Krishna has been always a part of my thoughts. He has been mysterious, inspirational, heroic, enigmatic and supportive to me always. I find him as a cool buddy more than Hindu God. This year I thought of knowing him about him more. Besides for a long time I have been missing a long ride on my Thunderbird. So I decided to catch him at his birthplace that is Mathura.
Though i was going there 3 days in advance of Janmashtami but weekend was more comfortable for such ride than a single day holiday.
I asked my friends for this ride, short and enjoyable. Some of them were engaged in weekend errands, others rejected the idea by listening Mathura only, as they all wanted to visit some snow peaked mountains not any religious place. Finally I decided to do it alone. Arguments with my younger sis over some matter gave me enough courage to leave city for some time. I surfed http://www.mapmyindia.com/ and found that there are 2 routes for it. One goes from Greater Noida and other one is NH2.So I decided to follow the Greater Noida route.
So on Saturday morning I arranged a Digital Camera from my friend and set off around 11 AM. It was too late but the day was cloudy so I felt a bit fortunate .I kept some fruits and a water bottle in my bag along with legal papers of the vehicle.
Wrong time, Wrong way
Greater Noida expressway is a dream road for bikers.
Earlier also I had droved on it many times. But that day I was driving a bit low as I knew that I have to go a long way. When I reached at a circle, I got confused which way to go, so I asked a native person ,”Where is the road for Mathura?”
“You are on wrong route dude. You should have gone from Badarpur border in Delhi.”
This sentence extracted all my courage .I thought, “I got screwed at the beginning only .What about the whole journey? Lets go back to home and have a sound sleep.”
But then somehow I remembered Spartans and drove back to Badarpur border. That 45 minutes drive was full of disappointment, frustration and traffic.
Maa mujhe bhookh lagi hai
I crossed Faridabad and Ballabhgarh, though I was feeling hunger badly. But for the sake of some accomplishment I halted only after Ballabhgarh. I stopped at Kake da dhaba(roadside food joint).I wanted Dhanno( mare in movie sholey, here for my bike) also to have some rest. I didn’t want to listen any whinning of Dhanno.
Green grass blue sky in this beautiful world
I continued riding for next one hour.
On both sides, green fields were spread till the horizon. Eucalyptus trees on both sides of road were providing a kind of protection from ultraviolets..I crossed Palwal and Hodal and halted at “RadheShayam’s Thadi”(Roadside tea stall).
Radheshyaam S/0 Bhagwat Dayal,
Graam Bhulwaana, Tehsil Hodal,
District Faridabad
Tea was doubtlessly amazing. It revived me for another war.
Radheshayaam was a pleasant, ignorant and innocent person away from the shrewdness of city. He told me that he bought a buffalo recently for 15K bucks which gives 12 liters milk. Though before the deal he was told that it will give 15 liters milk, but still he could manage with 12 liters. He told that he is happy being at rural place as his village has light without any power cut and water supply without bills. Amazing, Isn’t it? India is shining really.
Govinda aala re
After crossing Kosi, and driving for next 40 minutes, I reached at a crossroad where I found a board written with, “Vrindavan 6 Km, Mathura 11 Km”. I was very tired so I preferred to go to Vrindavan which later turned out an intelligent decision. It was drizzling. So I felt being welcomed in a warm manner after 220 km drive. In the way, I was stunned by the beauty of a temple named, “AkshyaPatra Krishna temple”. So I stopped and visited it.
While moving ahead I met Vivek Agarwal, who was a school guy. I gave him lift till the town. He helped me out in finding a cheaper lodging place. I stayed at Nutan Guest house at Vidyapeeth circle. This place was near to most of the temples. I asked somebody about the popular temples. There were couple of temples like “Bihariji”, “Rang ji”, ”Govindji”, “Radha-Damodar”, “Nidhivan”, “Taide kambhe ka Mandir”, “Radha-Vallabh ji”, “Sneh bihari ji”, etc.
Neo age Krishna
Vrindavan is untidy like other Indian holy places. It seems all souls from the world arrive here to shed off their sins. The narrow streets were full of people. What surprised me that here people say “Radhe-Radhe” and Radhaji[girlfriend of lord krishna ] has equal respect to Krishna. Besides all the time one can hear the sound of “Dholak and Manjire”[Classical Indian musical instruments] in background. On both sides there was local market. In front of me 2 kids aged around 12- 15 years were passing some comments to few girls doing some shopping in the local market. One of them had a bet with other guy that he will yell,”hello darling“, and the other will give him 5 bucks. It was an entertainment. They were flirting at the age of innocence.
