Govardhan | |
---|---|
Coordinates: 27°30′N77°28′E / 27.5°N 77.47°E | |
Country | India |
State | Uttar Pradesh |
District | Mathura |
Elevation | 179 m (587 ft) |
Population (2011) [1] | |
• Total | 22,576 |
Languages | |
• Official | Hindi |
• Native | Braj Bhasha dialect |
Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
PIN | 281502 [2] |
Vehicle registration | UP-85 |
Govardhan also called Giriraj, is a key pilgrimage centre in India and a municipal town; a nagar panchayat; seat of an MLA (Member of Legislative Assembly) of Uttar Pradesh; a Tehsil, in Mathura district in India in the state of Uttar Pradesh. About 23 kilometres from Mathura, the town is on the road link between Mathura and Deeg. [3]
Govardhana is located at 27°30′N77°28′E / 27.5°N 77.47°E . [4] It has an average elevation of 179 metres (587 feet). Govardhana has been made Tehsil in Mathura District by the Uttar Pradesh government.
In the 2011 Indian Census, Govardhana had a population of 22,576. Males constituted 55% of the population and females 45%. Govardhana has an average literacy rate of 62%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 70%, and female literacy is 52%. In Govardhana, 17% of the population is under 6 years of age. [1]
Each year Hindus and other people make pilgrimage to Govardhan, and its sacred Govardhan Hill, from different places in India and other parts of the world. They circumambulate Govardhan and offer their obeisances to Krishna and Radha, key deities in Hinduism. One of the main festivals celebrated at Govardhan is Govardhan Puja, that commemorates the lifting of Govardhan Hill (Giriraj Parvat) to protect the villagers of Braj from the flood caused by the Lord of thunder and rain, Indra. [5] [3] One of the most important day celebrated at Govardhan is Guru Poornima (also called "Mudia Poono").[ citation needed ] Following the festival of lights, or Diwali, the previous day, devotees come to Govardhan for parikrama. [5]
Sites on the hill include Kusum Sarovar, Haridev Temple, [3] and other temples like Daan-Ghati Temple and Mukharbind Temple. The town is also famous for its 21 kilometers long Parikrama of the famous Govardhan Hill.
The town also houses Mansi Ganga, a close-ended lake. [3] On the banks of this sacred lake, there are quite a few temples, prominent among them the Mukharbind temple.[ citation needed ]
On the Govardhan Parikrama path on the western bank of 130 sqm sacred artificial lake Kusum Sarovar (Kusum kund) there are three Chhatris housing the samadhis of Jat ruler Maharaja Suraj Mal (r. 1755 – 25 December 1763) and 2 his wives, all of these memorials were built by his son and successor Maharaja Jawahar Singh. [6] [7] The architecture and carving is in the pierced stone style and the ceiling of cenotaphs are adorned with the beautiful painting of life of lord Krishna and Maharajs Suraj Mal's court. [6] [7] Most imposing chattri is of Mahara Suraj Mal, flanked on either side by two smaller chattris of his two wives, "Maharani Hansiya" and "Maharani Kishori". [7] Maharaj Suraj Mal is well known for capturing Red Fort in 1754 CE after defeating the forces of Mughal king Ahmad Shah Bahadur. [8] [9]
Govardhan is located about 150 kilometres (93 mi) from Delhi, where the airport is located. A railway station is located at Mathura, where taxis can be hired to reach the town, [5] which is about 23 kilometres (14 mi) away. There are also tourist buses [3] and a single line electric train for the journey from Mathura. [10]
Braj, also known as Vraj, Vraja, Brij or Brijbhumi, is a region in India on both sides of the Yamuna river with its centre at Mathura-Vrindavan in Uttar Pradesh state encompassing the area which also includes Palwal, Ballabhgarh and Nuh in Haryana state, Deeg, Bharatpur, Karauli, and Dholpur in Rajasthan state and Morena District in Madhya Pradesh. Within Uttar Pradesh, it is very well demarcated culturally, the area stretches from the Mathura, Aligarh, Agra, Hathras and districts up to the Farrukhabad, Mainpuri and Etah districts. Braj region is associated with Radha and Krishna who according to scriptures were born in Barsana and Mathura respectively. It is the main centre of Krishna circuit of Hindu pilgrimage.
Vrindavan, also spelt Vrindaban and Brindaban, is a historical city in the Mathura district of Uttar Pradesh, India. It is located in the Braj Bhoomi region and holds religious importance for Hindus who believe that Krishna, one of the main deities in Hinduism, spent most of his childhood in this city. Vrindavan has about 5,500 temples dedicated to the worship of Krishna and his chief consort Radha.
Suraj Mal was a Jat ruler of Bharatpur in present-day state of Rajasthan. Under him, the Jat rule covered the present-day districts of Agra, Aligarh, Bharatpur, Dholpur, Alwar Etawa, Hathras, Mainpuri, Meerut, Ghaziabad, Mathura, and Rohtak, Sonipat, Rewari, Jhajjar, Gurugram, Nuh, Palwal, Faridabad, Kasganj, Mainpuri, Firozabad, Bulandshahr.
Chhatri are semi-open, elevated, dome-shaped pavilions used as an element in Indo-Islamic architecture and Indian architecture. They are most commonly square, octagonal, and round. Originating as a canopy above tombs, they largely serve as decorative elements as opposed to functional elements. The earliest examples of chhatri being used in the Indian Subcontinent were found in the Shrine of Ibrahim in Bhadreswar, constructed between 1159 and 1175 AD.
