Visit to Barsana -Radha Rani Temple -Mathura

Radha-rani temple at Barsana

17th August 2014- Decided to explore the village of Radha Rani. It is about 20 km toward"Govardhan mountain. This place almost looks like a palace more than  temple. It is said that Barsana is the birth place of Radha Rani.It is located on the hilltop and you get the perfect view of Mathura.

Lathmar Holi - Firstpost Picture

Barsana is famous for Lathmaar Holi.The men from NandGaon comes to Barsana to perform pooja, it is here the  ladies hit the men with sticks and men protect themselves with shield. They exchange colors and enjoy the day dancing.
The road towards Barsana is very beautiful ( Mustard plant field) and you can definitely spot Egyptian Vulture here. The roads are not well maintained and so the scooty ride was bumpy. Winter is the best time to visit  Barsana, as the premises gets too hot and you need to climb a lot of stairs.

P.s. I never had  guts to visit these places during  Holi festival  even though I lived there.

Did you visit Mathura during Holi festival? Do share your story here how you attempt to manage the crowd and participated in the festival.

Iskcon Temple Vrindavan

 From my Journal ( 2014 Aug)

Vrindavan is full of temples !! Every nook and corner you will see a temple of  Lord Radha Krishna. Iskcon Temple is one of the tourist spot in Vrindavan. This temple is 10 minutes from Prem Mandir. When you are visiting Mathura Vrindavan make sure you have this temple in your list. I always tag Iskcon temples as temple for foreigners.Iskcon temple whether in Vrindavan or West Bengal is all about glitz and glam. Before entering we had to deposited our shoes,leather items. There is no entry fees for entering this temple.

The Marble Structure

Almost all Iskcon temples are built using white marbles.  As we entered the main area I saw foreigners wearing Chaniya Choli  and dancing on the tune of Hare Krishna Hare Rama.  I was in a trance for sometime. I sat there and enjoyed the lovely spiritual moment. It actually refreshed me.  At 7 pm they had their evening aarti. Women of all age  danced and played various musical instrument.

The main Temple

They have a canteen  where they serve pasta and pizza and various milk products ( it's not free of course). The temple opens early in the morning and in the afternoon it is closed.It opens again at 4.30 pm till 8.30pm.  Evening gets crowded and you can have problem parking your car. So it's better if you can visit it in the morning.Just close to Iskcon temple ,there is the famous Banke Bihari temple and Nidhivan but beware of the monkeys they are  real scary !

 Travel Tips:

From Delhi, Vrindavan is 185 km and takes around 3 hours . Take the Yamuna Express to shorten your journey. A stay at Mathura is a must if you want to do Mathura Vrindavan Agra sight seeing. If you are planing to visit Jaipur start from Delhi -Visit Agra Mathura Vrindavan  and then  Jaipur.  2 nights Mathura Vrindavan  and 2 night Jaipur is good enough. A whole day is need for Taj Mahal visit and an entire day for Vrindavan and Mathura Sightseeing. Hiring a car is a must for sightseeing or you might end up carrying your feet on your head!

Staying at Mathura is a good option .One of  my favorite hotel was Brijwasi .It is close to the Janmabhoomi. From Mathura -Vrindavan is app 12Km.

Beautiful Prem Mandir , Vrindavan

Fill your mind with me, Love me, Serve me, Worship me always. Seeking me in your heart, you will at last be united with me - Lord Krishna

Prem Mandir 

If you are in Delhi and planning for a trip to Agra and its surrounding areas, keep some time in your hand and make sure you visit the Prem Mandir in Vrindavan. This beautiful temple will make you forget Taj Mahal. Trust me, I am not exaggerating !  This Incredible temple is known as the Temple of Love.It is located in Vrindavan. As I was living in the holy city of Mathura (near Janmabhoomi)  weekend visit to the temple was a must for me! I was so much in love with Prem Mandir. It was about 12 km from Mathura and my  " Dhanno" (scooty ) was always ready for such road trips.

Lord Krishna and Radha with Gopiya

 Who says that fine artists were only found during the Mughal era?This temple will prove you wrong.Made up of Italian Marble, Prem Mandir was built by 1000 of artisans working for 10 long years. The whole temple depicts the story of Lord Krishna engraved beautifully on the marble walls.

Beautiful Chandelier inside the temple

 The chandeliers will make you awestruck with enchantment and the idols of Lord Krishna,  and Lord Ram will make you experience the love of Lord- in the true form of devotion. They are beautifully dressed and heavily ornamented. 

Lord Krishna and Radha

Siya Ram

I usually stay back till 7 in the evening  just to see the aarti.  The temple has been maintained very well. You need to keep your shoes in the shoe counter before entering the temple premises. By dusk the temple gets brightly lit with different colors of light. They are no "Pandas"  to bug your life out. No one will bother you for donations. A soothing breeze and a quiet  humming of Hare Krishna Hare rama from the temple will bring inner peace to your mind.

Evening time-when the temple looks colourful

Beside Prem Mandir you can also visits places like Banke Bihari Temple, Vaishno Mata Temple,and  Iskon Temple.They are all lined up one after the another.

Mandir Timing :  Morning : 8.30 -12 noon
                             Evening: 4.30-8.30pm