Truth Seeker
“Bihariji Temple” is in the middle of the town. People offer lotus/rose garlands and sweets to the big boss. I too followed the same rule. When I reached the Aangan[an opened hall], it was populous. The building was old and made up of red stone. There are many tales related to the “Biharji”. Here I found that the idol is not exposed to the devotees for more than 5 minutes at a stretch. It is said that if one gazes it for longer period, then “Bihariji “would come with the devotee.
When I was tying laces of my shoes, I listened an interesting conversation. A 10 year old kid asked his grandpa,“Baba, you told me that if one gazes the idol for 20 minutes, it goes mad.”
Grandpa replied, “Off course, it is true.”
After a period, the kid replied, ”But I am still normal, I gazed it for more than 20 minutes.” Whole family burst into laughter.
I realized that children are more close to the truth and have courage to explore it rather than accepting it as it is like most of us.
The Base Vocalists
Then I moved to “Radha-Vallabh ji’s temple”. The idol here was quite real. The expressions were if he is ready to open his eyes, the very next moment. Here I was revealed to the fact why India’s most of population is starving after seeing the tummies of priests. One of them, was chewing some pan-masala. I did lose the respect for them.
I think this is the reason why god keeps on saying, ”You worship me and I will free you from pains.” So I suggest to all poor of this nation try to find out some position of priest at any religious spot and u will never starve.
While exiting the temple, I found the beggars outside, asking for money, ”Radhe- Radhe”. They had such a base in their voice that even Morrison, Hatfield, Cobain, and others would have felt inferiority complex. So finally I found the raw vocal talent pool of India.
Yeh Anna kahan hai?
I was too tired, so I decided to see finally “Rangji ka Mandir” only. It was somewhat far from the “Bihariji’s Mandir”. The streets were narrow but you would have enjoyed the walks in such streets. I asked shopkeepers, rickshaw-walla and passersby, “where is Rangji ?”Each time it reminded me of any Bollywood [Indian film industry] hero asking for the underworld don Anna. Finally when I reached at the main entrance, the guard told me, ”It is closed.” I was disappointed, ”So Anna doesn’t want to see me.” But nothing could be done, finally boss is boss. Then someone suggested me to visit “Taide kambhe ka Mandir”.
Demon is still alive
“Taide kambhe ka Mandir” is also known as “Shahji ka Mandir”.
The Architecture was more similar to the catholic church. The kind of sculpture was amazing. From priest, I came to know that it was built around 160 years ago by some merchant of Lakhnow named “Shah Biharilal”. He got it constructed when his wish for son from Bihariji was fulfilled. He got 2 sons, “Kundanlaal” and “Fundanlaan”. Names were really coooooool.
On its wall, I found nude pictures of Gopis[the girls of village gokul].I found them some provocative. Though I have respect for all gods in every religion but still I won’t deny that those pieces of art were accentuating and titillating.In fact I have found according to my experience that older civilizations were more casual about sex while here we believe in making everything a taboo.
Main bhi Maakhan khayo
In Vrindavan, you will find the best quality of milk products. I had “khurchan rabri” and the lassi 2 or 3 times. Most of the people here possess cattle. Finally after having dinner, I returned to guest house for a sound sleep (even after the presence of mosquitoes).
Morning Raga
In morning Vivek(the school guy) joined me. In the morning, I visited “Nidhi-van” and “seva-kunj”.
They are gardens where Krishna do raas[romance] with gopis at late night hours. Nobody is allowed to stay here in the night. So as usual censorship is done here also. But I found the place somewhat thorny not horny at all. But god can make even hell the heaven so may be this place would be good for raas. I joined the devotees for the morning-prayer which was quite soothing and inspiring.
The holy water
Then I left for the Yamuna(the holy river of India) with vivek. Here I saw the Kadamb-tree where Krishna stole the clothes of gopis. Many people believe that Krishna did this act just for fun, but the truth is that he wanted to teach a lesson to the gopis. He did not want the gopis to bath in river without any piece of clothing because water is a male according to the Hindu mythology.
I enjoyed a ride in the boat. If one visits Vrindavan, it should visit Yamuna river in morning. It was really a beauty worth watching.
I came to see the KeshiGhaat where Krishna killed a demon named,”Keshi” who was the brother of his uncle “Kans”.
Will be back
Some other temples which I could not see were “Sneh Bihari ji”, “Iskon” and “Rangji”.
It was a sunny day, so I decided to move to delhi. After having “poori sabzi” as breakfast, I left the guest house. Though I did not want to leave Vrindavan incomplete, but one has always to move on. I was feeling somewhat connected to the Vrindavan corridors and its streets.I would say that if you visit this place, either you would not like it because of its untidiness or you will fall in love with it. People here say that Krishna here resides in every molecule. I felt blessed feeling his presence in every breath, in every scene and in every face.
Hope to see Vrindavan again.
Shabba khair and happy Krishna Janmashtami.
