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extraordinary exploits and still seem to echo with the
sound of his flute. Today, Mathura with its many temples
and splendid ghats along the Yamuna river, is an
important pilgrimage town. It is also a rapidly growing
industrial city. Hindi, English and Brajbhasha are the
main languages which are spoken in Mathura.
History of Mathura
The history of Mathura belongs to 600 BC. Ptolemy
mentions the town and it played an important role in the
formation of the first to second century Kushan Empire.
Kanishka and his successors used it as their capital.
The Chinese traveler Hiuen Tsang visited it in 634 AD.
At that time it was also important Buddhist centre with
over 2,000 followers. Mathura continued to be a centre
of power during the enlightened rule of Emperor Ashoka
(3rd century BC) and upto the Gupta era (4th century
AD). By the time Mahmud of Ghazni came and sacked the
city in 1017, Buddhism had virtually disappeared. The
Mahmud of Ghazni’s looted Mathura by burning the city,
destroying the temples and various numerous jewel
encrusted idols were carted off. Sikander Lodi did
similar harm to the religious places in 1500 while the
Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb used a local revolt in which
his governor was killed as an opportunity to destroy all
the main temples. The present day Braj-bhoomi was
resurrected by the passionate devotion of Sri Chaitanya
Mahaprabhu and Mahaprabhu Vallabhacharya in the 16th
century. The patronizing rule of Akbar helped seers and
devotees redecorate the ancient Braj-bhoomi. The land
was largely green, redolent with gardens, groves and
lakes in which the Lord frolicked. As the Mughal Empire
declined, Jats and Marathas jostled for control. As it
lay on the main Dehi-Agra artery it had great strategic
value. Its strategic location ensured its location as a
centre of trade and a meeting point of the cultures. In
the beginning of the 19th century it came under British
control. They laid out a cantonment in the south and
left a cemetery and the Roman Cathoic Church of the
Sacred Heart. Today, Mathura is an important and rapidly
growing industrial city. The opening of a big oil
refinery on the outskirts of the city in 1975 caused
great concern among environmentalists that atmospheric
pollution would be carried by prevailing northwesterly
winds and irreversibly damage the Taj Mahal.
Vallabhacharya, one of the revivers of Braj, first
visited Braj in a boat at age 13. On beholding Vishram
Ghat, he spontaneously sang a paean in praise. This
song, Yamunashtakam in Sanskrit, is still well preserved
in the oral tradition of the land, and other songs which
have been handed down by greats such as Chaitanya
Mahaprabhu, Rupa Goswami, Mirabai, Suradas, Raskhan and
Jayadeva. Innumerable poets are born daily in Braj, as
devotees are stirred to sing praises of the Lord as they
experience him in Braj-bhoomi.
Festivals of Mathura
The most important festival of Mathura is Janmashtami
when the birth of Lord Krishna is celebrated with great
pomp and splendour during August. The Holi Gulal
Mahotsav is also held here in the month of March and it
celebrates Holi in an exuberant way.
Shopping in Mathura
Idols in metals, granite, sandstone and marble, silver
ornaments for deities, temple decorations, fancy fabrics
and books are in abundance in Mathura. There are various
shops that sell the traditional dresses, designer tulsi
jewellery, books on Vrindavan, Krishna and vegetarian
cuisine, wooden footwear locally called Paaduka or
Chatti and silk and batik paintings and music cassettes.
Cuisine of Mathura
The Vaishnav cuisine is without meat, onion, garlic or
liquor. Iskcon’s restaurant Govinda's offers a wonderful
menu for meals, snacks and drinks. The traditional food
of Braj-bhoomi is milk and is found in many
mouth-watering incarnations in Vrindavan. Warm kesar
milk with the wafting aroma of kesar, an expensive
flavouring from Kashmir, is great for a good night’s
sleep. Chilled lassi, a sweet yogurt drink, mattha, a
salted digestive drink, chaach buttermilk, reminds of
Krishna’s dalliance with the Braj maids for a gift of
the above. Butter is the Krishna’s all-time favourite
and offered to him for breakfast along with other sweet
goodies in all temples. Other sweets include Peda,
Rabari, Khurchan, Malai and milk-cake, all made from
cow’s milk.
Tourist Attractions in Mathura
The main tourist attractions in Mathura are the temples
and the ghats on the Yamuna river. The tourist
attractions in Mathura are the Jami Masjid, Sati Burj,
Kans Qila, Dwarkadheesh Temple and Sri Krishna
Janmasthan. The Yamuna river is a focal point for Hindu
pilgrims and a paved street runs the length of it. There
are a number of bathing ghats which leads to the water's
edge and punctuated by arched gateways and temple spires
that extend along the right bank of the river. The
Dwarkadheesh Temple is situated close to Vishram Ghat
and offers an introduction to the heart of Braj. This
temple was built in 1814 by the treasurer of Gwalior
state. Dwarkadheesh Temple is an architectural jewel,
but the barely three-feet-high black deity inside is the
show-stealer. The living deity with twinkling eyes and
naughty smiles charms visitors. The splendid temple of
Katra Keshav Dev is built over the little prison cell
and is believed to be the birthplace of Lord Krishna or
the Sri Krishna Janmasthan.
More....
How to reach Mathura
By Air:
The nearest airport is Kheria, about 62 kms. from
Mathura.
By Rail:
Mathura is situated on the main line of the Central and
Western Railways and is connected with most important
cities around the country like Agra, Delhi, Kolkata,
Mumbai, Jaipur, Kanpur and Lucknow.
By Road:
Mathura is located on the NH2 and connected with all
major cities like Lucknow, Allahabad, Varanasi, Agra and
Delhi. |
