Radha Kund & Shyam Kund - the holiest

At Govardhan's eastern foot lie two adjoining tanks that, for the Gaudiya tradition, are the holiest spot in all creation.  The story: Krishna slew the bull-demon Arishtasura and to cleanse himself dug Shyam Kund; Radha and the sakhis, in loving rivalry, dug Radha Kund beside it - so the two stand side by side, as Radha and Krishna themselves. 

This is the supreme place of prema - pure love.  The great Goswamis Rupa and Raghunath Das lived here and left their bodies here and their samadhis ring the kund. On Kartik Krishna Ashtami (Ahoi Ashtami), the midnight snan at Radha Kund is the great traditional bath taken by couples longing for a child or for marital harmony - a tradition I share calmly, as a tradition of grace, never a fear to be sold. Of all Braj's waters, Radha Kund is the one the devotee of prema seeks above all.

Honest warning: touts rush pilgrims to a lesser tank for a fee - the genuine adjoining Radha/Shyam pair is specific. Go with a local who knows the true kunds. 

Mansi Ganga - the Ganga from Krishna's mind

In the heart of Govardhan town lies Mansi Ganga, the central tank.  Its story is lovely: Nanda Maharaj wished to bathe in the holy Ganga, but the journey was far - so Krishna, the all-powerful child, created the Ganga from his own mind (manas) here, that his father might keep his vow without leaving Braj.

On the Kartik evenings, the floating of countless oil-lamps (deepdaan) across Mansi Ganga's dark water is among the most luminous sights in all of Braj.  It is a central station of the Govardhan parikrama and a place of deep, quiet beauty.

Kusum Sarovar - the photograph of Braj

On the road between Govardhan and Radha Kund stands Kusum Sarovar - a breathtaking sandstone-stepped tank, crowned with elegant chhatris (cenotaph-pavilions) of the 18th-century Jat patronage of Bharatpur.  Here, in the leela, Radha gathered flowers (kusum) for Krishna.

At sunset, when the golden stone glows above the still water, Kusum Sarovar is - I do not exaggerate - the photograph of Braj.  It is the most beautiful of all the kunds to the eye, a place to sit and let the dusk fall. (Mind the monkeys here - they are aggressive.)

The Govardhan constellation of kunds

Around Govardhan lies a whole constellation of kunds, each a leela.  A Brajwasi's advice - and the manual's - is to learn three or four well rather than reciting all:

• Govind Kund - where the gopas (and, in one telling, Indra and the wish-cow) crowned and bathed Krishna as Govinda.

• Surabhi Kund - where Surabhi, the wish-cow, anointed Krishna as Govinda after he lifted the hill.

• Kishori Kund & Lalita Kund - the tanks of Radha (Kishori) and her chief sakhi Lalita.

• Apsara Kund, Narada Kund, Uddhav Kund, Surya Kund - each carrying its own pastime and devotee.

You need not see them all; to bathe at or  bow at, even a few is to honour the whole Govardhan landscape of water and leela 

Chandra Sarovar - where the moon stood still

Near Govardhan (at Parasoli) lies Chandra Sarovar, the lake of one of Braj's most wondrous nights.  Here, on Sharad Purnima, the autumn full moon, Krishna danced the Maha-Raas with the gopis - and the moon (chandra) stood still, holding back the dawn, so that a single night of the Raas stretched into a night of Brahma (an age). The great blind poet-saint Surdas is associated with this tank.

On Sharad Purnima, devotees set kheer (rice-pudding) under the moonlight to catch its falling amrit (nectar).  Chandra Sarovar is the seat of that most auspicious of full moons - the night the moon itself could not bear to leave the Raas.

The tanks of Barsana & Nandgaon

Barsana, Radha's town, has its sacred tanks: Vrishabhanu Kund (of Radha's father, Vrishabhanu) and Pili Pokhar - the "yellow pond," its water traditionally tinged from the haldi (turmeric) of Radha's rituals.  Between Barsana and Nandgaon lies Prem Sarovar, the "lake of love," a tank of Radha and Krishna's tender meeting.

Nandgaon, Krishna's boyhood town, has the serene Pavan Sarovar - among the most peaceful spots in all Braj, loveliest at dawn - and Yashoda Kund, of Krishna's mother.  These tanks pair with the Barsana and Nandgaon temples.

Mathura, Gokul, Dauji & Kaman

Across Braj, more sacred waters: 

• Potara Kund (Mathura) - where, in tradition, the baby Krishna's clothes were washed; near the Janmabhoomi.

• Balbhadra Kund (the Kshir Sagar) at Dauji, Baldeo - the tank of Balarama's great temple.

• Vimal Kund and Dharm Kund at Kaman (Kamyavan), across the Rajasthan border - the great tanks of that desire-fulfilling van, a major Adhik Maas parikrama node.

• And the kund at Rawal, where, by one tradition, the infant Radha was found on a lotus.

Bathing in the kunds - what to know

Many pilgrims take a holy dip (snan) in the kunds - above all at Radha Kund - as an act of devotion.  A few honest, practical words:

• Treat the water and the steps as sacred - bathe with reverence, not as recreation.

• The stone steps can be slippery; step carefully, especially elderly pilgrims.

• Do not drink the kund water; carry your own sealed water.

• Bathe modestly and follow local custom at each kund.

• The Kartik midnight snan at Radha Kund is a cherished tradition for couples - approach it as devotion and grace, calmly, never out of fear or pressure.

Honest warnings - touts & monkeys

Two cautions a good guide will always give: 

• Touts at Radha Kund rush pilgrims to a lesser, wrong tank and charge a fee or  press "compulsory" rituals. The genuine Radha Kund / Shyam Kund pair is specific - go with a local who knows the true kunds, give only to the temple or a real panditji of your choice and never be frightened into paying.

• Aggressive monkeys at Mansi Ganga and Kusum Sarovar (and elsewhere) snatch glasses, phones, prasad and bags. Keep valuables sealed away and don't tease or feed them.

Hold these lightly but firmly and the kunds give nothing but peace.

Festivals at the kunds

Temples to combine nearby

The kunds ring Braj's great sites:

• Giriraj Govardhan - the hill the kunds surround

• Shri Radha Damodar Temple - Rupa Goswami's seat; the Goswamis of Radha Kund

• Shri Radha Rani Temple, Barsana & Nand Mahal, Nandgaon - for the Barsana & Nandgaon tanks

• Dauji, Baldeo - Balbhadra Kund

• Browse all at the Famous Temples of Mathura Vrindavan hub.

Author's tips from Gurudutt - what only a local knows

• Radha Kund is the jewel - for the lover of prema, the holiest water in creation; bow at the Goswami samadhis that ring it.

• Go with a local at Radha Kund - touts steer pilgrims to the wrong tank; the genuine pair is specific.

• Catch Kusum Sarovar at sunset - the golden stone over still water is the photograph of Braj.

• See Mansi Ganga's lamps in Kartik - a luminous, unforgettable evening.

• Mind the monkeys, mind the steps - seal valuables, step carefully on slippery stone.

In Braj we do not say "a pond." We say: here Krishna washed away a sin, here Radha dug with her own hands, here the moon refused to set. Every kund is a leela you can put your feet into. Bathe at Radha Kund with a quiet heart - and know you stand in the holiest water of all the worlds. - Gurudutt