So here is metallica for You
Though i was going there 3 days in advance of Janmashtami but weekend was more comfortable for such ride than a single day holiday.
I asked my friends for this ride, short and enjoyable. Some of them were engaged in weekend errands, others rejected the idea by listening Mathura only, as they all wanted to visit some snow peaked mountains not any religious place. Finally I decided to do it alone. Arguments with my younger sis over some matter gave me enough courage to leave city for some time. I surfed http://www.mapmyindia.com/ and found that there are 2 routes for it. One goes from Greater Noida and other one is NH2.So I decided to follow the Greater Noida route.
So on Saturday morning I arranged a Digital Camera from my friend and set off around 11 AM. It was too late but the day was cloudy so I felt a bit fortunate .I kept some fruits and a water bottle in my bag along with legal papers of the vehicle.
Wrong time, Wrong way
Greater Noida expressway is a dream road for bikers.
Earlier also I had droved on it many times. But that day I was driving a bit low as I knew that I have to go a long way. When I reached at a circle, I got confused which way to go, so I asked a native person ,”Where is the road for Mathura?”
“You are on wrong route dude. You should have gone from Badarpur border in Delhi.”
This sentence extracted all my courage .I thought, “I got screwed at the beginning only .What about the whole journey? Lets go back to home and have a sound sleep.”
But then somehow I remembered Spartans and drove back to Badarpur border. That 45 minutes drive was full of disappointment, frustration and traffic.
Maa mujhe bhookh lagi hai
I crossed Faridabad and Ballabhgarh, though I was feeling hunger badly. But for the sake of some accomplishment I halted only after Ballabhgarh. I stopped at Kake da dhaba(roadside food joint).I wanted Dhanno( mare in movie sholey, here for my bike) also to have some rest. I didn’t want to listen any whinning of Dhanno.
Green grass blue sky in this beautiful world
I continued riding for next one hour.On both sides, green fields were spread till the horizon. Eucalyptus trees on both sides of road were providing a kind of protection from ultraviolets..I crossed Palwal and Hodal and halted at “RadheShayam’s Thadi”(Roadside tea stall).
Radheshyaam S/0 Bhagwat Dayal,
Graam Bhulwaana, Tehsil Hodal,
District Faridabad
Tea was doubtlessly amazing. It revived me for another war.Radheshayaam was a pleasant, ignorant and innocent person away from the shrewdness of city. He told me that he bought a buffalo recently for 15K bucks which gives 12 liters milk. Though before the deal he was told that it will give 15 liters milk, but still he could manage with 12 liters. He told that he is happy being at rural place as his village has light without any power cut and water supply without bills. Amazing, Isn’t it? India is shining really.
Govinda aala re
After crossing Kosi, and driving for next 40 minutes, I reached at a crossroad where I found a board written with, “Vrindavan 6 Km, Mathura 11 Km”. I was very tired so I preferred to go to Vrindavan which later turned out an intelligent decision. It was drizzling. So I felt being welcomed in a warm manner after 220 km drive. In the way, I was stunned by the beauty of a temple named, “AkshyaPatra Krishna temple”. So I stopped and visited it.
While moving ahead I met Vivek Agarwal, who was a school guy. I gave him lift till the town. He helped me out in finding a cheaper lodging place. I stayed at Nutan Guest house at Vidyapeeth circle. This place was near to most of the temples. I asked somebody about the popular temples. There were couple of temples like “Bihariji”, “Rang ji”, ”Govindji”, “Radha-Damodar”, “Nidhivan”, “Taide kambhe ka Mandir”, “Radha-Vallabh ji”, “Sneh bihari ji”, etc.
Neo age Krishna
Vrindavan is untidy like other Indian holy places. It seems all souls from the world arrive here to shed off their sins. The narrow streets were full of people. What surprised me that here people say “Radhe-Radhe” and Radhaji[girlfriend of lord krishna ] has equal respect to Krishna. Besides all the time one can hear the sound of “Dholak and Manjire”[Classical Indian musical instruments] in background. On both sides there was local market. In front of me 2 kids aged around 12- 15 years were passing some comments to few girls doing some shopping in the local market. One of them had a bet with other guy that he will yell,”hello darling“, and the other will give him 5 bucks. It was an entertainment. They were flirting at the age of innocence.
Truth Seeker
“Bihariji Temple” is in the middle of the town. People offer lotus/rose garlands and sweets to the big boss. I too followed the same rule. When I reached the Aangan[an opened hall], it was populous. The building was old and made up of red stone. There are many tales related to the “Biharji”. Here I found that the idol is not exposed to the devotees for more than 5 minutes at a stretch. It is said that if one gazes it for longer period, then “Bihariji “would come with the devotee.
When I was tying laces of my shoes, I listened an interesting conversation. A 10 year old kid asked his grandpa,“Baba, you told me that if one gazes the idol for 20 minutes, it goes mad.”
