Day 1: Feb 25th
Radhe-Radhe! Call it a salutation, a conversation starter, a greeting, or a form of acknowledgment. One would hear it ever so often and soon get into the habit of uttering the magic mantra in this land of Srimati Radharani. A visit to the holy land of Vrindavan is no accident, nor is it a matter of one’s prerogative. It is purely by kripa that one can aspire to reach here, and that is how we could spend four days in Vrindavan, becoming a part of the history, myth, and folklore that paints the life of Sri Radha and Krsna. Every nook and corner had a story to tell. Barefoot as we roamed through the streets and the narrow alleyways, we were reminded that a mere five thousand years ago, God himself, with his consort, had sported in the same place. The dust from their holy feet, mixed with that of his many great devotees who lived here, demands that a devout visitor eschews the use of footwear. Late February in north India boasts of excellent weather, and it accorded us the leisure of a mild sun and cool ground beneath the feet. A couple of months and the same accommodating northern India turns into harsh summer with the scorching sun when walking barefoot would be impossible. Once again, we were thankful that our trip arranged by divine intervention was in the lunar month of Phalgun, possibly the best time to visit Vrindavan. Yes, it was overwhelmingly crowded, but then, everyone wanted to play Holi with the Lord. Holi is synonymous with Phalgun in Vrindavan and lasts an entire month, increasing in intensity as it gets closer to the day of Holi Poornima. Dry colors are replaced by wet colors, followed by colored showers. Holi is especially significant here, as Krsna playing holi with Radha is etched in the minds of Braj folks. Dry colors were being sold in five-kilo bags as opposed to a few hundred grams in other cities.
As our cab rolled into Vrindavan from New Delhi, where we landed a few hours back, I felt a rush of excitement, knowing that a long-cherished dream would be fulfilled. We were going to reap the rewards of our ardent prayers and experience for ourselves this land of ‘बृज चौरासी कोस’, which according to the scriptures, had descended from Goloka along with the river Yamuna and Mount Govardhan before the advent of the Lord. Brajdham, or Barjbhumi as it is popularly called, is extant on both sides of Yamuna, with its center at Mathura-Vrindvan. It is located 150 km south of Delhi. The term ब्रज is derived from the Sanskrit word व्रज which means a pasture, shelter, or resort for cattle.
Our taxi dropped us in front of the ISKON temple on the Bhakti Vedanta Marg, which is as far as it’s allowed into the city. Bhakti Vedanta Marg is the main street running across Vrindavan, where cars and autos can ply. We got into the local transport called tik-tik; a small e-rikshaw becoming popular in these parts of India. The tik-tik driver dropped us near Banke Bihari Chowk, which for all practical reasons is the city center, and warned us about Vrindavan’s frooti-guzzling,spectacle-snatching monkeys. He simply said, “Keep your mobiles and spectacles inside”. We took off our specs and sunglasses and started walking toward our hotel. Bereft of my spectacles, I was struggling to see things at a distance, so others with a better vision led the way. I had heard about the monkey problem in Vrindavan, but what we came across in the next three days was not a problem. It was a horrible menace. We faced several surreptitious attacks from unseen quarters as the monkeys stalked us as they did all other unwary visitors. In many a place, one could see a trained local guy handing over a packet of frooti in exchange for someone’s specs or mobile. Frooti is ubiquitous in Vrindavan, as all shops keep stock. It’s almost a part of the local culture, and to be harassed by a monkey is not seen as any untoward incident. All visitors, especially first-timers like us, would be subjected to such a welcome, and one wasn’t expected to mind it. Just buy a frooti from a nearby shop, pay ten bucks to trained personnel, and get your stuff back. If one is singularly unfortunate, then one may be required to offer multiple frootis as other monkeys would lay claim to the booty and demand a similar payment.
Our accommodation was inside the Banke Bihari Galli, which is akin to Vishwanath Galli in Benaras. Being part of old Vrindavan, it was a narrow lane, lined on both sides with shops and overrun with locals and tourists.
