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THE PLACES OF KRISHNA’S PASTIMES SURROUNDING GOVARDHAN

Kamlesh Tripathi

Krishna had performed his pastimes in many places surrounding Govardhan Parvat (Hill). Noted personage Sri Raghava took Srinivasa and Narottama (icons of the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition) to see places near Govardhan where young Krishna performed his pastimes, and he described it to them one by one. It commences with Kusum-Sarovar, a famous pastime spot of Radha & Krishna. Followed by Narad-Kund, where Narad Muni fulfilled his desires by performing tapasya.

At Ratna-simhasana, Radha is depicted sitting on a throne. Even the incident behind Krishna’s killing of the demon Sankhachuda took place here.

Pali is a beautiful garden in which Palita-Yuthesvari (Queen Gopi) used to stay. Sri Krishna enjoyed himself with his friends in the holy place called Ata-grama. In a place called Indra-dhvaja-bedi, Nandaraja used to worship Indra. It was here that Sri Krishna would tend his cows and call each one by the melody of his flute.

Papamochan, also known as Sankarsana-kund, is famous for its sanctity. By bathing here, a person will be freed from all vices.

In the Parasauli-gram, Radha & Krishna enacted their Rasa-Yatra in the Vasant season. At Chandra-Sarovar, Lord Krishna took rest in his rasa-dress. In the beautiful Gandharva-kund, the Gandharvas were overwhelmed by Krishna’s beautiful songs.

The devotional hymn from Stavavali and Goverdhan-asraya-dasaka describes how Radha danced with Krishna in the Rasa-sthali.

In the village of Paitha, when Krishna once hid from the gopis, they all began looking for him. Soon, Krishna appeared before the gopis in his Chaturbhuja (four hands) form. But when Radha arrived, his two hands merged back into his body, signifying that Radha and Krishna were one.

Pleasant pastimes also happened in Gauri-tirtha. The place within Gauri-tirtha is called Nipa-kund, because it is surrounded by beautiful nipa, or kadamb, trees.

The next village, Aniyora, is situated on the Govardhan Hill (Giriraj). It is famously known as the site of the original Annakuta festival, where Lord Krishna lifted the Govardhan hill to protect the villagers and ate their offerings, demanding more by saying “Aniyora!”

The sacred place called Govinda-kund has many milestones to it. It is located near Aniyora village, and it was only here that God Indra bathed Lord Krishna with Ganges water and milk to seek Krishna’s forgiveness.

Vraja-Vilasa-stava (A collection of prayers) says, Indra took hold of the lotus feet of Lord Krishna, in the company of a surabhi cow, and performed his coronation by bathing him with the waters of the Ganges River.

The sacred lake Dana-Nivartana-kund is also located here on the right side of the Govardhana Hill parikrama path. Dana-nivartana-kunda is named after the dana-keli playful pastime, which Krishna enjoyed. It relates to the collection of taxes from Gopis. Vaishnava ascetic Madhavendra Puri stayed here under a tree, and Gopala gave darshan to him on the pretext of bringing him milk. At the end of Govardhan is the Apsara-kund. People who take a bath here are considered very lucky. There are the old palasa trees here. This secluded place is called Syama-dhaka.

The footprint of the divine white elephant Airavata, belonging to Lord Indra, can be seen on the sacred rocks of Govardhan Parvat. After his defeat, Indra described the glories of Lord Krishna’s mercy from here.

The Surabhi Kund is a highly revered, ancient sacred water tank and pilgrimage site situated on the Govardhan Parikrama Marg. Established by Maharaja Vajranabh (Lord Krishna’s great-grandson), it is the spot where the Surabhi cow (Kamadhenu) fed Krishna milk to appease his anger.

Rudra-kund is another beautiful and secluded forest where Mahadeva sat in meditation. Legend has it that it was formed by the tears of Lord Shiva, who was so overwhelmed while meditating on Lord Krishna’s pastimes that he wept profusely.

Kadam-Khandi is a sacred, secluded forest grove located in Kamyavan, Rajasthan, in the Braj region. It is a revered place for meditation and is closely associated with the pastimes of Lord Krishna and Radha. In Dana-ghati, Lord Krishna took a share of the milk products from Radha while his friends blocked her way.

Brahma-kund is also situated in Govardhan. It is described in the Mathura-khand. After bathing here, Brahma satisfied Lord Hari. Indra and the other planetary rulers created other lakes nearby.

On the eastern side is Indra-tirtha, on the south is Yama-tirtha, on the west is Varuna-tirtha, and on the north is Kuvera-tirtha. Krishna enjoyed his pastimes in these locations.