Mathura district situated along the banks of the river Yamuna is a district of Uttar Pradesh state of north-central India. The historic city of Mathura is the district headquarters. Mathura district is home to many important sites associated with goddess Radha and Lord Krishna, who was born in Mathura and grew up in the nearby town of Vrindavan. Both cities are some of the most sacred sites in the Vaishnava tradition, making Mathura district an important Hindu pilgrimage centre.
Kumher is a historical town and land of Yaduvanshi Sinsinwars the initial name of this town was Kuber. It is located in Deeg District of Rajasthan, India.
Govardhana Hill, also called Mount Govardhana and Giriraj, is a sacred Hindu site in the Mathura district of Uttar Pradesh, India on an 8 km long hill located in the area of Govardhan and Radha Kund, which is about 21 kilometres (13 mi) from Vrindavan. It is the sacred centre of Braj and is identified as a natural form of Krishna, the Govardhana Shila.
Barsana is a historical town and nagar panchayat in the Mathura district of the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. The town holds cultural and religious significance as the birthplace of Hindu goddess Radha, the chief consort of Krishna. Barsana is situated in the Braj region. The main attraction of the town is the historical Radha Rani Temple which attracts huge number of devotees throughout the year.
Parikrama or Pradakshina is clockwise circumambulation of sacred entities, and the path along which this is performed, as practiced in the Indic religions – Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism and Jainism. In Buddhism, it refers only to the path along which this is performed. Typically, in Indic-religions the parikrama is done after completion of traditional worship and after paying homage to the deity. Parikrama must be done with dhyāna.
Radha Kund is a town and nagar panchayat in Vrindavan in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is also one of the pilgrimage sites dedicated to Hindu goddess Radha.
In Hinduism, the yatra (pilgrimage) to the tirthas has special significance for earning the punya needed to attain the moksha (salvation) by performing the darśana, the parikrama (circumambulation), the yajna, the Dhyana, the puja (worship), the prarthana, the dakshina, the seva, the bhandara, etc. These sacred places are usually located on the banks of sacred waters, such as sacred rivers or their tributaries, the kundas, the ghats, or the stepwells, or the temple tanks.
Vraja Mandal Parikrama, also called VrajaYatra, is a Nimbarka Sampradaya Hindu pilgrimage related to Krishna with the circumambulation At present Vraja Parikrama Pradhan Mahant Sri Sri 108 Swami Rasbiharidas Kathiababaji Maharajji of 84 kos Vraja region (Braja) which takes 1 to 2 months depending on the route and speed of travel on foot. The Nimbarka Sampradaya tradition Vaishnava Nagaji Maharaj only performed 84 crore Vraja Parikrama 530 years ago. Since this is a site associated with the vedic era Lord Krishna and mahabharata, it is an important place of pilgrimage for Hindus. It is one of 3 main pilgrimage sites related to "Krishna" circuit, namely "48 kos parikrama of Kurukshetra" in Haryana state, "Braj parikarma" in Mathura in Uttar Pradesh state and "Dwarka parkarma" at Dwarkadhish Temple in Gujarat state
Yātrā, in Indian-origin religions, Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism, generally means a pilgrimage to holy places such as confluences of sacred rivers, sacred mountains, places associated with Hindu epics such as the Mahabharata and Ramayana, and other sacred pilgrimage sites. Visiting a sacred place is believed by the pilgrim to purify the self and bring one closer to the divine. The journey itself is as important as the destination, and the hardships of travel serve as an act of devotion in themselves.
The Govardhana Shila is a rock from the Govardhan Hill in Braj, Uttar Pradesh, India. Govardhan Hill holds a unique position in Hindu scriptures related to Krishna, the land called Vrij where He was born. Known as Govardhan or Giriraj and being the sacred centre of Braj, it is identified as a natural form of Krishna. Indian art overwhelmingly prefers the iconic image, but some aniconism does occur in folk worship, early Buddhism, Shiva's Banalinga, and Vishnu's Shaligrama). They have solar significance, and their use in worship predates the Hindu period in India. The stone is usually brown in colour.
Bharatpur State, which is also known as the Jat State of Bharatpur historically known as the Kingdom of Bharatpur, was a Hindu Kingdom in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent. It was ruled by the Sinsinwar clan of the Hindu Jats. At the time of reign of king Suraj Mal (1755–1763) revenue of the state was 17,500,000 rupees per annual.
The 48 kos parikrama is a parikrama of various Mahabharata-related and other Vedic-era tirthas around the holy city of Kurukshetra in the state of Haryana, India.
Kusum Sarovar is a sacred water reservoir with a historic sand monument in its backdrop. It is situated on the holy Govardhan Hill between Manasi Ganga and Radha Kund in Mathura district of Uttar Pradesh, India. Kusum Sarovar is considered one of the sacred spots that witnessed the pastimes of Hindu deities Radha and Krishna. It is also the place of Jat ruler Maharaja Suraj Mal's memorial chhatri. Kusum Sarovar has Narada Kund, where Bhakti Sutra verses were written by Narada and the Shri Radha Vana Bihari Temple in the vicinity.
Kotwan is a village in the Mathura district of Uttar Pradesh, India. It is the site where according to Hinduism, Krishna spent his childhood and is one of the main places in the Braj Bhoomi region. The Village is about 100 km away from Agra.
Shri Radha Damodar Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Hindu deities Radha and Krishna. The temple is situated in Vrindavan of Indian state Uttar Pradesh. In the temple, Krishna is worshiped in the form of Damodar with his consort Radha. It is one of the main seven Goswami temples of Vrindavan. The temple belongs to Gaudiya Vaishnavism tradition and was founded by Jiva Goswami in 1542 CE.
Adeeng, Ading is a town and a Gram panchayat in the Mathura district of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.
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