We decided to first pay our obeisance to Sri Banke Bihari Ji, also fondly referred to as Bihari ji by the locals. Bihari ji is the self-manifested chief deity of Vrindavan, having materialized himself as the conjoined duel deity of Sri Radha-Krsna through the prayers of Sri Swami Haridas. In fact, people say “Jai Sri Banke Bihari, Jai Haridas” as it is customary to take the name of the devotee along with the deity. This is followed in other temples, too, like in Sri Radha Vallabh temple, where one is required to say “Jai Radha Vallabh, Jai Harivansh”.
Getting an up-close darshan of Bihari ji is no mean feat. Crowd management was more or less nonexistent. Devotees jostle with each other through the narrow gates leading to a large courtyard. Once inside, they go through another round of tussle to get close to the six-foot-high platform on which the priests are seated. On the other end of the platform lies the sanctum sanctorum. One can also climb up onto the platform using the stairs on both sides. The middle area on the platform directly in front of the sanctum sanctorum is barricaded, and one has to stretch oneself over the barricade to get a closer view. I mulled the option but couldn’t muster enough courage. I was bounced around enough for the night and preferred to stay at some distance and did my darshan. Satisfying darshan in most temples of north India is accorded either through the use of one’s physical strength or an understanding of the temple or local authorities. Standing patiently in queues like Tirumala or other south Indian temples is not to our liking. One must obstruct someone else’s darshan to secure their own as if God would feel gratified with such efforts. Maybe it was a combination of Phalgun and a weekend that made things worse than usual. We had a little better experience at Sri Radha Vallabh Ji temple, which was only a few blocks away. The first thing that struck me on reaching Sri Radha Vallabh temple was the very similar internal layout of the two temples. Again, a large courtyard led to a platform six feet high with stairs on both sides. Most temples in Vrindavan, as I found out later, had similar architecture. There was enough crowd at Sri Radha Vallabh Ji as well, but it was possible to climb the stairs and reach close to the sanctum. We had to stretch ourselves over the barricades from the sides to get a view of Sri Radha Vallabh Laal Ji. The main priest was throwing dry colors at the crowd, and we got some on us too. Mobiles were allowed in all temples, and one could take pictures inside. This was something very unique as photography is strictly a no-no in most other temples we have visited across India. People were seen taking selfies with the deity. I, too was tempted but desisted, as turning one’s back toward the deity is not a good idea.
All this made us hungry, and we decided to try some local recipes for dinner. Eateries in Banke Bihari Galli are more traditional shops with open kitchens facing the street. One could see a large cauldron of hot, dry fruit milk, a lassi bar, and a big ‘kadhai’ with sizzling hot kachoris being fried. The seating arrangement was rudimentary, and one was expected to share tables with unknown strangers at peak times. We could, though, secure a table for four of us and started with aloo tikki chat and lassi. It was no surprise that everything tasted divine, especially the lassi with special ‘Malai’ on top. They were served in a clay glass that enhanced the flavor greatly. We made it a point to have lassi at least once for all days we stayed in Vrindavan.
The rest of the evening was spent finding other suitable accommodation. ‘Yamuna Niwas’, though close to all major temples, wasn’t to our liking. It was peak time and also a weekend, so most hotels were booked for the night. Vrindavan is a weekend getaway for Delhi folks. Our search took us to Omaxe, a housing community six kilometers away from Banke Bihari Chowk. We booked two studio apartments and paid double tariff for the night, but it was clean and dust-free, and we slept like a log.
Day 2: February 26th
We woke up well-rested and ready for a bright new day in Vrindavan, full of new possibilities. We observed a large two-story bungalow within omaxe campus set apart from other buildings which housed the apartments. Our hotel manager informed us that it belonged to the film actress Hema Malini, who was also the MP of Mathura and came every year to play holi with Bihari ji. She was expected this year too, and we saw her on 28th Feb being driven in her car as she crossed us near the main gate of Omaxe.
We debated about visiting Mathura, a forty-five-minute ride away to see ‘Krsna Janmabhoomi’ but decided to visit the Prem Mandir instead.
Prem-Mandir, a grand 54-acre temple complex on Bhakti Vedanta Marg, was built by Kripalu Ji Maharaj. It was indeed grand, with the main temple made completely of white Italian marble with intricate carvings. Major events from Krsna’s life in Vrindavan, like Kaliya Mardan and Govardan leela, are depicted around the main temple.
