IN THE LAND WHERE LOVE WAS DIVINE.

The land of Krishna..

So this one is a long due. I had a chance to visit the city of divinity, city of love, city where the name krishna resonates in every nook and corner. The city which believes the completion of Krishna only with his Radha. The city which taught me so much about the power of feminism. The essence of softness with masculinity. The importance of Raas with Leela. The city of Vrindavan.

So we took a night bus to the city of chants. With the break of first ray of sunshine, I opened my eyes to the early morning rituals of the city. It felt like I was transported to the time when our beloved Kanha trotted the same lanes I was traversing.Little Gwals chased the tyres with sticks. Cows had been replaced with tyres but the chuckles remained same. Old, head-shaved, pony tailed, vermilioned pandits and saints bathed in the holy tap waters with only one din on their lip “Radhe Krishna” and hurried to perform the morning pooja to please their beloved Krishna.

My canonised journey began with the visit to Banke Bihari Mandir. Meandering through the old city lanes amidst the roars of Radhe Radhe, we reached the old temple. The thing I found most striking was that this temple had no line. Yes, so apparently every religious place I’ve visited has a queue. Here there was none, So everyone was a Bachchan for whom “Line wahi se shuru ho gyi jaha wo khade ho gye”. In the middle of this chaos, I managed a glimpse of the Lord. With bright big eyes He seemed to look at me smiling as if he’d deciphered my thoughts. Peace descended. After giving the offerings, it was time for stories.

What’s a Hindu Place of Worship without a legend? This Temple had one too! The Murti has erupted from the land when a sanyasi sang lord’s praises and achieved a state of trance remembering Him. Touched by his emotions and love, Radha and Kanha appeared in front of him in the form of this idol. It is said that the Halo of the Two was so powerful that Sanyasi requested Krishna and Radhe to get morphed into one. Hence, both Radhe and Kanha are resided in this idol.
Another legend says that if you look into the eyes of the idol for long enough, Kanha starts to chase you. Being with such a power can drive one to lunacy. It was for this reason that the pundits kept flashing the curtain from side to side to block the view for few seconds.

Done with all the rituals we headed to the surrounding market. One thing, Kanha loves is milk and the shops overflowed with all the permutations and combinations of what milk could do. From Pede to Lassi, from chhach to rabri, town of maakhan chor offered it all. 

With tummy filled with yummy we headed to the next destination. New adventures lay ahead of me. More on that later.

To be continued..