In Manasa-ganga, Krishna enjoyed his ecstatic boat pastimes. Vraja-Vilasa-stava gives a pristine description of Manasa-ganga, which lies on the side of the Govardhan Parvat. The waves of the river splash against the splendid rocks, lining its shores.

Situated 26 kilometres west of Mathura. The mere sight of Govardhan Hill and its circumambulation rids one of his material miseries. Govardhan Hill gives unlimited pleasure to Lord Krishna, who lifted the hill with his left hand to curb the pride of Indra and protect the Braj-vasis.

The Adi-varaha Purana says, ‘Two yojanas (sixteen miles) west of Mathura is the rare teertha named Govardhan. A person who circumambulates this place, named Annakuta-tirtha, does not return to this world. After bathing in Manasa-ganga and seeking darshan of the Deity of Harideva on the Govardhan Hill, and circumambulating Annakuta-tirtha, no heart can remain unhappy. To protect the cows distressed by Indra’s torrential rains, I lifted the Govardhana Hill.’

The Skanda Purana, Mathura-khand, says that Govardhana Hill is an incarnation of the Supreme God. When the Lord lifted the hill, all the people of Braj were saved from Indra’s torrential rains. Lord Vishnu stays eternally on Govardhan. Brahma, Siva, and Laksmi also reside there. There is no doubt about this.

Written and posted by Kamlesh Tripathi

Author, Poet, & Columnist

https://kamleshsujata.wordpress.com

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GOVARDHAN PARIKRAMA

Kamlesh Tripathi

The Parikrama that starts from Govardhan Daan Ghati Mandir via Anyur, Puchhari, and Jatipura, and returns to Govardhan, is called Badi Parikrama and covers a distance of 12 km. The Parikrama from Govardhan via Uddhav Kund, Radhakund, and Kusum Sarovar, and then back to Govardhan, is called Chhoti Parikrama, which is 9 km long. The majority of the 21 km circumambulation takes place in the Mathura district. The parikrama path crosses into the Deeg district of Rajasthan, notably near the Poonchri Ka Lautha temple and the surrounding areas.

Badi Parikrama:

1. Daan Ghati Mandir

Danghati Govardhan Temple is the starting point of the Govardhan Parikrama. It is said that through this place all the Gopis of Braj used to go to pay the butter tax to King Kansa, and it was here that the butter thief Kanha used to take donations of butter and curd along with his cowherd hair. It was Kanha’s love that forced him to ask for Daan from his devotees. Due to this reason for taking Daan, it is known as Daanghati. This beautiful Leela has been described in the book Danakeli Kaumudi.

2. Sankarshan Kund

Sankarshan Kund is a sacred water body located in Anyor village near Govardhan Parvat, in Uttar Pradesh, along the Parikrama Marg, dedicated to Lord Balarama (Sankarshan), the elder brother of Krishna. It is considered a crucial heritage site in Braj, where a deity of Balram was reportedly found 5,000 years ago, and bathing here is believed to absolve one of his sins. It is situated in Anyor village, near Govardhan Giri, Uttar Pradesh. Named after Lord Balarama (Sankarshan), representing his role as a source of strength and companionship to Krishna in Braj. It is believed that the deity of Dauji (Balarama) was found in this kund and installed by Sri Vajranabh, the great-grandson of Lord Krishna.

3. Poonchari ka Lautha

Poonchari ka Lautha (or Punchari Lotha) is a highly revered temple on the 21-kilometre Govardhan Parikrama marg. Poonchari ka Lotha is said to be the friend of Lord Shri Krishna. This place is small, but its importance is very high. There is a belief in this place that every devotee must come here. Otherwise, the Goverdhan Parikrama is not considered complete. It is believed that whoever comes here for the Parikrama of Goverdhan ji, all his wishes are fulfilled.

4. Shri Nath Ji Temple

The next place in the Goverdhan Parikrama is the Shri Nath Temple. This temple tells the story of Radha and Krishna’s divine love. To reach here, you will have to go over the hill of Giriraj Ji.

5. Indraman Bhang

This is the place where Devraj Indra came with his elephant Airavat, and as its name suggests, this is the same place where Indra Dev’s honour was brought down. The footprints of the Airavat elephant are still visible here. You can see these signs near the Maan Bhang temple.

6. Jatipura Temple

The next stop in the Goverthan Parikrama is the Jatipura Temple. It is believed that the face of Lord Krishna can be seen here. After reaching Jatipura, devotees offer Prasad because the Prasad of this temple is said to be of great importance during the parikrama. Here you can see the faces of Shri Krishna and his elder brother Balram at the mouth of Lord Giriraj ji. That is why there is a tradition of offering Chhappan Bhog here.