Lunch was at Govinda’s, the ISKON restaurant nearby, which I would recommend for simple, delicious, and reasonably priced food. We met up with the rest of our group traveling from Mumbai and proceeded on a comprehensive tour of Vrindavan. Someone already familiar with Vrindavan led us to all the major attractions.
This is when the first monkey attack took place when it tried to grab my specs which I wasn’t wearing at the time. I was getting into a tik-tik when I felt a whiff of air next to my left ear. I saw a monkey jump up on a ledge next to the tik-tik, and I realized what had happened. It was very slick, like a pro’s job. The monkey was probably confused as I was wearing a cap and assumed I had my specs on. The second attack soon followed when a monkey tried to grab my wife’s purse, but he had to back off when he realized that she wasn’t letting it go.
Our leader first took us to ‘Nidhivan’, famed as the sporting ground of Bihari ji, who, along with Radha and other gopikas, performs ‘raas’ even today. Legend has it that the trees in Nidhivan turn into gopikas at night, and no one is allowed to remain inside Nidhivan after 6 pm. A certain spot in Nidhivan is considered to be the spot where Bihari ji had manifested himself. Swami Haridas’s samadhi is also in Nidhivan, along with some other saints who had served Sri Bihari ji in the past.
Next, we proceeded to Sri Radha Raman temple. Radha Raman ji is also a self-manifested form of Sri Krsna, having spontaneously evolved from a Shaligram Shila at the request of Sri Gopal Bhatt Ji, hence also the smallest in stature. Radha Raman temple is one of the main temples of Gaudiya Vaishnava Sampradaya, started by Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.
We had reached an hour early and waited for the temple to open. If one is wondering why I was wearing my specs out in the open, it was because I had surveyed the area and could not see any foothold for the monkeys to use. Of course, I could have been wrong, but nothing happened. We had become vigilant and cautious now after two attacks, but there were more to come. The monkeys had practiced stalking and snatching much more than we had been in the practice of keeping vigil. The inside layout of the temple was again the same, with a large courtyard and a platform with stairs on both sides. It was difficult to see Radha Raman Ji from far as he is only twelve fingers in height.
Sri Mirabai Temple was next. This was actually Mirabai’s home when she lived in Vrindavan. The small temple housed inside had the Shaligram Shila that she had served. It was a pity to see the rundown condition of the house.
It was almost dark, and a troupe of monkeys was lurking in the shadows waiting to pounce as we exited the Mirabai temple. Someone warned me, and I immediately took off my glasses. Locals are helpful and warn visitors when possible. One must be convinced now that monkeys are everywhere in Vrindavan and one cannot let down one’s guard at any time.
We proceeded to Sri Radha Damodar temple which is famed for two things. Srila Prabhupada (founder of ISKON) had lived in this temple for many years and translated books like Bhagwad Geeta and Srimad Bhagwatam. Another remarkable feature of this temple is a small boulder with footprints of Sri Krsna embedded in it. Four pradakshinas of this shila amount to one pradakshina of Sri Govardhan Ji. Of course, we did the recommeded four rounds and burnt some more of our demerits.
It was while waiting outside Sri Radha Damodar temple confident of my recently gained skill as a monkey vigilante, was when the third attack took place. I felt a tug on my left hand and before I could realize it, the monkey had snatched away my favorite blue cap.
I frantically searched for a frooti and a local person who could get back the cap. I couldn’t find anyone, but a young passerby threatened the monkey with a stick and made him relinquish the cap, who had by then chewed on it and ripped it off. I could no longer wear my cap for the rest of the trip.
On our way back we came across a lassi shop. The shop advertised itself as the famous lassi shop of Vrindavan. I cannot attest to the veracity of this claim but the lassi was very good. Better than what we had the previous night. Maybe it was indeed the best lassi shop in Vrindavan. Unfortunately I cannot recall its location now.
