After visiting Vrindavan( as mentioned in the earlier itinerary, Krishna ka van: Vrindavan ) we have leaned ourselves in the love of Krishna… the magical places had its magical and charming effect on us as well….
We finally reached another magical place of lord Krishna: Govardhan at around 9 pm. Even at this time of the day, this little town was flanked by devotees and sadhus (sages) in saffron. I could see many young and elderly people—families, students, couples, etc were walking barefoot performing the parikrama along the perimeters of Giriraj Parvat.
We rested for some time in a Dharamshala nearby the bus stop. At around 10 pm we decided to start the parikrama. We visited Daan Ghati Temple, its richly decorated facade showing Krishna lifting up Govardhan hill, which was an immense site to watch. Outside the temple was flanked by four or five shops selling offerings for worship. They were selling small packets of red rose and yellow sunflowers, a glass of milk and sweets to offer to the Lord. I saw hundreds of devotees buying the offering for the Lord....and performing their parikrama. The sounds of the bells and aarti are mesmerizing and touch your soul! We purchased the offering ...I was assuming the idol of Lord Krishna inside the temple ..but to my astonish it was a small mountain that was being worshipped by the people. We offered the offering to the Govardhan Parvart in the temple.
By taking the name of Lord by bowing down and worshiping the Govardhan mountain, we started the Parikrama. It is this parikrama that attracts believers from far and beyond. A parikrama is an arduous form of walking barefoot around Govardhan Parvat. There is no fixed timing to complete it and you can start at any time. Walk at your own pace, take rest, and then begin again. But once you start, you have to finish the circumnavigation.
I was eager to do it. But at the same time, I was worried as this will be the first time I would be walking barefoot on a road filled with stones, pebbles, pieces of broken pots..... and many more. Many questions started pondering in my mind...Whether I will be able to complete the Parikrama with barefoot or not...???? How long will I be taking??
After covering hardly 200 - 300 meters ahead, we could see the Govardhan Mountain, also called Giriraj Mountain, it is on the right side of the parikrama route. As we started the parikrama, I saw another difficult form of the parikrama called dandavata (prostration) which takes weeks or months to finish. For this, a devotee offers obeisance by lying flat and then rolling round the hill. I was astonished to see such a kind of devotion by the devotees.
We were having immense pleasure doing the Parikrama... Devotees were chatting the name of Radhe Krishna... that suddenly Sunil and Saurabh also started shouting Radhe Radhe... ek kudee patade and started moving fastly... They told us that they will finish first then us....
Gopal told me that the parikrama is 21 km long and is divided into 2 parts... baadi parikrama and Choti parikrama.. so its better to walk slowly and together.
The whole parikrama marg was filled with a lot of small shops selling radbdi, jalebi, samosas and lassi !!! Some shops were selling the items of Lord Krishna like the chandan.. peacock feathers.. clothes..etc.
Many shops were playing Ramayan and Mahabharata to attract the pilgrimes to purchase things from them and moreover to entertain them.....
The song of Krishna was sung by the devotees and also played at various shops in the parikrama marg. One of the songs grabbed my attention ...
राते सुहानी मस्त चंदनी
मौसम ये अलबेला है
रास रचाय नटखट कान्हा
लीलाधर की लीला है
राते सुहानी मस्त चंदनी
मौसम तु अलबेला है
This song totally defined the situation I was in... As we were walking under the moonlight with the sky filled with twinkling stars and in the love of Krishna ....
As around the Parikrama Marg, people were chit-chatting while walking.. some were having the snacks .. children were having snacks and enjoying themselves...
It was the first time I was walking barefoot that to on a road filled with tine pebbles, stones, broken pieces of clay pots, kulhar, etc.. which caused a lot of trouble in walking.
After covering few kilometers, it felt like I have entered some town and was walking in the slender street of Govardhan. Walking through these kunj gaalliya of Govardhan , I could feel the essence of Krishna and all the stories related to his childhood from the tales told by grandparents and other people...
Even though covering such a long distance, we could not see Sunil and Saurabh.