Grandpa replied, “Off course, it is true.”
After a period, the kid replied, ”But I am still normal, I gazed it for more than 20 minutes.” Whole family burst into laughter.
I realized that children are more close to the truth and have courage to explore it rather than accepting it as it is like most of us.
The Base Vocalists
Then I moved to “Radha-Vallabh ji’s temple”. The idol here was quite real. The expressions were if he is ready to open his eyes, the very next moment. Here I was revealed to the fact why India’s most of population is starving after seeing the tummies of priests. One of them, was chewing some pan-masala. I did lose the respect for them.
I think this is the reason why god keeps on saying, ”You worship me and I will free you from pains.” So I suggest to all poor of this nation try to find out some position of priest at any religious spot and u will never starve.
While exiting the temple, I found the beggars outside, asking for money, ”Radhe- Radhe”. They had such a base in their voice that even Morrison, Hatfield, Cobain, and others would have felt inferiority complex. So finally I found the raw vocal talent pool of India.
Yeh Anna kahan hai?
I was too tired, so I decided to see finally “Rangji ka Mandir” only. It was somewhat far from the “Bihariji’s Mandir”. The streets were narrow but you would have enjoyed the walks in such streets. I asked shopkeepers, rickshaw-walla and passersby, “where is Rangji ?”Each time it reminded me of any Bollywood [Indian film industry] hero asking for the underworld don Anna. Finally when I reached at the main entrance, the guard told me, ”It is closed.” I was disappointed, ”So Anna doesn’t want to see me.” But nothing could be done, finally boss is boss. Then someone suggested me to visit “Taide kambhe ka Mandir”.
Demon is still alive
“Taide kambhe ka Mandir” is also known as “Shahji ka Mandir”.
The Architecture was more similar to the catholic church. The kind of sculpture was amazing. From priest, I came to know that it was built around 160 years ago by some merchant of Lakhnow named “Shah Biharilal”. He got it constructed when his wish for son from Bihariji was fulfilled. He got 2 sons, “Kundanlaal” and “Fundanlaan”. Names were really coooooool.On its wall, I found nude pictures of Gopis[the girls of village gokul].I found them some provocative. Though I have respect for all gods in every religion but still I won’t deny that those pieces of art were accentuating and titillating.In fact I have found according to my experience that older civilizations were more casual about sex while here we believe in making everything a taboo.
Main bhi Maakhan khayo
In Vrindavan, you will find the best quality of milk products. I had “khurchan rabri” and the lassi 2 or 3 times. Most of the people here possess cattle. Finally after having dinner, I returned to guest house for a sound sleep (even after the presence of mosquitoes).
Morning Raga
In morning Vivek(the school guy) joined me. In the morning, I visited “Nidhi-van” and “seva-kunj”.
They are gardens where Krishna do raas[romance] with gopis at late night hours. Nobody is allowed to stay here in the night. So as usual censorship is done here also. But I found the place somewhat thorny not horny at all. But god can make even hell the heaven so may be this place would be good for raas. I joined the devotees for the morning-prayer which was quite soothing and inspiring.
The holy water
Then I left for the Yamuna(the holy river of India) with vivek. Here I saw the Kadamb-tree where Krishna stole the clothes of gopis. Many people believe that Krishna did this act just for fun, but the truth is that he wanted to teach a lesson to the gopis. He did not want the gopis to bath in river without any piece of clothing because water is a male according to the Hindu mythology.
I enjoyed a ride in the boat. If one visits Vrindavan, it should visit Yamuna river in morning. It was really a beauty worth watching.
I came to see the KeshiGhaat where Krishna killed a demon named,”Keshi” who was the brother of his uncle “Kans”.
Will be back
Some other temples which I could not see were “Sneh Bihari ji”, “Iskon” and “Rangji”.
It was a sunny day, so I decided to move to delhi. After having “poori sabzi” as breakfast, I left the guest house. Though I did not want to leave Vrindavan incomplete, but one has always to move on. I was feeling somewhat connected to the Vrindavan corridors and its streets.I would say that if you visit this place, either you would not like it because of its untidiness or you will fall in love with it. People here say that Krishna here resides in every molecule. I felt blessed feeling his presence in every breath, in every scene and in every face.
Hope to see Vrindavan again.
Shabba khair and happy Krishna Janmashtami.
So here is metallica for You
| Metallica-Turn The... |
1 comment:
i simply loveee ur post ..it brought back all the memories when i last visited thakurji in vrindavan 6months back ....n its really exausting travelling from delhi to vrindavan n tht too in hot sunny day ...but u should try meethi lassi of vrindavan in banke bhihari ji galli:) its just heaven drinking it with lots of white butter on it :))
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