Vishram Ghat, Mathura

Vishram Ghat is the central and holiest ghat of Mathura - vishram meaning "rest," for here, in the leela, Krishna rested after slaying the tyrant Kansa.  The chain of ghats runs north and south from it (the count is given variously - a good Brajwasi doesn't fix it).

Its evening Yamuna aarti is the signature of Mathura - lamps circling, bells, the river aglow at dusk - best seen from a boat just off the steps.  It is the heart of Mathura's riverfront devotion, second in Braj only to Kesi Ghat for the beauty of its aarti and a close rival even there for sheer grandeur. Pair it with the Janmabhoomi and Dwarkadhish for a Mathura half-day. 

Kesi Ghat, Vrindavan

Kesi Ghat is the jewel of Vrindavan's riverfront - where, in the leela, Krishna slew the horse-demon Keshi, sent by Kansa.  Above its steps rise the painted havelis, the iconic skyline of Vrindavan, glowing in the low sun.

And here is my plain opinion, which a good guide must give: the evening aarti at Kesi Ghat is the loveliest in all of Braj.  As dusk falls and the lamps are raised to the river-goddess, with the old havelis behind and the dark water before, it is among the most beautiful sights a pilgrim will ever see. Come for it - but mind the monkeys, who are a daily menace here (see the warnings below). 

Chir Ghat - the cheer-haran

Chir Ghat (Cheer Ghat) is the site of the cheer-haran - the leela in which Krishna, while the young gopis bathed in the Yamuna, took up their garments (cheer) into a kadamba tree.  When they asked for them back, he bade them come and receive them with folded hands, raised above the water.

For all its playful surface, the leela is held to carry a deep teaching: of complete surrender to the Lord, holding back nothing, approaching him without the coverings of ego.  It is one of the tender, much-loved pastimes of the Yamuna's banks. 

Kaliya Ghat - the dance on the serpent

Kaliya Ghat marks the Kaliya-daman - the subduing of the great serpent Kaliya, whose venom had poisoned a deep pool of the Yamuna.  The boy Krishna leapt into the water, was coiled by the serpent and then rose and danced upon Kaliya's many hoods, until the serpent surrendered and Krishna spared his life, banishing him from the river.

It is one of the most dramatic and beloved of the Yamuna leelas - Krishna the child-hero, dancing in triumph on the serpent's heads, cleansing the river for Braj. The ghat keeps its memory on the very banks where it is held to have happened. 

Vamsi Vat - the flute that called the gopis

Vamsi Vat is the tree (vat) where, in the leela, Krishna played his flute (vamsi) and its sound called the gopis from their homes to the Raas.  It is the Maha-Raas sthali - one of the holiest sites of the Raas-leela, sought by devotees of prema (divine love).

It stands near Gopeshwar Mahadev - the Shiva who became a gopi to enter that very Raas - and near the Raas-groves of Nidhivan and Seva Kunj. To stand at Vamsi Vat is to stand where the flute first called. 

Imli Tala - the tamarind of Krishna & Chaitanya

Imli Tala - "under the tamarind" - is the site of an ancient tamarind tree, held to date to Krishna's own time.  Beneath it, the tradition says, Krishna sat; and centuries later, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu sat here too, absorbed in the mood of Radha - his golden complexion, it is said, deepened toward the dark of Krishna here, in his longing.

It is a deeply atmospheric Gaudiya site on the riverside, beloved by those who follow Chaitanya. A quiet, shaded place to sit and remember both the cowherd Lord and the golden saint who longed for him. 

Ter Kadamba - Rupa Goswami's seat

Ter Kadamba is the bhajan-sthali (place of worship) of Rupa Goswami, the foremost of the Six Goswamis of Vrindavan, who under a kadamba tree here composed his great works of devotion.  (It lies on the Vrindavan-Nandgaon side, on the parikrama path.)

It is a serene, sacred seat for the Gaudiya devotee, tied to Radha Damodar, Rupa Goswami's temple. To sit at Ter Kadamba is to sit where the literature of Vrindavan's love was written - a quiet, contemplative end to a tour of the Yamuna's leela-sites.

The evening Yamuna aarti

If you do one thing on the Yamuna, let it be the evening aarti.  My honest ranking, as a guide who will commit to an opinion:

• Kesi Ghat, Vrindavan - the loveliest in all of Braj: the lamps, the painted havelis, the dark water at dusk.

• Vishram Ghat, Mathura - a very close second for sheer grandeur; best seen from a boat off the steps.

Come a little before sunset to find a good spot (or a boat), keep valuables sealed against the monkeys and let the lamps and the river do the rest. It is the soul of an evening in Braj.

Honest warnings - the river, monkeys & rackets

Three honest cautions for the ghats: 

• The river's state - for much of the year the Yamuna is gravely polluted; bathe, if you do, with that knowledge and never drink her water. Reverence and honesty hold together here.

• The monkeys - at Kesi Ghat and along the ghats, monkeys snatch glasses, phones, prasad and bags daily and will bite. Keep nothing loose in hand; seal valuables away. This is a real, not a minor, problem.

• Donation-pressure rackets - operate around the old havelis and ghats; firm, practised, sometimes aggressive. Give to a temple or a panditji of your own free choice, never under pressure and never out of fear.

Hold these firmly and the ghats give nothing but beauty and peace. 

Festivals on the Yamuna

Yamuna Jayanti honours the goddess's own appearance, with special worship at the ghats.  The Pushkaram cycle (roughly every twelve years, a Jupiter-transit festival especially kept by Southern pilgrims) brings a large, distinct wave to the banks. 

Temples to combine nearby

The ghats and leela-sites thread Braj's riverfront:

• Gopeshwar Mahadev - by Vamsi Vat; the Shiva who became a gopi for the Raas

• Nidhivan & Seva Kunj - the Raas-groves near Vamsi Vat

• Shri Radha Damodar Temple - Rupa Goswami's temple; near Ter Kadamba

• Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi & Dwarkadhish - for Vishram Ghat, Mathura

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

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

• Kesi Ghat aarti is the one - the loveliest evening in all of Braj; come before sunset.

• Take a boat at Vishram Ghat - Mathura's aarti is grandest seen from the water.

• Hold the river honestly - she is our mother goddess and she is wounded; revere her and don't pretend she's clean.

• Guard against the Kesi Ghat monkeys - they snatch and bite daily; keep nothing loose in hand.

• Sit quietly at Vamsi Vat or Imli Tala - the flute that called the gopis, the tamarind of Chaitanya; these are for the heart, not the camera.

Our Yamuna is dark like our Lord and she carries his whole story on her water - the cradle that crossed her, the serpent he danced upon, the flute that called the gopis to her banks. Sit at Kesi Ghat as the lamps go up at dusk and you will love her. And love her enough, too, to grieve that we have let her grow ill. She is our mother. We owe her both. - Gurudutt