Mathura Temple

Lord Krishna was born in a prison cell in Mathura. His father Vasudev aided by goddess Yogamaya brought him out of Mathura, across the raging river Yamuna into the house of Nanda in Gokula. Krishna spent his early childhood here and revealed His divinity. His uncle Kansa's murderous attempts lead Krishna to leave Gokula and move to Nandgaon, a more secure home high up on a hill. From here the young Krishna the cowherd boy would wander into the Vrindavan forests to play with His friends and dally with Radha, His consort. Vrindavan, is a transcendental world, a place of Krishna's lila. Each tree in the area speaks, as it were, of the love of the Divine Couple.

According to the Bhagavata Purana, Sri Krishna along with the gopis had danced the rasa dance on the banks of the Yamuna in Vrindavan. When the gopis felt conceited about Lord Krishna dancing with them, He disappeared from their midst. In the agony of separation from their beloved Krishna, the gopis recalled and enacted His lilas (divine pastimes of His life) which in course of time came to be known as the Rasalilas. The Rasalila in its present form is ascribed to Svami Haridas and Sri Narayan Bhatt. Only young Brahmin boys of 13 to 14 years of age can perform the Rasalila. The charming childhood pranks of Sri Krishna constitute the main them of these dramas.

Temple architecture

The basic structure of temples in India is a room or garbhagriha (sanctum sanctorum) where the image (murti) of the main Deity is kept. The temple is approached by a flight of steps and is often built on a platform. A porch covers the entrance to the temple, which is supported by carved pillars. A prominent roof called the shikhara surmounts the top of the garbhagriha, and dominates the surroundings. As time went by, small temples grew into temple complexes. Some temples have a hall (mandap) from where one can see the sanctum sanctorum.