This was the Govardhan Parikrama route of the Badi Parikrama (Daan Ghati Mandir to Jatipura Temple) of Govardhan Parvat, along with the religious beliefs related to it.

Chhoti Parikrama

The Chhoti Parikrama of Govardhan Parvat is 9 km long. It starts after Jatipura Mukharbind. The first point of Chhoti Parikrama is the Laxmi Narayan Mandir, Govardhan.

1. Laxmi Narayan Mandir

After the fulfilment of a wish, Dhudh ki Parikrama is undertaken from the Lakshminarayan Govardhan temple. The Deity present in the temple is considered a symbol of wealth, happiness and prosperity. All the devotees coming for the Govardhan Parvat Parikrama start the puja at the Lakshmi Narayan temple before the parikrama.

2. Uddhava Kunda

On the Chhoti Parikrama route, the next place is Uddhava Kunda, which is situated on the right side of the Parikrama Marg, just west of Govardhan. This Kunda (pond) has been described in detail in our Puranas. According to religious belief, Uddhav ji comforted the Mahishis of Dwarka at this place.

3. Radha Kund

The next spot on the Chhoti Parikrama is Radha Kund. The story of Radha Kund is related to Shri Krishna’s cow grazing. When demon Arishtasura came to know that Kanha comes here often, he reached there in the guise of a calf. And when Arishtasura, in the guise of a calf, came forward to attack Shri Krishna, he killed the demon disguised as a calf.

4. Shyam Kunda

After Radha Kund comes the Shyam Kund. Shyam Kund is the same place where the Pandavas came during their exile. When Shri Krishna dug a pond with his flute and took a bath in it to be free from the sin of cow slaughter, Radha ji also dug a pond nearby with her bracelet, which is called Shyam Kund.

5. Kusum Sarovar

Shyam Kund is followed by Kusum Sarovar. It is located 2 km away from Goverdhan in Mathura. It is 60 feet deep and 450 feet long. There are many mythological stories attached to Kusum Sarovar, one of which is related to Radha and Krishna. It is said that Lord Krishna used to come to this place secretly to meet Radha Rani. Radha Rani and her friend used to go to Kusum Sarovar to pick flowers for Shri Krishna. The beauty of Kusum Sarovar is exceptional. There are stairs around Kusum Sarovar, Govardhan. Its beauty itself attracts people to this place. The people residing here believe that this lake contains Paras stone and Nagmani, due to which this lake is mysterious.

6. Kaan Wale Baba

The temple of Kaan Wale Baba, which is on the way to Chhoti Parikrama, is very famous. Stories of the miracles of this temple are famous throughout Braj. This temple is home to Giriraj Ji, who has a remarkable stone ear. Devotees come to this temple while doing parikrama and whisper their wishes in the ears of Giriraj Ji Maharaj.

7. Mansi Ganga

The Chhoti Parikrama ends at Mansi Ganga Mukharbind. Mansi Ganga is situated in the middle of Govardhan village. While doing Parikrama, Mansi Ganga falls on the right side, while returning from Poonchari, we see it on the left side. The story of Ganga becoming Mansi Ganga is such that once Nand Baba, Yashoda and all the Braj residents decided to take a bath in the Ganga, they started their journey. By the time everyone reached Goverdhan, it was already evening. Nand Ji thought of making it his resting place and spending the night there.

While spending the night here, the thought came to Shri Krishna’s mind that all the places of pilgrimage reside in Braj Dham, but the people of Braj are unaware of its great glory. As soon as such a thought came to Shri Krishna’s mind, Ganga Ji appeared in her mortal form at the foothills of Giriraj Ji. In the morning, when the people of Braj saw Ganga Ji in the Giriraj foothills, they were all surprised.

Seeing everyone surprised, Shri Krishna said that all the pilgrims from the three worlds come here to serve Brajbhoomi, and that you all are leaving Braj to bathe in the Ganga. This is why Mother Ganga herself has arrived here in the form of Mansi Ganga on the Amavasya of the Kartik month.

Rules of Govardhan Parikrama (17/5/26)

You need to know the rules of performing Govardhan Parikrama.

Before starting the Parikrama of Govardhan, first offer respects to Mount Govardhan and end the Parikrama at the same place from where you started.
It is believed that anyone who wants to start the parikrama must bathe in the Mansi Ganga.
Also, keep in mind that you should never leave the parikrama incomplete, midway.