Mathura is a district in the state of Uttar Pradesh. The district headquarters are situated at the historic town of Mathura. It has Aligarh district on the northeast, Hathras district on the southeast, Agra district on the south, Rajasthan on the west and Haryana on the northwest. The district forms part of the Agra division. Smaller units like Tehsil, Gokuls and Rayas are present within the district.The city of Mathura is situated at around 50 kilometers from Agra, 145 kilometers from Delhi, 11 kilometers from Vrindavan and 22 kilometers from Govardhan. It is the administrative centre of Mathura District of Uttar Pradesh. In the early times, its location was economically important. The city is expanding at a fast pace with about 2.5 million residents. Shree Krishna was born here. The place is named Shri Krishna Janma-Bhoomi, literally: 'Lord Krishna's birth place'. A temple called Keshav Dev temple was built on this site. Mathura was ruled by Kansa, the maternal uncle of Krishna and was the capital of his Surasena capital.

Mathura History

Many temples were destroyed in the city by Mahmud of Ghazni in 1018. Also, the ruler of the Delhi Sultanate from 1489 to 1517, Sikandar Lodhi did the same. He was called the But Shikan or the destroyer of Hindu Deities. The Mughal Emperor destroyed parts of the Keshav Dev temple and set up Jama Masjid there which is believed to the Krishna Janma Bhoomi. It was won over from the Mughals by the Jat kings of Bharatpur but subsequently the area was passed on to the Marathas who constructed a Garbh-Griha shrine sharing the wall of mosque. The Garbh-Griha mandir is a small underground temple which houses black idol of Laddu-Gopal. It resembles a prison cell. The wall behind the idol belongs to the mosque. A bigger shrine called the Dwarkadheesh is quite close to the actual birthplace of Lord Krishna. It was built in the year 1815, by Seth Gokuldas Parikh, Treasurer of Gwalior.

Mathura Culture

Mathura has a rich cultural heritage. The place has abundance of tales related to Lord Krishna. Hordes of people gather around the festivals dedicated to Lord Krishna. The Braj culture has been expressed widely through various practices. The love of the divine couple of Radha and Krishna is expressed in the form of a folk culture called Rasiya. It is an inseparable part of the Holi celebrations and all other festive occasions at Mathura. Raaslilas of Mathura have become an integral part of Indian Folklore. Charkula, is traditional dance form is performed in Braj. A large column of burning diyas are used which are kept on ones head. It is mostly performed by women.

Mathura Tourism

Tourist places in Mathura
Mathura
Shri krishna janma bhumi
Jama masjid
Vishram ghat
Dwarkadheesh temple
Gita mandir
Govt. Meseum
Vrindavan
Govinda dev temple
Shahji temple
Rang ji temple
Madan mohan temple
Krishna balram mandir (iskcon vrindavan )
Radha ballabh temple
Gopi nath temple
Glass temple
Nidhi van
Seva kunj
Banke bihari

Goverdhan
Jatipura
Barsana
Nandgaon
Gokul
Mahaban
Baldeo