JUST a few hours' journey from the modern
bustle of New Delhi there is a quiet preserve of India as it was
before the invasion of super bazaars, boom boxes belting hits from
Bombay movies and nightmare traffic. It is a town that offers both
the rhythms of medieval-village India and a glimpse of a mythical
reality. The town is Vrindaban where, legend has it, the young god
Krishna sported with the gopis, the milkmaids smitten by his
radiance, and especially with his consort Radha.
Vrindaban was little more than a bend in the Jamuna River until the
15th century when Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, a Bengali saint, led a
revival of devotion to Lord Krishna. Krishna is best known in the
West as the protagonist of the "Bhagavad Gita," the centerpiece of
the epic "Mahabharata." But the devotional worship of Krishna took
as its focus the earlier part of the Hindu god's life, his childhood
and youth, which were set in Vrindaban and nearby Mathura.
From the 15th century Vrindaban has been a magnet for Krishna
devotees, and today it is filled with ashrams, temples and hostels
for pilgrims. Perhaps because of its strongly religious atmosphere,
the town has drawn an increasing number of wandering holy men of all
sects, who find that a rapidly modernizing India is becoming less
congenial to their traditional ways. Recent years have seen a
building boom in Vrindaban as spiritual leaders from many different
sects have chosen to build their temples and ashrams there.
The presence of these sects has made the town one of the
increasingly rare spots on the subcontinent where the spiritual
splendors of India remain in full flower, relatively untainted by
modern influence. Sadhus, the saffron-robed holy men, rub shoulders
with khadi-clad pilgrims from all over India.
Just a few miles off the main highway from Delhi to Agra, Vrindaban
is an hour-and-a-half drive from the Taj Mahal, or a 30-minute ride
from the Mathura train station, a stop on the route of the Taj
Express. The train leaves in the morning from Delhi and returns in
the evening. Vrindaban can be a convenient day trip either from
Delhi or Agra, but there are no tourist-style accommodations in
town.
A guide is essential. English-speaking guides can be found at the
chungis, or toll gates, that straddle both main roads into town, one
from Mathura, the other from the Delhi-Agra highway. The usual
charge for a guide for the day is 100 rupees, about $4.
The best way to experience the timeless flavor of Vrindaban is by
walking the Parikrama, an ancient five-mile path that circles the
town, allowing easy stops at the main temples and other points of
interest. At dawn the Parikrama is thronged by the religious, who
consider the two-and-a-half hour walk itself an act of devotion. But
from midmorning on, there are few pilgrims to be seen.
I made the walk in late morning, and my companion and I had the path
almost entirely to ourselves. During the dry season, when we walked,
long stretches of the Parikrama are a soft, fine dust which is
pleasant to walk on in bare feet.
Though parts of the route now have occasional auto traffic, most of
the Parikrama is a dirt walkway that wends through mud-walled and
thatch-roofed farms and ashrams, and by the centuries-old ramparts
of temples and maharajah's palaces. Much of the path is along the
edge of town where centuries ago buildings and stone steps called
ghats met the Yamuna River, which has for the most part receded
since, leaving some ghats ending in midair. Depending on the season
and the intensity of the monsoon, the river will be either swollen
or a distant stream across acres of sand.
The premier attraction of the path, and Vrindaban most famous site,
is the Kadamba Tree. As you walk with the river on your left, the
tree can be seen on a raised stone platform about 50 feet to the
right. Here one of the most frequently depicted scenes of Indian art
is said to have occurred. As the gopis were bathing in the Yamuana,
Krishna scooped up their clothes and hung them on the huge tree.
Then, standing in the tree, he told the bashful gopis that he would
give their clothes back only if they came out of the water with
their palms joined together in the traditional Indian gesture of
salute, rather than trying to cover themselves. As a religious tale,
the story is told as a parable of surrender to God. As an image, it
continues to have an irresistible attraction for Indian artists.
Just beyond the bend where the Parikrama reaches the river, there is
the Madan Ter, a 16th-century temple where a form of Krishna known
as Radhavallabha, meaning beloved of his main consort Radha, is
enshrined under a huge banyan tree. The entrance to the Madan Ter
compound is the second gate on the right, with the river to the
left, just before another imposing banyan tree growing into a
crumbling brick wall.