Few kilometers, before the Radha Kund we spotted Sunil and Saurabh who were panting and puffing... Outside the Radha Kund, I could see many old, helpless ladies begging on the streets, disowned by their own family. It felt extremely unfortunate to see such a scene near the Kund. I donated some money to the helpless ladies.
Finally, we headed to the auspicious place: Radha Kund. It is believed that all who bathed here with faith would feel the same ecstatic love for him as Radha did. I could see many people taking a dip and doing poojas in the Kund. We cleaned our face, hands, and feet with the auspicious water and performed a prayer in the Kund. Washing with the water relieved a lot of tiredness...
Then we took a break and had some chai, rush together at a small shop near the Kund.
After that, we again continued our parikrama. We saw the Shyam Kund and offered our pilgrimage over there. After some time, we again lost the trace of Sunil and Saurabh and could not see them anywhere.
I am panting and puffing and taking breaks at every possible distance. When I am just about to start complaining, we reach the Manasi Ganga Temple..... Beautiful, ancient minarets and their reflection glistening in the lake water. It is believed to be thousands of years old and the depth is unknown. While entering the temple I could amidst the sounds of conches and bells. The experience is ethereal. Suddenly I don’t feel tired anymore...
There was various other pilgrimages stop like Thakur Hari Dev Ji Mandir, Poonchhari ke Lautha Ji ka Mandir etc at which the pilgrims paid their visit. Some of the other venerated Kunds (ponds or stepped water tanks) were Udhav Kund, Sankarshan Kund, Kusum Sarovar, Gopal Kund, and Hariji Kund among others. Each having its own story relating to Krishna or his consort Radha.
The last stretch was more of an end spurt. It was already 4 am and pitch dark. As we reached Daan Ghati Temple, the place where we began I felt a usual sense of satisfaction.
We collected our belongings and looked for Sunil and Saurabh whom we couldn't see anywhere. We waited for them to come...... Till then, I could feel the spiritual vibes that could be felt only, but can't explain in words.
There were so many stories discovered, mysteries unraveled and splendid sights to behold. This is a journey that I will never forget in life. I finally felt that it all depends on faith. Its the faith in Krishna that people cover such a long distance with barefoot or by rolling round the hill.
Finally, our wait came to an end when we finally saw Sunil and Saurabh who were gasping their breath and coming towards us after an hour-long wait at around 5 am. Their feet were swollen and they were in immense pain. Their pain could be seen on their faces and in their eyes. As soon as they came ...they started giving excuses and all.... as they lost to us that they will reach first...We all rested for some time at a shop near the temple.
We paid our last offering at the Daan Ghati Temple and then took a bus to Noida.
The memories of the trip will never fade away with time, but as I am writing this article I am recollecting the time I spent with them...... satisfaction and joy were unlimited !!!!
None of us will be there forever but the delight we had in this holy land is eternal. Govardhan and Vrindavan is the greatest place in the whole universe and most fortunate are those souls who serve in these places ....
The whole trip was fabulous and memorable. I am grateful to Gopal, Sunil, and Saurabh who made it so amazing. These days will never come again...
This whole trip will go down in our lives as a treasure and moments of love for the Supreme Lord..... Krishna.....Till then ......
मुसाफिर हु यारो.... न घर है न ठिकाना...मुझे चलते जाना है.......बस चलते जाना !!!
Until the next trip ...let all get in the immense love of Krishna .....
राधे कृष्णा राधे कृष्णा कृष्णा कृष्णा राधे राधे ,
राधे श्याम राधे श्यामा श्याम श्यामा राधे राधे....
If you wish to do the Parikrama here are some TIPS :
1) Start the Parikrama by worshipping at a temple and repeat it after you finish.
2) Wear comfortable footwear while doing the parikrama. Try to wear comfortable slippers as there are lot of temples and kund on the way.
3) The less stuff, the easier it is to travel. In short,try to carry as little as possible as every essential stuff like water bottles,snacks etc is available on the parikrama marg.
4) Try to forget all the daily life issues while doing the parikrama and take the name of god and do some bhajan and kirtan.
(Please Note: Photos have been taken from the Google as during this trip I didn't have the mobile phone or any other camera)