Nandgaon, Uttar Pradesh

Nandgaon
city
Nandgaon Location in Uttar Pradesh, India
Coordinates: 27°43′N 77°23′E / 27.72°N 77.38°E / 27.72; 77.38Coordinates: 27°43′N 77°23′E / 27.72°N 77.38°E / 27.72; 77.38
Country	India
State	Uttar Pradesh
District	Mathura
Elevation	184 m (604 ft)
Population (2001)
• Total	9,956
Languages
• Official	Hindi
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)

Nandgaon is a town and a nagar panchayat in Mathura district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It popularly known as the birthplace of Hinduism and India's biggest God Lord Krishna.

Geography

Nandgaon is located at 27°43′N 77°23′E / 27.72°N 77.38°E / 27.72; 77.38.^[1] It has an average elevation of 184 metres (603 feet). The Nandgaon has an ancient water body Paawan Sarovar, this ancient site has been restored by The Braj Foundation

Culture

According to Indian beliefs, Nandgaon was the home of Lord Krishna where he resided from the age of seven to ten along with his Foster father Nanda Baba and mother Yashoda. Nanda Baba who was the village chieftain built his house here, atop a large hill, to protect Lord Krishna from the demons sent by King Kamsa. Nanda Maharaja and other gwalas decided to move here from Gokula because of the turbulence caused by demons that were trying to kill Krishna.

The hill on which the main temple is located is called the Nandisvara Hill. Lord Siva had prayed to Krishna to be allowed to witness his transcendental pastimes. After Lord Siva performed penances for many centuries, Lord Krishna asked him his wish. Lord Shiva told him that he wished to be a mountain at Vrindavana, so that the Gopis would step on him, leaving the dust of their feet on him. Krishna granted him this boon and Lord Siva became the Nandisvara Hill, on which Nandagram is situated. Nandgaon is a major religious and tourist destination owing to its association with Lord Krishna. Every year thousands flock to see this town, especially during Holi when there is lot of cultural activities.

Demographics

As of 2001 India census,^[2] Nandgaon had a population of 9956. Males constitute 54% of the population and females 46%. Nandgaon has an average literacy rate of 45%, lower than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 59%, and female literacy is 29%. In Nandgaon, 19% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Getting there

Nandagram is 48 km (29 mi) northwest of Vrindavana. The name of the town at Nandagram is Nandgaon. The easiest way to get here is to take a taxi, which takes about an hour. To get here by public transportation from Vrindavana you first take a public bus to the town of Kosi (40 km/24 mi) and from there you take a tempo to Nandgaon, which is 8km away. The Braja Darsana bus comes here after stopping in Varsana. This bus departs at 8 a.m. from the Vrindavana bus stand and also stops near the front of the ISKCON temple.

References

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.