

[edit] Other sacred sites

Kusuma Sarovar bathing ghat, in the Vrindavan area
Kusuma Sarovar bathing ghat, in the Vrindavan area

Other places of interest include Seva Kunj, Kesi Ghat, Sriji Temple, Jugal Kishore Temple, Lal Babu Temple, Raj Ghat, Kusuma Sarovar, Meera-Bai Temple, Imli Tal, Kaliya Ghat, Raman Reti, Varaha Ghat and Chira Ghat.

The Seva Kunj is where Lord Krishna once performed the Raaslila with Radha-Rani and the gopis and Nidhi Van where the divine couple rested. The samadhi of Swami Haridas is situated here. Another famous temple of Sri Vrindavan is Sri Kathia Baba Ka Sthan" at Gurukul Road [1], the mahanta of which is entitled as "brajobidehi mahanta" and the acharya of Swabhuram Dwara of Nimbarka sect, Sri Swami Rash Behari Das Kathia Babaji Maharaj.

[edit] Geography

Vrindavan is located at 27.58° N 77.7° E[1]. It has an average elevation of 170 metres (557 feet).

[edit] Demographics

As of 2001 India censusGRIndia, Vrindavan had a population of 56,618. Males constitute 56% of the population and females 44%. Vrindavan has an average literacy rate of 65%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 73%, and female literacy is 55%. In Vrindavan, 13% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Vrindavan is also known as the City of Widows[2]. As by Hindu tradition, upper-caste widows may not remarry, many of those abandoned by their families on the death of their husband make their way here. In exchange for singing bhajan hymns for 7-8 hours in bhajanashrams, they are given a cup of rice and a pittance of money (around Rs.10)[2], which they try to supplement by begging on the streets or through prostitution. There are an estimated 20,000 widows[3], many of whom have spent over 30 years there.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Falling Rain Genomics, Inc - Vrindavan
  2. ^ a b CNN: India's widows live out sentence of shame, poverty. Retrieved on March 25, 2007.
  3. ^ Catalyst Magazine: Moksha: the widows of Vrindavan. Retrieved on March 25, 2007.

[edit] External links

Wikisource has an original article from the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica about:


Hindu Holy Cities in India
Allahabad • Ayodhya • Badrinath • Dharmasthala • Dwarka • Gaya • Guruvayur • Haridwar • Rishikesh • Kalahasti • Kanchipuram • Kedarnath • Kollur • Mathura • Mayapur • Nashik • Nathdwara • Puri • Rameswaram • Sabarimala • Somnath • Sringeri • Srirangam • Tirumala - Tirupati • Ujjain • Varanasi • Vrindavan


Coordinates: 27°35′N, 77°42′E

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