Mathura is the birthplace of the Hindu mythological character Lord Krishna at the centre of Braj or Brij-bhoomi, called Shri Krishna Janma-Bhoomi, literally: 'Lord Krishna's birthplace'.
Govardhana (Sanskrit: गोवर्धन) is a hill located near the town of Vrindavana, in the Mathura district of Uttar Pradesh, India. It considered as sacred especially in the Vaishnava traditions within Hinduism.
Known as Govardhan or Giriraj it is the sacred center of Braj and is identified as a natural form of Krishna.
Govardhan Puja is celebrated the day after Diwali. It is the day Lord Krishna defeated Indra, the deity of thunder and rain. As per the story, Krishna saw huge preparations for the annual offering to Indra and questions his father Nanda about it. He debated with the villagers about what their 'dharma' truly was. They were farmers, they should do their duty and concentrate on farming and protection of their cattle. He continued to say that all human beings should merely do their 'karma', to the best of their ability and not pray or conduct sacrifices for natural phenomenon. The villagers were convinced by Krishna, and did not proceed with the special puja (prayer). Indra was then angered, and flooded the village. Krishna then lifted Mt Govardhan and held it up as protection to his people and cattle from the rain. Indra finally accepted defeat and recognized Krishna as supreme. This aspect of Krishna's life is mostly glossed over - but it actually set up on the basis of the 'karma' philosophy later detailed in the Bhagavad Gita.
It also represents the downfall of Indra, and a new beginning in Hindu philosophy, from a more sacrificial/ appeasement oriented worship, to a more spiritual plane of thought. This evolution of thought in Hinduism was brought about by Krishna, and therefore he has been the most important Hindu deity since then - considered an 'avatar' of the supreme. The more we look at his life story - we find him to be a great reformer of his time.
According to ancient Vaishnava legends the Vedic Deva (demigod a kin to guardian angel), Indra (god of rain & lightning) was feared by human beings because he would either give the people no rain or flood them if he was not satisfied with their worship. When Krishna found out, he opposed the performance of sacrificial worship for Indra. He emphasized the importance of karma and doing ones duty. This supposedly made Indra angry at the boy Krishna (an incarnation of the Supreme God according to the Bhagavata Purana).
Kusuma Sarovara, a beautiful sandstone monument, is a 25-minute walk from Radha Kunda. Kusuma means “flower,” and here the gopis would pick flowers for Krishna. Kusuma Sarovara is the best swimming spot in Braja. After you go to Radha Kunda you could spend a relaxing hour here. It is a peaceful place, which not many people visit.
The ghatas at this kunda and the buildings above the kunda were built by Jawahir Singh, the king of Bharatpur around 1764, in honor of his father Raja Suraj Mall. Suraj Mall attacked the Mughal King of Delhi and was killed in the battle. His son Jawahir Singh then attacked Delhi and killed the Mughal king. On the upper level are three tombs. The main tomb of Raja Suraj Mall has beautiful paintings on its ceiling depicting the pastimes of Krishna and the lotus feet of Krishna engraved on the floor. There are also some paintings of Raja Suraj Mall in his court. The other tombs are those of his two queens, Kishori and Hansiya. There are beautiful paintings on the ceiling of these two tombs.
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