Our comprehensive tour of Vrindavan ended here, and we headed back to Sri Radha Vallabh temple. They were celebrating Sri Radha Krsna’s wedding, so the deity had been moved out of the sanctum onto the platform. Only selected folks could go up the platform, and we were allowed to go up and be seated there. We stayed till ‘shayan aarti’. It was time for the Lord to sleep and for us to have our dinner. I don’t recall how but the group, on a moment’s spur, decided to go for Govardhan parikrama. One is required to first travel by auto from Vrindavan to Govardhan, which is about 15 km away. It took a good amount of adjusting for ten of us to fit in a single auto. I didn’t think it was possible, but some of us made big sacrifices and rode in very uncomfortable positions. The chilly winds hit me as I precariously balanced myself next to the driver with half my body hanging outside. A couple of us adjusted ourselves in the back seat of the auto with enough space to barely fit in.
It took us around 45 minutes to reach Govardhan Parikrama Marg and I was numb with cold. We first walked to Radha and Shyam Kund, which are two famous ponds next to each other with various legends attached to them about how they were formed. People light diyas and offer poojas. I dipped my japa mala in Radha Kund and sprinkled its water on my head.
Let me now draw attention to the next picture, which speaks for itself.
Monkeys, as we found out that day, sleep in groups. One of them opened its eyes and gave us an irritated look as we pointed out to them, speaking in a loud voice. How ironical? I guess even most humans are only as developed as monkeys in the head. Intolerant of their own discomfort while causing grief to others. It was a learning for all of us to be at least better than a monkey.
The next day was going to be long, so we decided to do the parikrama on tik-tik, which takes 2 hours to go around Govardhan. On foot, it takes close to seven hours. I am not sure if doing it on a tik-tik has any merits, but we decided to do it anyway. We started on the parikrama marg by fitting ourselves on two tik-ticks. I again had the privilege of riding in the front with the driver. Tik-Tiks have a very cost-effective design and are fitted with shock absorbers only on the front wheel, while the rear wheels are directly connected to the axle. People sitting in the back feel every bump and pothole right through their spine. I didn’t mind the chilly winds as much this time, knowing that folks in the back had it equally bad as the vehicle navigated the rough patches. There are a few designated temples along the parikrama marg where people offer poojas. A lot of folks could be seen walking barefoot. We stopped midway and sipped on some hot chai as everyone needed to beat the cold. We were dropped back to the same place where we had started the parikrama. The auto that had driven us from Vrindavan was waiting to take us back. We reached back our hotel around 3 o’clock in the night. Needless to say, we fell asleep as soon as we hit the bed. It was nothing short of a miracle that my feet had no blisters, and my legs didn’t ache after walking barefoot the entire day.
Day 3: Feb 27th
We were supposed to reach Sri Radha Vallabh temple by 10 o’clock in the morning. One of our group members was offering a dress to the deity, and we were sponsoring the ‘Raj Bhog’ followed by a feast called ‘bhandara’ in colloquial Hindi for the saints of Vrindavan. Of course, I woke up late, and we could reach only by eleven. There was something special about the day. The main entrance to the temple was jam-packed with devotees waiting to gain entrance. We gave up on the tussle and decided to go around the temple and enter from the back gate. It was a long walk through narrow alleyways with a lot of monkeys jumping around. We were aware of what they were capable of, especially as we were carrying fruits and foodstuff with us. I felt it would have been better to jostle with the crowds than be sitting ducks for the monkeys. I was carrying a bag with raspberries to offer to Radha Vallabh ji, and it was only a matter of time before an attack happened. The monkeys lunged at the packet and tore it open while it was still in my hands. It was better to let it go as it could not be offered now. Holi was going on in full swing as we entered the temple. I, too, joined and played some with the crowd. There was much singing and dancing as flumes of dry colors went up on all sides. It was the patent ‘बुरा ना मानो होली है’ fervor that gripped everyone.
Since we were sponsoring a dress and bhog to the deity, we were allowed to enter through the barricades and sit on the platform in front of Sri Radha Vallabh Laal ji. I sat only a couple of feet away from the sanctum sanctorum. Radha Vallabh ji looked fabulous in his new yellow dress that was offered today.
Holi colors rained upon us from all sides as devotees outside the barricade tried to play holi with the deity. The main priest came out from time to time and threw colors at the crowd, including us. Everything was covered in holi colors.
