Chiksauli: The Village of Chitra Sakhi Near Barsana, a Complete Guide

Key facts at a glance

Chiksauli: an overview

Chiksauli, also spelt Chiksoli, is a tender and sacred village of Braj, the holy land of Radha and Krishna, close to Barsana, the town of Radha, in the Nandgaon block of Mathura district. Though it is a small, quiet, rural village away from the busiest pilgrim trail, it is dear to the devotees of Radha, for it is revered above all as the village of Chitra Sakhi, one of the ashta-sakhis, the eight principal companions of Radha and a favourite friend of Radha Rani.

Chiksauli holds the sacred Gahvar Kund, which falls on the parikrama of Shreeji, Radha Rani; a temple of Bihari Ji; and a very large gaushala, a cow shelter, associated with the revered saint Ramesh Baba Ji Maharaj, a place of gau-seva, the loving service of cows. This guide covers Chiksauli and its meaning, Chitra Sakhi and the ashta-sakhis, the sacred sites, the great gaushala, its place near Barsana and how to reach and visit it. It lies beside Barsana; see our radha rani temple barsana guide for the great temple of Radha nearby.

From the ground (Gurudutt): Chiksauli is a place for the devotees of Radha, so come knowing its heart: it is the village of Chitra Sakhi, one of the eight cherished companions of Radha Rani, a tender corner of the land of Radha near Barsana. Its sacred Gahvar Kund falls on the parikrama of Shreeji and its great gaushala, associated with the revered Ramesh Baba Ji Maharaj, is a place of gau-seva, the loving care of cows so dear to Krishna. It is a small, rural village, quieter and simpler than the pilgrim towns, so it is best visited along with Barsana and the western Braj, in an unhurried, devotional spirit. Darshan is free. See our Mathura Vrindavan tour Package  or message WhatsApp +91 7302265809.   

Chiksauli at a glance

Here are the essentials of Chiksauli in one place.

In one line: Chiksauli, near Barsana, is revered as the village of Chitra Sakhi, a favourite friend of Radha and one of her eight companions, with the sacred Gahvar Kund and a great gaushala.

What is Chiksauli?

Chiksauli or Chiksoli, is a village of Braj in the Nandgaon block of Mathura district, close to Barsana, the town of Radha, in the western part of the holy land. It is revered in the tradition of Braj as the village of Chitra Sakhi, one of the eight principal companions, the ashta-sakhis, of Radha and a favourite friend of Radha Rani; so it is a tender and cherished site in the land of Radha, dear to her devotees.

So Chiksauli is not merely a village but a sacred site of the land of Radha, bound to one of her beloved companions and holding the sacred Gahvar Kund, a Bihari Ji temple and a great gaushala of gau-seva. It is a quiet, rural place, close to Barsana, best known and loved by the devotees of Radha and the pilgrims of the western Braj. We present its sanctity and its association with Chitra Sakhi as the cherished belief and tradition of Braj, held with faith and recounted with reverence. So Chiksauli is a tender village of the land of Radha, near Barsana.

Chitra Sakhi, a favourite friend of Radha

The heart of Chiksauli is its being revered as the village of Chitra Sakhi, one of the ashta-sakhis, the eight principal companions of Radha and a favourite friend of Radha Rani. In the tradition of Braj, the sakhis are the beloved girl companions of Radha, who serve and delight in the divine pastimes of Radha and Krishna and who are cherished as the very embodiment of loving devotion; Chitra Sakhi is honoured among the foremost of these, dear to Radha.

By the tradition, each of the principal sakhis of Radha has her own village in the land of Braj and Chiksauli is revered as the village of Chitra Sakhi, so that a visit here is a visit to the home of one of Radha's dearest companions. So Chiksauli is cherished as the village of Chitra Sakhi, a tender site of the land of Radha. We present Chitra Sakhi and the sakhis with the reverence of the tradition, held with faith and recounted with reverence, the beloved companions of Radha in the divine and transcendent pastimes of the land of Braj, whose devotion is cherished as the model of the loving service of the divine.

The ashta-sakhis of Radha

To understand Chiksauli, it helps to know the ashta-sakhis, the eight principal companions of Radha, of whom Chitra Sakhi is one. In the tradition of Braj, Radha is surrounded and served by her beloved sakhis, her girl companions, who share in and delight in the divine pastimes of Radha and Krishna; among them, eight are honoured as the principal companions, the ashta-sakhis, each dear to Radha and each cherished in the tradition.

By the tradition, the ashta-sakhis, including Chitra Sakhi honoured at Chiksauli, are the closest companions of Radha, embodiments of pure, selfless, loving devotion, who serve the divine couple in their pastimes and are revered as the ideal of the devotee's love; each is associated with her own village and sacred sites in the land of Braj. So the ashta-sakhis are the eight beloved companions of Radha, of whom Chitra Sakhi of Chiksauli is one. We present the sakhis with the reverence of the tradition, held with faith and recounted with reverence, the cherished companions of Radha in the divine pastimes of the holy land, whose loving devotion is honoured as the model of the soul's service of the divine.

The sacred sites of Chiksauli

Besides its being the village of Chitra Sakhi, Chiksauli holds sacred sites dear to the pilgrims of the land of Radha.

