Sankarshana is an expansion of Lord Balarama. It is said in the Adi Varaha Purana that by taking bath in this kunda the sin of killing a cow is removed. Not far from this kunda, at Sringar Stali, is where Madhavendra Puri found the Gopala Deity.

Near this kunda is a Balarama temple called the Sankarshana Temple. The Balarama Deity in this temple is said to have been installed by Vajranabha about 4,900 years ago. This Deity was put in Sankarshana Kunda during a Muslim attack. The present temple is about 200 years old. The Deity of Balarama is black and is about 5 feet tall. Next to Balarama is a small Deity of Krishna.

The Annakuta festival was celebrated between Dan Nivartana Kunda and Sankarshana Kunda.

Getting there 
This kunda is next to the village of Aniyora. From the road that goes around the village, it is on the right. If you are walking through the village or close to the hill it is on your left. It is about 400m from Govinda Kunda.

The Balarama temple is a fairly small temple that looks like a house, next to the road that goes through the village. Darshan times for the Sankarshana Temple are 8 to 11 am and 4 to 8 pm.

Madhavendra Puri found the Deity of Gopala at this place while staying at Govinda Kunda, about 500 years ago, This place is very close to Govardhana Hill, so one has to be careful not to step on Govardhana when coming to this place. Sri Gopala was discovered before Lord Caitanya came to Vrindavana.

This Gopala Deity is now known as Sri Nathaji and is wor¬shiped at Nathdwar in Rajasthan.

Getting there
This place is almost right next to Govardhana Hill, below where the old temple of Gopala is located, on the edge of the village of Aniyora. It is about a minute walk from Sankarsana Kunda.

Gopala
Sri Gopala (Nathaji) is a beautiful black marble Deity of Lord Krishna, standing with His hand upraised lifting Govardhana Hill. Sri Gopala is Lord Krishna in His pastime of lifting Govardhana Hill. This Deity was originally installed by Vajranabha, the great-grandson of Lord Krishna, 4900 years ago. The Lord's left hand is upraised. His right hand, closed in a fist, rests on His hip. His eyes glance downward affectionately at His devo¬tees. Sri Nathaji is a very special and beautiful Deity.

The Deity appears in a large black stone from which His form emerges in bas-relief. The stone around the Deity bears several marks: two cows, a snake, a lion, two peacocks, a parrot by the Lord's head, two sages seated on His right side and a third on His left, and then below the sages is another snake. Around the Lord's neck is a flower garland, resembling a black snake.

After Madhavendra Puri left Vrindavana, two brahmans from Bengal served the Gopala Deity. After time had passed, Raghu¬natha Dasa Gosvami saw that there was a need to find a devotee to serve Gopala. He gave this service to Vitthala, the son of Val¬labhacarya.

Sri Nathaji was brought to Nathdwar by Rana Raja Singh of Mewar, in the 17th century. The temple of Sri Nathaji in Nath¬dwar is said to be the second richest temple in India, after the Balaji Temple in Tirupati.

Discovery Of Gopala
Once Sri Madhavendra Puri traveled to Vrindavana, where he came upon Govardhana. Madhavendra Puri was almost mad in his ecstasy of love of Godhead, and he did not know whether it was day or night. Sometimes he stood up, and sometimes he fell to the ground. He could not discriminate whether he was in a proper place or not. After circumambulating the hill, Madhavendra Puri went to Govinda Kunda and took his bath. He then sat beneath a tree to take his evening rest.

While he was sitting beneath a tree, an unknown cowherd boy came with a pot of milk, placed it before Madhavendra Puri, and, smiling, addressed him as follows," Please drink the milk I have brought. Why don't you beg some food to eat? What kind of meditation are you undergoing?''

When he saw the beauty of that boy, Madhavendra Puri became very satisfied. Hearing His sweet words, he forgot all hunger and thirst.

Madhavendra Puri said, "Who are You? Where do You reside? And how did You know that I was fasting?"

The boy replied, ''Sir, I am a cowherd boy, and I reside in this village. In My village, no one fasts. In this village a person can beg food from others and thus eat. Some people drink only milk, but if a person does not ask anyone for food, I supply him all his eatables. The women who come here to take water saw you, and they supplied Me with this milk and sent Me to you. I must go very soon to milk the cows, but I shall return and take back this milk pot from you."

Saying this, the boy left the place. Indeed, He suddenly could be seen no more, and Madhavendra Puri's heart was filled with wonder

. After drinking the milk, Madhavendra Puri washed the pot and put it aside. He looked towards the path, but the boy never returned. Madhavendra Puri could not sleep. He sat and chanted the Hare Krishna maha-mantra, and at the end of the night he dozed a little, and his external activities stopped. In a dream Madhavendra Puri saw the very same boy.

The boy came before him and holding his hand, took him to a bush in the jungle. The boy showed Madhavendra Puri the bush and said, "I reside in this bush, and because of this I suffer very much from severe cold, rain showers, winds, and scorching heat. Please bring the people of the village and get them to take Me out of this bush. Then place Me nicely on top of the hill.''

