Apsara Kund, Govardhan: The Melted Form of Radha at Puchhari

Apsara Kund at a glance

What is Apsara Kund?

Apsara Kund is one of the many sacred kunds or holy water tanks, that ring Govardhan Hill, lying at the southern tip of the hill, at Puchhari, the tail of Govardhan, in Braj. It stands right beside its twin, Naval Kund and the two small lakes are counted among the dearest and most intimate of all the Govardhan kunds, for they are held to be the very forms of Radha and Krishna. Set amid dense Kadamba groves on the Govardhan parikrama, with ancient shrines around them, the kunds are a place of deep, tender devotion, a little away from the busier parts of the parikrama. For the whole of Govardhan and the land of Krishna, a mathura vrindavan tour with Experience My India can bring you to the Puchhari kunds and the parikrama.

From the ground (Gurudutt): At the tail of Giriraj ji, at Puchhari, lie two little lakes that most hurried visitors never see, Apsara Kund and Naval Kund. The old ones tell us these are no ordinary ponds; they are Radha and Krishna themselves, melted into water in the joy of their love, so that they could remain here forever. Sit quietly by them among the Kadamba trees and you feel it. When I take guests on the parikrama, I always bring them here. Radhe Radhe.

The legend of the apsaras and Krishna's coronation

Apsara Kund takes its name from a wonder at the time Krishna was crowned Govinda. After the young Krishna lifted Govardhan Hill on his little finger to shelter Braj, Indra, the king of the gods, humbled, came and performed the abhishek, the ceremonial bathing and coronation, of Krishna, hailing him as Govinda, the lord of cows; this was done nearby at Govind Kund, where the celestial cow Surabhi and the heavenly Ganga bathed him. At that great coronation, the apsaras, the most beautiful damsels of the heavens, came down and danced in joy and the Gandharvas and sages sang the glories of the Lord; and the place where the apsaras danced and offered their worship became known as Apsara Kund. So the kund carries the memory of heaven itself coming down to rejoice at the crowning of Krishna. The giriraj maharaj govardhan aarti lyrics sings of this same Giriraj, Govardhan, whom Krishna lifted.

The melted form of Radha and Krishna

The dearest tradition of Apsara Kund is the most tender of all:

• Melted in the ecstasy of divine love. By a beloved Vaishnava tradition, once, during a spring raas-lila, as Radha and Krishna danced and were absorbed in the rapture of their divine love on these banks, their very forms melted, in the ecstasy of that love and flowed as liquid into two pools; so the two kunds came to be.

• Apsara Kund, the form of Radha. Apsara Kund is held to be the melted form of Srimati Radharani and many Vaishnavas understand the kund's name as being after Radha herself, the dearest of all; its still waters are revered as her very self, remaining here for her devotees.

• Naval Kund, the form of Krishna. The adjacent Naval Kund is held to be the melted form of Sri Krishna, called Naval, the ever-new; so the twin kunds, side by side, are Radha and Krishna together, dissolved into water in the fullness of their love, a darshan of their union found nowhere else.

This is the same Radha honoured at the radha rani temple barsana and in the radha rani aarti lyrics; and the marble prem mandir vrindavan tells the love of Radha and Krishna in stone.

The significance: the forms of the Lord

Beyond its twin legends, Apsara Kund is held to be a place of the Lord's many forms:

• The twenty-four incarnations. The scriptures state that the twenty-four primary incarnations of Lord Vishnu eternally perform their pastimes on the banks of Apsara Kund; so the kund is dear not only to lovers of Radha and Krishna but to all who revere the forms of the Lord, a place where the divine is ever present.

• Krishna's revealed forms. It is told that Krishna would come here for the delight of his cowherd friends and sometimes reveal to them and the gopis his various forms, manifesting here a twelve-armed Vishnu or Varaha the boar lifting the earth or Ramachandra while the cowherd boys became his monkeys, in the play of his pastimes.

• A place of raas. The whole area around the two kunds, amid the dense Kadamba groves, is revered as a place of the raas-lila, the dance of divine love; it is a quiet, deeply devotional spot, dear to those who seek the intimate leelas of Radha and Krishna at Govardhan.

The Apsara-bihari temple and the sacred surroundings

Around the twin kunds lie several revered shrines and sacred spots:

• The Apsara-bihari temple. Beside the kund stands the Apsara-bihari temple, where Radha and Krishna are worshipped as the deities of this holy place; it is the chief shrine of the kund, dear to pilgrims who come for the darshan of the Lord here.

• Kundeshwar Mahadev. Nearby is the Kundeshwar Mahadev temple, a shrine of Lord Shiva as the guardian of the kund; as across Braj, Shiva stands as the protector of the holy places of Krishna and his darshan is taken with reverence.

• Raghav Pandit's cave and the groves. There is also the cave of Raghav Pandit, a great devotee who did his worship here in solitude and where, after him, the Siddha saint Pandit Ramkrishna Das Baba also performed his devotions; all amid the dense Kadamba groves that shade the kunds, a place made holy by the tapasya of saints.

For the current temple timings, see our mathura vrindavan temple timings guide, as they change with the season; and the kshir sagar is another of Braj's sacred tanks, with its own legend.

Apsara Kund on the Govardhan parikrama

Apsara Kund and Naval Kund lie at Puchhari, the southern tail of Govardhan, on the great seven-kos Govardhan parikrama, the circumambulation of the sacred hill. This southern end of the parikrama is rich in holy places, with Govind Kund, where Krishna was crowned Govinda, Surabhi Kund, where the celestial cow bathed him and the beloved Puchhari ke Lota, all close by. Many pilgrims who walk the parikrama pause at Apsara and Naval Kund for the tender darshan of the melted forms of Radha and Krishna, a quieter, deeply devotional part of the great walk around Giriraj. To do the Govardhan parikrama and see these kunds, our govardhan hill guide covers the hill, Giriraj and the parikrama.

How to reach and visit Apsara Kund

Apsara Kund lies at the southern end of Govardhan, a little off the busiest path:

• Reaching Puchhari. Govardhan town is about 22 to 25 km from Mathura and Vrindavan; Apsara Kund and Naval Kund are at Puchhari, the southern tail of the hill, reached by road towards the Puchhari and Govind Kund side or on foot on the parikrama. As it is a little away from the main darshan points, a car and a Braj guide make it easy to find.

• Visit with reverence. The kunds are ancient and holy and some lie quieter and less restored than the great sites; treat the waters and the shrines with reverence, follow the local custom and keep the peace of this devotional spot. Sit a while by the kunds among the Kadamba groves; it is a place to feel, not to rush.

• Best time. October to March is the most pleasant season for the parikrama and the kunds; Govardhan is dearest and busiest at Govardhan Puja after Diwali and at Guru Purnima. For a quiet darshan at Apsara and Naval Kund, come on an ordinary day in the cool season.

See our distance from mathura to gokul and how to commute in vrindavan guides for reaching this side of Braj.

We take pilgrims on the Govardhan parikrama and to the Puchhari kunds, Apsara Kund, Naval Kund, Govind Kund and Surabhi Kund and across the whole of Braj, in a comfortable vehicle with a Braj-born guide who knows the kunds and their old stories. A shared day tour starts from around ₹1,499 per person, with darshan free. The braj 84 kos yatra covers the whole of Braj including Govardhan, our mathura vrindavan tour the twin cities and our vrindavan tour package Vrindavan in a day; the banke bihari temple and the braj yamuna ghats and leela sites are dear too. Message me on WhatsApp at +91-7302265809 to plan your Govardhan parikrama.

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