Vrindavan closely associated with Krishna the Divine Cowherd is a town that exists more in mythology and legend and in the popular imagination of the people. It is the place where Lord Krishna spent his early childhood, where he cavorted with the gopis (milkmaids) in the forests. The forests are gone and the river has shifted its course but Krishna lives on.
Of Vrindavan's over 4000 temples, the most important and oldest is the Govind Dev Temple built in 1590 by Mughal Emperor Akbar's General, Raja Man Singh of Jaipur. Once seven stories high (the upper 4 destroyed by Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb) it combines western Hindu and Muslim architectural features. The Krishna idol was moved to Jaipur. Each of the other temples has a unique feature. The Shahji Temple is famous for its sculpture and twelve single piece 15 feet spiral marble columns. The Basanti Kamra in it's eastern wing has spectacular Belgian glass chandeliers and rare paintings.
Vrindavan's longest temple, the Rangaji Temple has a main gate in the Rajput style and a 500 feet tall gold plated Dhwaja Stambha (flag pole). This temple is built in the South Indian style. In March/April the Brahmotsav is celebrated with the pulling of the Rath (chariot) from the temple to the gardens near by.
The Madan Mohan Temple near the Kali Ghat is the oldest temple in Vrindavan. The Banke Bihari temple is the most popular. The image of Banke Bihari was found in the Nidhi Van nearby and installed in the temple.
The Radha Vallab Temple has the crown of Radha (Krishna's friend) placed next to Krishna's Idol in the sanctum santorum. The Jaipur Temple has fine carvings in sandstone and is dedicated to Radha-Madhav.
The Sri Krishna-Balram Temple built by the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) is a beautiful new temple. The other Temples are the Jugal Kishore, the Shrji, the Meerabai and the Lal Babu. The ghats like Kesighat, Rajghat, Kaliya Ghat and Varah and Chir Ghat are also visited by pilgrims. As per legend Krishna danced the Raas with Radha and the Gopis on the banks of the River Jumna at Vrindavan and it came to be known as Raaslila (divine episodes of his life) The Raaslila is of particular significance during festival of which there are many in Vrindavan. In fact every day is a festival, when chanting and dancing and singing is heard everywhere. Some festivals are more important like Janamashtmi (Krishna's birth) Holi and Basant.
Basant is the festival of spring (2 February this year) when yellow flowers are abloom in the fields and there is a new awaking and a new energy everywhere. The festival is celebrated with song and dance and flying of kites. People wear yellow clothes and yellow coloured food is cooked and eaten. In Vrindavan, Basant is celebrated with great enthusiasm and with sanjhee, the colourful art of decorating the ground with flowers as Krishna once did to please Radha. Rasiyas (folk songs) ring out describing the love of the divine couple, Radha and Krishna and become an inseparable part of Basant in Vrindavan.
Vrindavan lies 15km/10miles from Mathura and 150km/100 miles from Delhi.