We sat there for a long time till Raj Bhog was done. The temple was closed down for the afternoon, and we started preparing for the Bhandara. Devotees and temple staff, including us, swept the floor. We cleaned up the colors and laid out mats for people to sit on. Saints had already started arriving, and we began to serve them food.
We collected leavings from their plates and took it as prasad. The Bhandara went off well. The main agenda for the day was now over. It was time for the wife to start for Delhi as she was leaving a day early. Banke Bihari Street wears a deserted look after the temples are closed. It becomes easy to walk down the street and hail down a tik-tik as they begin to ply till the temples reopen. I dropped her off at Banke Bihari Chowk, where her cab was waiting, and came back to the temple. We came back to Omaxe for a quick nap before the temples reopened.
The evening was open to new plans, and we were lured by a chance to get an up-close darshan of Sri Bihari ji. All excited, we reached the temple and found the local guy who had made some arrangements for us. He led us into the temple, paid a mandir employee, and asked us to force our bodies into an enclosed and already overflowing area close to the platform. Some of us managed, but I stayed back. It was clear that the enclosed space was more of a battle zone where people violently pushed and pulled each other. It wasn’t for me, nor was it for the others who had managed to enter. An up-close darshan of Bihari Ji eluded me both times I visited the temple.
Next on the cards was some chat and lassi. We went to the same eatery we had been to on the first day inside Banke Bihari Galli.
It was almost nine o’clock, and we decided to call it a night. We had plans to reach Radha Keli Kunj at 2 o’clock in the night to have a darshan of a famous Vaishanava saint, Sri Premananda Ji Maharaj. Vrindavan is home to many highly elevated saints, but they choose to remain in isolation. Premanand ji Maharaj has, by God’s dictum, made himself known and is accessible to the common public. I came to know about him through his youtube discourses. Lately some well-known personalities have also visited him, including Virushka. We had tried to get a private audience with him through the priest at Sri Radha Vallabh temple as Premanand ji belongs to the same ‘Radha Vallabh Sampradaya’ and was initiated by the main priest of the temple. Unfortunately, nothing transpired, so we decided to go and take part in his daily morning discourse, which is open to the general public.
Day 4: Feb 28th
The discourse starts at 4:15 am, but one should reach his residence, Sri Radha Keli Kunj, by 2 am and wait outside. Any later and one may not get to enter the discourse hall, which can fit only about a hundred people. We were lucky to find a tik-tik driver who, for double the fare, agreed to take us there in the middle of the night. We stood in line, waiting to be let in. We could see Premananada Ji’s disciples making flower rangolis on the streets for him as he was about to return from his short parikrama of Vrindavan. Premananda Ji returned around 3 am, which is when I saw him in person for the first time. Ordinarily, I do not chase ‘Babas’, but I was convinced that Premananda ji Maharaj was a bonafide God-realized saint of a high order. We were let into the discourse hall soon after. Premananda ji Maharaj came out a little later and sat on a raised platform. I was very sleepy and dozed off multiple times during the discourse. The video was posted later that evening on youtube, and I had to listen to it again to recollect what he had said in the morning.
Next, we made a trip to the Gopeshwar Mahadev mandir, where Shiva resides as the Lord of the Gopikas. Legend dictates that he had dressed up as a gopi to enter the ‘Maharaas’. The final monkey attack happened as we came out of the temple. I had forgotten to remove my specs which lured a monkey to go for it, but fortunately, he missed.
A visit to Yamuna Ji was still to be done. We hired a tik-tik to the nearest ghat and took a boat ride. I was surprised to find the river very lean and shallow. Local folks were taking bath midstream with water reaching as far as their waist. We saw Kesi ghat and Yasoda ghat and some temple relics on its banks.
We visited the ISKON Krsna-Balaram temple, had a final glass of lassi after lunch, and came back to Omaxe to prepare for our return journey. Slipping back into our shoes seemed weird after four days of living without them. With a loud chant of Radhe Radhe, we left Vrindavan. The taxi drove us to New Delhi Airport, and we boarded the flight back to Hyderabad. Jai Sri Radhe-Krsna.!!!!