This year Shri Krishna Janmashtami is being celebrated on 6-7 September 2023. The festival of Janmashtami is celebrated as the birthday of Shri Krishna, the incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Janmashtami has special significance in the Hindu religion. On this festival, people go to Krishna temples and do darshan and bhajan. On the occasion of Janmashtami, you can visit famous places related to the life of Shri Krishna.

Mathura is the birthplace of Shri Krishna. Kanha spent his childhood in the streets of Gokul-Vrindavan. During your visit to Mathura, you can visit all the special places associated with Shri Krishna on the occasion of Janmashtami. Whereas Mathura and Vrindavan can be easily visited for less money. There are beautiful temples in every street of Mathura-Gokul, which you can easily visit. However, on the occasion of this Janmashtami there is no long holiday, nor is there a weekend. But you can visit Mathura Vrindavan even on a day off. Make a well-planned plan to visit Mathura, Barsana, Vrindavan, and Gokul Dham in a short time. Make such a plan to visit the city of Shri Krishna in a holiday of one or two days.

Mini Trip to Mathura Vrindavan
If you live in Delhi or any district of UP, you can reach Mathura by traveling for a few hours. The journey from Delhi to Mathura can be covered by road via Yamuna Expressway in just two and a half hours. Mathura can be easily reached by bus or train. If you have a day off, then leave for Mathura early in the morning so that you can reach there before the morning aarti and can also reach on time for bathing in Yamuna. One can visit some famous and selected places in Mathura.

Important temples of Mathura Vrindavan
Krishna Janmabhoomi
You can start the journey from Krishna Janmabhoomi in Mathura. Kanha was born in the prison of King Kansa. While visiting this temple, you get a chance to visit the attractive cave,a ticket for which will have to be purchased separately. One can enter the cave by purchasing a ticket of Rs 10, where tableaus of Shri Krishna are shown with sound effects.

Banke Bihari Temple
Leave for Vrindavan, at a distance of a few kilometers, there is the temple of Banke Bihari. The building of this temple is built in Rajasthani style. Kanha's child form is seen in the temple. There is not a single bell or conch in the temple. It is believed that God did not like the sound of musical instruments here.

Ranganatha Temple
There is Shri Ranganath Temple on Vrindavan-Mathura road which is also known as Rangji Temple. The temple is built in South Indian style and Krishna is installed in the incarnation of Lord Ranganath. Here the idol of Lord Krishna is kept in the form of a groom.

Love temple
One of the most attractive places in Mathura-Vrindavan is Prem Mandir, which was built by Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj. There are gardens all around the temple complex and big tableaux can be seen. One should visit this temple in the evening. Apart from this, you can visit Dwarkadhish Temple, Nidhivan, Govardhan Parvat, Kusum Sarovar, Yamuna Ghat, and ISKCON Temple.

Cost of visiting Mathura-Vrindavan
One can easily visit Mathura-Vrindavan in one to two days. There is no need to spend on travel. A ticket to travel from Delhi to Mathura by bus will cost around Rs 200. If you are going by train, you may have to spend up to Rs 2000. In Mathura, you can get a room in a good hotel for 500 to 3000 rupees. The cost of food and accommodation is not high.

How to visit the temples of Mathura Vrindavan
Choose a local vehicle for a budget and comfortable journey. The streets of Mathura-Vrindavan are narrow. The temples are on these narrow streets, where it can be difficult to take a vehicle. You can book a local taxi or e-rickshaw from the hotel, for which you will have to spend only 300 to 500 rupees. E rickshaw drivers will comfortably cover all the important philosophical sites in a day.

(PC: iStock, amar ujala)