Vrindavan

Vrindavan
वृंदावन
Vrundavan, Brindaban, Braj
city
Nickname(s): Braj-Bhoomi
Vrindavan

Location in Uttar Pradesh, India

Coordinates: 27°35′N 77°42′E / 27.58°N 77.7°E / 27.58; 77.7Coordinates: 27°35′N 77°42′E / 27.58°N 77.7°E / 27.58; 77.7
Country  India
State Uttar Pradesh
District Mathura
Elevation 170 m (560 ft)
Population (2011)[1]
 • Total 63,005
Languages
 • Official Hindi
Time zone IST (UTC+5:30)
PIN 281121

Vrindavan ( pronunciation ) is a town in the Mathura district of Uttar Pradesh, India. It is the site where according to Hinduism, Lord Krishna spent his childhood days. The town is about 11 km away from Mathura, Krishna's birthplace on the Agra-Delhi highway (NH 2).[2] The town hosts many temples dedicated to the worship of Radha and Krishna and is considered sacred by Vaishnavism.[3]

Etymology

Kesi Ghat on the Yamuna river

The ancient Sanskrit name of the city, Vṛndāvana, comes from its groves of vṛndā Tulasi (tulsi, Holy Basil) Ocimum tenuiflorum with vana meaning a grove or a forest.[4] Two small groves still exist at Nidhivan and Seva Kunj.

History

Vrindavan has an ancient past, associated with Hindu history, and is an important Hindu pilgrimage site. One of its oldest surviving temples is the Govinda Deva temple, built in 1590, with the town founded earlier in the same century.[5][6] The essence of Vrindavan was lost over time until the 16th century, when it was rediscovered by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. In the year 1515, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu visited Vrindavana, with the purpose of locating the lost holy places associated with Lord Sri Krishna's transcendent pastimes. Chaitanya wandered through the different sacred forests of Vrindavana in a spiritual trance of divine love. It was believed that by His divine spiritual power, He was able to locate all the important places of Krishna's pastimes in and around Vrindavana.[7]

Mira Bai left the kingdom of Mewar and went on pilgrimages. In her last 14 years, Meera lived in a temple called Pracheen Meerabai in Vrindavan. Meera Bai is the most famous female Hindu spiritual poet, whose compositions are still popular throughout North India.

In the last 250 years, the extensive forests of Vrindavan have been subjected to urbanization, 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 peacocks, cows, monkeys and a variety of bird species has been virtually eliminated. A few peacocks are left in the city but monkeys and cows can be seen almost everywhere.

Geography

Vrindavan is located at 27°35′N 77°42′E / 27.58°N 77.7°E / 27.58; 77.7.[8] It has an average elevation of 170 metres (557 feet).

Demographics

As of 2001 India census,[9] Vrindavan had a population of 56,618. Males constitute 56% of the population and females 44%. Vrindavan has an average literacy rate of 65%, lower than the national average of 74.04%.[10] In Vrindavan, 13% of the population is under 6 years of age. The number of females is 24,200 including 13% who are under 6 years of age.

Religious heritage

RadhaKrishna Deity Inside Prem Mandir
Madan Mohan Temple
Kusum Sarovar bathing ghat, in the Goverdhan area
Govind Dev Temple in 1949
Rangaji Temple, 1949

Vrindavan is considered to be a holy place for Vaisnavism tradition of Hinduism. It is a center of Krishna worship and the area includes places like Govardhana and Gokul that are associated with Krishna. Millions of devotees of Radha Krishna visit these places of pilgrimage every year and participate in a number of festivals.[11] According to Bhagavata Purana, Krishna was raised in the cow herding village of Gokul by his foster parents Nanda Maharaj and Yasoda. The Bhagavata Purana describes Krishna's early childhood pastimes in the Vrindavan forest where he, his brother Balarama and his cowherd friends engaged in childhood pranks.

Temples

Vrindavan, the land of Radha Rani, the City of Temples has more than 5000 temples to showcase the pastimes of Radha and Krishna.[12] The seven temples,Thakurs of Vrindavan, the gems of those that have survived to this day are

And Vrindavan continues to be a venue of numerous temples and ashrams that are being regularly built, some of which are architectural master pieces.

Meera bai's old temple in vrindavan

Other sacred sites

Other places of interest include Seva Kunj, Kesi Ghat, Sriji Temple, Jugal Kishore Temple, Lal Babu Temple, Raj Ghat, Kusum Sarovar, Imli Tal, Kaliya Ghat, Raman Reti, Varaha Ghat, Chira Ghat, samadhi of Swami Haridas and samadhi of Devraha Baba. In honor of Swami Haridas, a meet is organized, in which renowned musicians take part every year. The renovation of ancient Seva Kunj is being carried out by The Braj Foundation.