The next stop is the Madanmohan Temple, a large cylindrical building
made from red speckled Mathura sandstone, with steps going down to a
walkway where the river once was. One of the first temples built in
Vrindaban, it enshrines a deity that was taken in the early 18th
century to Rajasthan to protect it from Muslim raiders.
Krishna-devotion at its most frenzied can be seen at the Bankebihari
Temple, a 10-minute detour into the heart of Vrindaban, straight
back from the Madanmohan Temple. Bankebihari refers to the seductive
Krishna, standing playing his flute, bent at the knees, waist and
neck. It is this form of Krishna that is associated with his fabled
ability to manifest to his many lovers in precisely the form that
would evoke the heat of their passion.
The statue at the Bankebihari Temple, legend has it, was found in
the early 16th century by Swami Hari Dass, at a time when Vrindaban,
which means "woods of Tulsi trees," was mostly forest, with no
temples or shrines. A Krishna devotee, the swami was singing to
Radha and Krishna when the statue magically appeared. The statue
depicts Radha and Krishna entwined in an embrace.
The Bankebihari figure is said to be thirsty for devotion. Local
lore has it that he will follow out of the temple those who have
particularly intense and pure devotion to him, and he has so
disappeared from time to time. To keep it in the temple, the priests
keep the statue behind a curtain, as the throng of devotees shout
Krishna's praises. Their shouts reach a a peak as the priests whisk
open the curtain for a minute or so, then close it lest the devotion
become so intense they will lose the statue altogether.
Near Bankebihari Temple is the more peaceful Radhawalla Temple,
where the Radhavallabha statue is now enshrined, having been brought
back a century ago from hiding in Jaipur. The main attraction at the
Radhawalla Temple is the devotional music, often performed by bands
at night, or by informal groups of devotees backed by harmonium and
tabla. The music is impromptu, typically devotional songs
accompanied by tabla, harmonium, ektar and hand cymbals.
In traditional Indian style, everyone sits on the floor, crowding in
wherever there is a perch to be found. Anyone who enjoys the music
is welcome. Here, too, both male and female devotees sometimes dress
as Radha and dance for Krishna.
A short walk from the Radhawalla Temple is the Sevakunj, the walled
garden where, it is said, Radha and Krishna still tryst each night.
Everyone, even the ever-present monkeys, leave the garden at night,
for lore has it that anyone who stays will go mad. The monkeys enjoy
the garden during the day but they have seriously damaged it and
left a devastated landscape of gnarled, vinelike trees.
Returning from town to the Parikrama, the main attraction is the
Chirghat, site of the Kadamba Tree. From there, the pleasures of the
path, as you walk on, are in the ancient rhythms of Indian life
presented by devotees at prayer in ashrams, oxen plowing fields and
the uncluttered vistas of rural life. VISITING A CITY OF TEMPLES
Guidance
As in all Hindu holy places, shoes should be removed on entering a
temple, and leather garments are to be avoided. Women should dress
modestly. Cameras are allowed at most sites in Vrindaban, but not at
the Bankebihari Temple, and it is always best to to ask permission
before taking pictures. As in most traditional villages of India,
finding restrooms can be a problem, particularly for those who
prefer Western-style plumbing. Sanitation is often primitive in
villages. There are no public Western-style restrooms in Vrindaban,
but your guide will be able to help find a restroom, if only in the
Iskcon complex occupied by the International Society for Krishna
Consciousness, the group known in the United States as Hare Krishna.
A note of caution: the monkeys that roam the roofs of town can be
aggressive, swooping down to steal bags from your hand. Do not feed
them, and do not carry fruit unless it is kept out of sight. Always
keep a firm hand on your handbag or pack.
If you take the Taj Express to Mathura, taxis are readily available
at the station; fare to Vrindaban is about Rs50. Where to Eat
The best restaurant is that run by the Iskcon. The phrase Hare
Krishna is a prayer to Lord Krishna, and the group has built a large
temple complex that caters to visitors. The menu is vegetarian, and
there are some Western dishes as well as traditional Indian ones.
The temple is on Bhaktivedanta Swami Marg, just off Chatikar, the
main road to Delhi. Everyone in town seems to know where the
"American Temple" is. A full meal will cost about Rs100. |