"Please construct a temple on the top of that hill," the boy continued, "and install Me in that temple. After this, wash Me with large quantities of cold water so that My body may be cleansed. For many days I have been observing you, and I have been wondering. `When will Madhavendra Puri come here to serve Me? I have accepted your service due to your ecstatic love for Me. Thus I shall appear, and by My audience all fallen souls will be delivered. My name is Gopala. I am the lifter of Govar¬dhana Hill. I was installed by Vajranabha, and here I am the authority. When the Mohammedans attacked, the priest who was serving Me hid Me in this bush in the jungle. Then he ran away out of fear of the attack. Since the priest went away, I have been staying in this bush. It is very good that you have come here. Now just remove Me with care."' (Caitanya Caiitamrita Madhya 4.21-43).

Madhavendra then went to the place where this boy instructed him to go and found the Gopala Deity. A grand installation was held for Sri Gopala. Gopal temple is on the top of Govardhana Hill, not far from Sankarsana Kunda.

Sri Rupa Gosvami describes the pastime that took place here in Vidagdha Madhava Nataka. One day Abhimanyu, the husband of Radharani, decided to bring Radharani to Mathura to keep her away from Krishna. He went to Paurnamasi and asked her for her blessing to do this. She told him that whatever he had heard was just rumors. She convinced Abhimanyu not go to Mathura and to return home. Abhimanyu then requested Paurnamasi to have Radharani start worshiping Gauri Devi. His mother, Jatila, had told him that Chandravali had started wor¬shiping Gauri Devi and her husband Govardhana Malla had become very rich.

Radha then went to worship Gauri Devi. Krishna then came and blocked Her path. After a long argument Radha chastised Krishna and went to pick some flowers for Gauri Devi. Abhimanyu then heard from Padma gopi that Radha and Krishna were together at the Gauri Temple, so he rushed there.

Krishna then went to the Gauri Temple and dressed up like Gauri Devi, and stood in front of the Deity of Gauri Devi, block¬ing the real deity of Gauri. After picking some flowers, Radha¬rani went and offered prays to Gauri Devi. At this time Abhimanyu came rushing into the temple. Gauri Devi (actually Krishna) then tells Abhimanyu that there is a great danger in store for him. He asked Vrinda Devi to tell him what it is. Vrinda Devi then told him that Kamsa plans to cut off his head in two days. Radharani then begged Gauri Devi to help him. Gauri said she would help him if Radharani promised that she would never leave Braja and would always render service to me. Abhimanyu promised that this would happen. Abhimanyu then canceled any plans of going to Mathura.

Getting there
To get here you make a left from the road that goes around the village of Aniyora, immediately after passing Sankarshana Kunda. If you are walking through the village of Aniyora it is down a road, on the other side of Sankarshana Kunda.

Govinda Kunda is about 400m after the village of Aniyora. This is where Lord Indra offered prayers and bathed Krishna, after Krishna lifted Govardhana Hill. This kunda was made by the bathing ceremony. Krishna's feet were bathed with Ganges water, milk, tulasi manjaris and lotus flowers. This kunda was origi¬nally filled with these ingredients from the abhiseka (bathing ceremony).

In the purport to Caitanya Caritamrita Madhya 18.37 it is stated. "Govinda Kunda is exalted for its many spiritual activi¬ties. It was here that Indra was defeated by Lord Krishna, and Indra offered his prayers and bathed Lord Govinda. In the Mathura-khanda it is also stated: `Simply by bathing in Govinda Kunda, one is awarded liberation. This lake was produced when Bhagavan Sri Krishna was bathed by Lord Indra.'"

"In this way, Krishna was bathed by the milk of the surabhi cows, and Indra bathed Krishna by the water of the celestial Ganges through the trunk of his elephant carrier. After this, the heav¬enly King Indra, along with the surabhi cows and all the other demigods and their mothers, worshiped Lord Krishna by bath¬ing Him with Ganges water and the milk of the surabhis." (Krishna Book, Chap. 27)

While Madhavendra Puri was staying at Govinda Kunda a beautiful blackish boy came to him and gave him a pot of milk. Later in a dream this same boy came and told him where the Deity of Gopala was located

Getting there 
This kunda is a large kunda (100m by 100m), about 400m out of the town of Aniyora. It is next to Govardhana Hill and from the paved.

Gopala Temple
This temple is next to Govinda Kunda. The worship at this temple is supervised by the Gosvamis of the Govindaji temple in Jaipur.

Indra Tila
This is where Lord Indra and mother Surabhi are said to have bathed Lord Krishna. The water from the bathing gath¬ered in Govinda Kunda. Getting there- Indra Tila (hill) is a small hill (about 20 feet high) on the southern bank of Govinda Kunda. If you are facing Govinda Kunda and Go¬vardhana, it is in front of you, to your left. It is a little difficult to see it because of the buildings near it.

Radha Govinda Temple
The Radha Govinda Temple is located between Nipa Kunda and Govinda Kunda. The Deity of Govinda in this temple is about three and a half feet tall and is playing a flute. The Deity in this temple is said to have been originally installed by Vajranabha. Getting there- If you are standing looking at Govinda Kunda and Govard¬hana Hill, this temple is directly behind you. It is a fairly good-sized temple, with a temple tower over the Deities. Darshan times are 7 to II am and 4 to 9 pm.