Mathura

Located 47 km northwest of Agra, Mathura (or Brajbhoomi) is famous as the birthplace of Lord Krishna, an important deity in the Hindu religious pantheon. Mathura makes an exciting getaway if you are planning to travel to Agra. Mathura also belongs to the Agra circuit of the Golden Triangle of India i.e. Agra-Delhi-Jaipur circuit.

Travel to Lord Krishna's land, Mathura, becomes imperative to see how the Lord loved and lived his illustrious mortal life. Mathura is the centre of Brajamandala - the traditional name for Krishna country. Its original circumference was approximately 275 km, including Agra, Aligarh, Bharatpur, Kosi, etc. In this area, within a perimeter of 155 km shaped like a lotus, once heavily forested, are located Gokul, Nandgaon, Barsana, Govardhan and Vrindavan - some of the most important sites where Krishna grew up. Every inch of Brajamandala bespeaks of an association with Krishna.

Like the phoenix, Brajamandala and the legacies of Krishna have survived due to the efforts of his ardent devotees like the saint-poets Surdas, Jayadeva, Swami Haridas, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Mirabai, and Swami Prabhupada, the founder of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON).

It is worthwhile to travel to the Mathura region during your holidays in Agra for the sheer pleasure of tracing the early years of the life of Lord Krishna.