• Gahvar Kund: a sacred kund, a holy pond, at Chiksauli, revered as falling on the parikrama of Shreeji, Radha Rani, so that the pilgrims of the Barsana parikrama honour it.

• The Bihari Ji temple: a temple of Bihari Ji, the beloved form of Krishna, revered in the village, a place of darshan for the pilgrims.

• The home of Chitra Sakhi: the village itself, revered as the home and sthali of Chitra Sakhi, the favourite friend of Radha, dear to her devotees.

• The great gaushala: a very large gaushala, a cow shelter, of gau-seva, associated with the revered saint Ramesh Baba Ji Maharaj, a place of the loving care of cows.

So Chiksauli holds the sacred Gahvar Kund, the Bihari Ji temple, the home of Chitra Sakhi and the great gaushala, a tender cluster of sacred sites in the land of Radha near Barsana. So a visit takes in these holy places in a devotional spirit. We present the sanctity of these sites as the cherished belief and tradition of Braj, held with faith, the holy places of the village of Chitra Sakhi near Barsana in the western Braj.

The great gaushala and gau-seva

Chiksauli is known too for a very large gaushala, a cow shelter, a place of gau-seva, the loving service and protection of cows, which are dear to Krishna, the cowherd Lord of Braj and revered in the tradition. The gaushala is associated with the revered saint Ramesh Baba Ji Maharaj, a beloved saint of the Barsana region, known for his devotion and his great work of gau-seva; the shelter is reported to care for a very large number of cows, tens of thousands, making it one of the great cow shelters of the region.

So Chiksauli is a place of gau-seva, the loving care of the cows so dear to Krishna and to Braj, through this great gaushala of the revered Ramesh Baba Ji Maharaj. So a visit may take in the sight of this devotion to the cows, a cherished service of the land of Krishna. We present the gaushala and the gau-seva and the reverence of the saint, with the respect of the tradition, held with faith, the loving service of cows at Chiksauli, near Barsana in the land of Radha and Krishna, where the cow is honoured and cherished.

Chiksauli, Barsana and the western Braj

Chiksauli is best understood as a tender village of the land of Radha, close to Barsana, the town of Radha, in the western Braj. Its post and its life are bound to Barsana and it is revered along with the sacred sites of Barsana and the ashta-sakhi villages of the region. As the village of Chitra Sakhi, it is part of the beautiful landscape of the land of Radha, with Barsana at its heart.

So Chiksauli is best visited along with Barsana and the western Braj, the land of Radha, on a pilgrimage or the Braj parikrama; it is close to the great radha rani temple barsana and the kirti mandir barsana the temple of Radha's birthplace and not far from nand mahal nandgaon the town of Krishna's foster-home. Our braj chaurasi kos yatra guide covers the great parikrama of Braj, on which the sakhi villages are honoured. So see Chiksauli as part of the tender land of Radha, with Barsana at its heart, in the western Braj.

Timings, darshan and how to visit

Chiksauli, being a rural village with its kund, its Bihari Ji temple, the sthali of Chitra Sakhi and the gaushala rather than a single great enclosed temple, is generally open to pilgrims through the daylight hours, keeping the gentle rhythm of a village of Braj; its shrines keep the general morning-and-evening custom of the temples of the region. So plan a daytime visit. Darshan is free and any offering is voluntary.

A few honest words for the visitor: Chiksauli is a small, rural village near Barsana, quieter and simpler than the pilgrim towns, so facilities are basic and it is best visited by the devotees of Radha, along with Barsana and the western Braj, rather than as a standalone day out. Come in a devotional, unhurried spirit, dress modestly, carry water and honour the sacred kund, the temple, the sthali of Chitra Sakhi and the gau-seva. So visit Chiksauli gently and reverently, for the tender devotion of the village of Radha's dear companion. Our best time to visit vrindavan mathura guide covers the seasons of Braj.

How to reach Chiksauli

Chiksauli lies near Barsana, in the Nandgaon block of Mathura district, in the western Braj, so reaching it means reaching the Barsana area and the land of Radha.

• It is close to Barsana, its post office, in the Nandgaon block, in the western part of Mathura district near the Rajasthan border.

• Barsana is about 45 to 50 km from Mathura and about 21 km from Govardhan; Chiksauli is just beside Barsana.

• Reach it by road via Barsana; the nearest towns are Barsana, Nandgaon and Govardhan and the nearest railheads are at Chhata and Kosi Kalan.

• A car with a driver is the most comfortable way, as part of a western-Braj or Barsana trip.

So reach Chiksauli by road via Barsana, in the western Braj, most often as part of a Barsana or western-Braj pilgrimage or the Braj parikrama. Our how to reach vrindavan guide covers arriving in the Braj region and our braj festival calendar guide the festivals of Barsana, such as the Lathmar Holi and Radhashtami. We arrange Braj tours taking in Barsana, Chiksauli and the sacred sites of the land of Radha, with the transport, the routing, the timing and a knowledgeable local guide to bring the pastimes and the sakhis alive. A shared Braj day tour starts from around ₹1,499 per person, with darshan free throughout; our same-day govardhan barsana tour covers the western Braj, our two-day mathura vrindavan tour the twin cities and our one-day vrindavan tour package Vrindavan. Message me on WhatsApp at +91-7302265809 to plan your visit.

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