Visitable Temples in Govardhan: Govardhan Hill, located 23 kilometers west of Mathura, is associated with Lord Krishna. According to legend, to defeat the pride of the great god Indra, Lord Krishna lifted this mountain like an umbrella on his fingers for seven days and nights, thereby providing relief to the residents of Braj from the deluge of rain. On the top of the hill, Seth Vallabhacharya built a temple in 1520 to honor the occasion. The city is famous for its 21 kilometer long parikrama, which circles the sacred Govardhan mountain and provides eternal benefits to the pilgrims. Let’s check out the list of 5 temples that everyone should visit in this holy place.
Visitable Temples in Govardhan
- Mansi Ganga – The sacred Mansi Ganga was earlier a very wide lake, but with time it has shrunk considerably. It is said that Radharani and Lord Krishna used to go boating on this lake. The starting and ending point of the revered Govardhan Parikrama is marked by this tank. It is associated with Lord Krishna. It is considered the most sacred of the ponds. Devotees here believe that taking a dip in the holy Mansi Ganga Kund will wash away all their sins.
- Daan-Ghati Temple – Daan-Ghati Temple is associated with a mischievous story about Lord Krishna and Radha Rani. It is believed that Lord Krishna used to collect fees from the Gopis at this place through taunts and endearing arguments.
- Kusum Sarovar – A twenty-five-minute walk from Radha Kund is the magnificent sandstone landmark, Kusuma Sarovar. The word kusum means “flower”, and in this instance the gopis were gathering flowers for Krishna. The best place in Braj Dham for swimming is Kusum Sarovar. Raja Jawahir Singh of Bharatpur built the ghat and structures over it on this pond in 1764 as a mark of gratitude to his father, Raja Suraj Mall. There is exquisite artwork on the roofs of three tombs: the main tomb of King Suraj Mall and two smaller tombs of queens Kishori and Hansiya. There is also Giriraj temple at this place.
- Radha Kund – Holy place Radha Kund is considered to be the bathing place of Lord Krishna. According to a popular legend, when Lord Krishna defeated a powerful asura (demon) manifested in the form of a bull, Radha Rani requested that Krishna atone for his crimes by bathing in several holy rivers. After dismissing this with laughter, Krishna kicked the earth, causing all the river goddesses to appear before him and cover the earth with water. Lord Krishna took bath in this pond to please Radha Rani. After bathing in Radha Kund, Lord Krishna declared that whoever bathed there would attain deep affection (prem-bhakti) towards Radharani.
- Shrinathji Ka Mukharvind, Jatipur – A large number of devotees and visitors come to this temple every day to pay respect and prayers. They offer milk and flowers to the Lord. This Shrinathji Mukharvind in Jatipura is considered to be the beginning of his Govardhan Parikrama. Positive energy and life force are always bursting at the seams in this setting.