Garden of five senses. Review on Vrindavan

Visit to Vrindavan is very good for our five senses - sight, hear, smell, taste, and touch.

….:Brief Introduction:….

“Vrindavan” or “Brindavan” or “Brij” or “Vraj”** is a small town located in the Mathura district of Uttar Pradesh state. It is situated 15 kms from Mathura which is birthplace of Lord Krishna. Vrindavan is more famous among Hindu devotees than Mathura because Lord Krishna spent his childhood days in Vrindavan.

….:Am I religious?:….

I am a religious person but my belief towards the supreme power has always been restricted to the notion that God is a supreme power residing inside each one of us. So, it was very unlikely for a person like me to develop fascination with a religious place. Thanks to my family and their utmost bhakti(devotion) which resulted in frequent visits to this place and thereby initiating my fling with this magical land.

….:To me Vrindavan means:….

My love for Vrindavan is above any religious sentiments. For majority Vrindavan might be a relic but for me it is a garden of five senses.

Cloaked questions hover around

Introspecting hollowness of life

Enough to shake me out of the slumber

And plant my foot back to the ground

….:Vignettes based on my visits to Vrindavan:….

Banke Bihari Temple is the most famous temple in Vrindavan. Banke Bihari is another name of Lord Krishna. The temple is decorated with flowers on special occasions. The decorated temple is known as phool bangla. It is a treat for our eyes. The enigmatic beauty of this decoration is so powerful that the mad-in-devotion crowd fails to deter my love with this place. Here, the priest adorns your forehead with pure chandan(sandal) paste and give you a small cotton piece immersed with perfume which smells like God. The beauty of the idol leaves your eyes scattered wide. It fills you with lots of good and positive vibes.

ISKON temple is the famous hare rama hare krishna temple. This temple is not a big attraction considering the fact that it is located elsewhere as well. But that in no way would mean that the this temple is side-lined. The special feature of ISKON temples is the aartis(prayer).

Shripad Baba Gaushalais a cow home where more than 1000 cows reside. The man  who manages and owns this place is a rich businessman who has trashed the worldly  pursuit of happiness and has devoted his life to selfless service of cows.

Katyayani Devi Templeis a famous temple of Goddess Durga. The idol of Goddess Durga in this temple is spell-bounding. Just a look at the marvelous idol would give you a spark, a magical feeling which will leave you spell-bound. Legend has it that this is the Goddess which was worshipped by the gopis to seek Lord Krishna as their husbands.

Chappan Bhog is another word which is quite famous in Vrindavan. This is a ritual where 56 types of eatables or dishes are cooked and offered to Lord Krishna.

Govardhan** is a hill located near Vrindavan. This is the same hill which was lifted by the Lord Krishna to save Vrindavan and its residents from the anguish of flood. Parikrama(revolution) around this hill is considered as a holy ritual among the Hindus.

Nidhivan is a magical place. Visiting nidhivan is gonna make life changing impact on you. Yes, literally. This is a vann(forest) where Lord Krishna engaged in surreptitious raaslilas with His beloved Radha. Belief is that Lord Krishna visits this vann even now and recreates the magic of raaslila. In the crux of this vann, a room is situated where Lord Krishna and Radha rest after a session of raaslila. The proof of Their visit is that in the morning everything in the room is found as if it has been used during the night time.

Therefore, this place is open to visitors only during the daytime and no one is allowed to visit after dusk.

The story might be discarded by us as just another mythological story. But once you visit this place, you will start getting the vibes which would make you feel that the story might be true. It is really a queer experience which will reflect in your thought-process.

….:Stimulate your taste buds:….

Vrindavan is a heaven for foodies. All types of Chaats, Lassi(Curd-shake) and Dahi(curd) are not only delectable but are the types which you will not find anywhere else in India.

….:Quick tidbits:….

Gau-seva is considered as the biggest punya(good deed) in Hindu religion.

In 2006, Krishna’s idol in Baanke Bihari temple was claded in modern outfits, to be precise in denims and even the flute was replaced with a cellphone. This incident resulted in the priest getting sacked. Please follow this link for details.

https://nerve.in/news:25350018099

Raaslila is a dancing moment where Lord Krishna would take many forms and would make every Gopi believe that He is in love with her. Basically, this is a romantic kind of scene where Lord Krishna devotes himself in dance along with all the gopis.

….:Last words:….

En route to vrindavan one is sure to witness delightful scenes specially when the visit is made during rainy seasons. Visiting vrindavan is truly a heart warming experience.

*~Thanks to Swati and Monoo for goading me to come out with this one.~