Mathura

About Mathura

Mathura is situated in the western part of Uttar Pradesh, India. It is located on the west bank of river Yamuna and forms a part of the northern plains. This city is 50 kms north of Agra, 145 kms south-east of Delhi, 11 kms from Vrindavan town and 22 kms from Govardhan, respectively. Geographically this city is located at 27°27′N 77°43′E. It is at an elevation of 174 meters or 570 feet.
Mathura is one of the ancient towns of India. It was mentioned in Ramayana, the epic. In Treta Yuga, Mathura was a dense forest and was inhabited by a giant demon called Madhu. He named this place after his name as Madhuban. After killing Lavanasura (son of Madhu), Shatrughana (younger brother of Lord Rama) found this city and named it as Madhupuri. Eventually, this famous city became Mathura.

As mentioned in Garuda Purana, Mathura is one of the seven most holy places for Hindus in India. For about 3,000 years, Mathura was  the hub of culture and civilization. The city has a long and chequered history as it was held in sanctity by the Brahmanical, Buddhists and Jain faith. Mathura School of Art was a great school which flourished for 1,200 years. This school of art was the distinctive school which tried out in sculptures and clay figurines in the annals of Indian art history. Now, Mathura abounds in place of historic and religious interest. Round the year, huge number of festivals and fairs are held in Mathura

Mathura city is the birth place of Lord Krishna. This city is also called Braj or Brij-bhoomi. The Keshav Dev Temple was built on the site of Lord Krishna’s legendary birth place. Mathura was the capital of Surasena Kingdom. It was ruled by Kamsa, the maternal uncle of Krishna.

Tourists of Mathura can taste varieties of palatable food. The most famous foods of this city are lassi (a drink prepared by blending yogurt with water and Indian spices), thandai, milk badaam and sweetened hot milk. Various types of sweetmeat balls, particularly Peda are available in Mathura. One can find various types of Pedas in this city.

As Mathura is a famous religious town across the globe, it is popular for religious and holy products. There are many shops which sell several types of holy and religious items. Tilak Dwar and Dwarakadhish Temple are the best shopping places in this city.

Mathura was an economic hub which is located at the junction of important caravan routes. The industries in this city are the major contributors to the economy of Uttar Pradesh. Mathura Refinery is one of the biggest oil refineries of Asia.

Silver polishing industry is another industry which is gradually flourishing. Textile printing industry which includes both Fabric dyeing and Sari-printing is another important industry. Besides these, other famous industries in this region are decorative and household item and water tap manufacturing units.

Places to see in Mathura

Shri Krishna Janmbhoomi

This is the birth place of lord Krishna. There is a temple which symbolises the birthplace of Lord Krishna. The story of His birth is written and depicted on the walls of the temple. A narrow set of marble steps leads you to the terrace and a walled corridor creates the effect of a prison. The prison and the other buildings were razed to the ground in the 17th century but were restored in 1962 by industrialists like G.D. Birla.

Vishram Ghat

There are lot of attractive temples in vishram ghat.It is located on the banks of the river Yamuna. A tourist will find lot of shrines here like, the Mukut Temple, Radha-Damodar, Murli Manohar, Neelkantheshwar, Yamuna-Krishna, Langali Hanuman and Narasimha temples. The aarti held at the Vishram Ghat each evening is quite famous for the little oil lamps that are floated on the river.

Dwarkadheesh Temple

This temple is located in the eastern part of Mathura & is dedicated to Lord Krishna. The Temple was built in the year 1814 and is the most well-liked temple of the city and looks even more attractive when it is gracefully decorated on religious and celebratory occasions such as Holi, Janmashtami and Diwali.

Janma Masjid

This mosque is built by Nabir Khan in the year1661.

Government Museum

This Museum has the finest collection of archaeological items. It is located at Dampeir Park. This Museum has the exceptional items which belong to the Gupta and Kushan Period. The other things that a tourist will find here are the collections of Mathura School of Sculptures.

Shopping in Mathura

Mathura is famous for its Milk Products. Especially the “peda” of Mathura is famous in the whole country. A variety of “pedas” are found in Mathura. Other important milk products of Mathura are pure and aromatic ghee, cheese and cheese spreads.

A tourist will also find a variety of handicrafts in Mathura. Embroidered pieces, paintings, sculptures, images and silver and textile jewelleries are other products to shop for in Mathura.

A tourist will find a wide range of holy products like the Rudraksh mallas, Lord Krishna’s marble sculptures, prayer books, pendants with images of gods and goddess etc. The best shopping places of Mathura are situated near the Dwarkadheesh Temple and Tilak Dwar.