"City of Widows"

Vrindavan is also known as the "city of widows"[25] due to the large number of widows who move into the town and surrounding area after losing their husbands. There are an estimated 15,000 to 20,000 widows[26][27] who spend time singing bhajan hymns for in bhajanashrams. An organization called Guild of Service was formed to assist these deprived women and children.[25][27] According to a survey report prepared by the government, several homes run by the government and different NGOs for widows.[28]

In India, equal inheritance rights are protected by law, but customs can override rights of widows.[29]

Transportation

Rail

BDB/Vrindavan is on the Mathura-Vrindavan MG link. VRBD/Vrindaban Road is on the Agra-Delhi chord. Most Important train is : 51901/Agra Cantt. - Old Delhi Passenger (UnReserved) Avg Speed: 23 km/hr.

Air

As of 2016 the city has no airport. Nearest International airport is IGI Airport, New Delhi.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Census of India
  2. ↑ Keene, Henry George (1899). "Bindrabun". A Handbook for Visitors to Agra and Its Neighbourhood. Thacker, Spink & Co. pp. 98–106.
  3. ↑ Gopal, Madan (1990). K.S. Gautam, ed. India through the ages. Publication Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India. p. 176.
  4. ↑ "Brindaban". The Imperial Gazetteer of India. 1909.
  5. ↑  Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Brindaban". Encyclopædia Britannica. 4 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 571.
  6. ↑ "Vrindavan PinCode". citypincode.in. Retrieved 2014-03-10.
  7. ↑ "Discovery of Vrindavan by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu".
  8. ↑ "Falling Rain Genomics, Inc – Vrindavan".
  9. ↑ "Census of India 2001: Data from the 2001 Census, including cities, villages and towns (Provisional)". Census Commission of India. Archived from the original on 2004-06-16. Retrieved 2008-11-01.
  10. ↑ Jayant Pandurang Nayaka, Syed Nurullah (1974). A students' history of education in India (1800–1973) (6 ed.). Macmillan.
  11. ↑ Klaus Klostermaier (2007). A Survey of Hinduism. State University of New York Press; 3 edition. p. 204. ISBN 0-7914-7081-4. The center of Krishna-worship has been for a long time Brajbhumi, the district of Mathura that embraces also Vrindavana, Govardhana, and Gokula, associated with Krishna from the time immemorial. Many millions of Krishna bhaktas visit these places every year and participate in the numerous festivals that re-enact divine scenes from Krishna's life on Earth, of which were spent in those very places 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.
  12. ↑ http://news.vrindavantoday.org/2016/06/seven-main-temples-of-vrindavan
  13. ↑ "Red Stone Temple".
  14. ↑ "The history of Sri Radha Raman Temple".
  15. ↑ "Radhavallabh Temple website".
  16. ↑ Usha Nilsson (1997), Mira bai, Sahitya Akademi, ISBN 978-8126004119, pages 1-15
  17. ↑ Usha Nilsson (1997), Mira bai, Sahitya Akademi, ISBN 978-8126004119, pages 16-17
  18. ↑ John S Hawley (2005), Three Bhakti Voices: Mirabai, Surdas and Kabir in Their Times and Ours, Oxford University Press, ISBN 978-0195670851, pages 128-130
  19. ↑ "Banke-Bihari Temple website".
  20. ↑ "Prem Mandir".
  21. ↑ "Kripaluji Maharaj's Prem Mandir will be inaugurated on 17 February". Aaj Ki Khabar.
  22. ↑ (Translator), F. Max Muller (1 June 2004). The Upanishads, Vol I. Kessinger Publishing, LLC. ISBN 1-4191-8641-8.
  23. ↑ (Translator), F. Max Muller (26 July 2004). The Upanishads Part II: The Sacred Books of the East Part Fifteen. Kessinger Publishing, LLC. ISBN 1-4179-3016-0.
  24. ↑ "ISKCON to build world's tallest temple at Mathura from today".
  25. 1 2 "India's widows live out sentence of shame, poverty". Archived from the original on 29 November 2006. Retrieved 25 March 2007.
  26. ↑ "Catalyst Magazine: Moksha: the widows of Vrindavan". Retrieved 25 March 2007.
  27. 1 2 "Shunned from society, widows flock to city to die". CNN. 5 July 2007. Retrieved 5 July 2007.
  28. ↑ "Sulabh dons mantle".
  29. ↑ Cynthia Gorney (February 2017). "Life after loss". National Geographic Society. Retrieved April 8, 2017.
  30. ↑ The white and saffron hues of Vrindavan
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