Category Archives: Govardhan

Vilasa Vana and Vilachu Kunda

About halfway between Jati Pura and the town of Govardhana is the Satya Narayana temple. This temple is a small road-side temple about a km from Jati Pura. You can see the Deity of Satya Narayana from the road. In you proceed into the fields, which are directly behind the temple, for a km you come to Vilasa Vana and Vilachu Kunda. On the southern bank of Vilachu Kunda is a broken stone seat. It is said that Radharani and Krishna would sit there and talk together. The Deity of Harideva was hidden here during the Moghul rule, when the Muslim would destroy temples and Deities.

Govardhana Town
The path gets a little tricky when you enter the town of Govardhana. You go on the main road, then you make a right and a left and go through the main bazaar. There may be a detour before this point that goes to the left. After walking through the main bazaar for ten minutes the road bends to the right and after passing the town hall you make a left turn. This road then goes straight going pass Uddhava Kunda, until you reach the town surrounding Radha Kunda.

On the way through the town of Govardhana you can stop at Chakra Tirtha, which is on the bank of Manasi Ganga. Just before you leave the town of Govardhana, you can see Manasi Ganga on the right side of the road. Manasi Ganga is only about 20m (60 ft) wide at this place. You turn right at this place to get to Chakra Tirtha. On the road going from the parikrama path to Chakra Tirtha, there is a temple (house) that is said to mark the place where Saubari Rishi resided after he got married.

Sakhi Vana and Sakhi Sthali (Sakhikhara)

This is the place of Chandravali. This place is where she used to meet Krishna. There is a run-down kunda here on the left hand side of the parikranta path. This kunda is called Sakhi Kunda. It is said to have been created by the 64 sakhis (girlfriends) of Chandravali. Chandravali is the transcendental competitor of Srimati Radharani for the attention of Krishna.
 
At this place Chandravali lived with her husband, Govardhana Malla, who was a close friend of Abhimanyu. Her 64 sakhis also lived here. Krishna had pastimes with the cowherd boys at this place.
 
Getting there
This place is about 3/4 km (half a mile) from the town of Govardhana. Sakhi Kunda is a fairly small kunda, which looks like it has not been used for a while.

Uddhava Kunda

Uddhava Kunda

This is the place where Uddhava, after meeting with the gopi, desired to have a future birth as an insignificant clump of grass in Braja. As you approach Uddhava Kunda, on the right side there is a small temple with Radha-Krishna Deities. These Deities are said to have been installed by Vajranabha.

Getting there
This place is a few km pass the town of Govardhana, on the right side of the road. You cannot see this kunda from the road. This kunda is about a half hourwalk from the town of Govardhana. It is next to a group of building. This kunda is on the back side of Kusuma Sarovara, on the other side of Govardhana Hill.

Siva Khari (Siva Pushkarani)

You then walk awhile until you reach Siva Khari Kunda, which is on the right hand side of the parikrama path. The word Siva with a long i means "jackal." Between the path and the kunda is a very small temple (3 ft high, 4ft by 4 ft) dedicated to Lord Siva who is known as Ramesvara. Lord Siva stays here to protect Radha Kunda.

There is a story about Siva Khari in the Padma Parana, Vrindavana Mahatmya. Once a female jackal was drinking some water from the kunda here. Some children came and started beating the jackal with some sticks. The jackal hid in a nearby fox hole. The children built a fire in front of the hole to catch the jackal. Srimati Radharani was passing by at this time and heard the cries of the jackal. She said, "No one should be distressed in my favorite place (the area of Radha Kunda)." Radharani then sent some gopis to chase the children away. The gopis then brought the jackal to Radharani. The jackal fell down before her crying. Srimati Radharani patted the jackal and blessed the jackal with eternal service.

Getting there- If you are doing Govardhana parikranaa, this kunda is on the right as you are entering the town around Radha Kunda. It is about 15 minutes from Uddhava Kunda. About 35m after this kunda the parikrama path turns to the left.

To get here from Radha Kunda, you first go to the Banke Bihari Gaudiya Math temple, and then you walk backwards on the Govardhana parikrama path about 150m. At the intersection make a right and walk 35m. The body of water on the left side is Siva Khari.