Gokul

Gokul or Gokula is the village in Vrajabhumi where Krishna lived first three and a half years of His life. Vasudeva transferred Krishna to Gokul from Mathura in the dead of the night.

Gokul is situated in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is a very famed village especially amongst the devotees of Lord Sri Krishna. Nanda Maharaja and Yashoda Devi lived here prior to shifting to the Nanda Gaon.

Krishna is shifted to Gokul

Lord Sri Krishna appeared in the prison cell of Kamsa in Mathura. First, He gave darshan in His four-handed Narayana form to Mother Devaki. On the request of Devaki, Krishna resumed His original two-handed form as a child.

Although fear personified is afraid of Krishna, Lord Sri Krishna instructed Vasudeva to shift Him to Gokul and exchange with the daughter who was born at the same time to Mother Yashoda. This was not due to the atrocities of Kamsa but due to the special mercy which He would rain on the residents of Gokul.

As instructed Vasudeva carried Krishna to Gokul through the Yamuna River. As he walked the roaring river Yamuna gave way to Vasudeva as the ocean gave way to Ramachandra. There in the residence of Nanda Maharaja, He exchanged baby Krishna with the daughter. Since Yashoda was tired of child labour she forgot whether she had given birth to a girl or a boy.

Krishna unfolds His transcendental lilas in Gokul

There are six aspects of Lord Krishna’s avataras. The sixth and topmost being pari-purnitam. It means He descends to this Earth in His entirety. As stated in Bhagavad-gita Krishna’s purpose of descend is to first protect the devotees then kill demons – paritraanaaya saadhunaam vinaashaaya cha dushkrtaam.

Lord Sri Krishna unfolded His childhood lilas at Gokul. These lilas of the Lord are much sought after by the devotees than any other lila of the Lord. Lord Krishna stealing the butter, eating the mud, releasing the calves of the cows of the gopis, feeding butter to the monkeys and many such divine lilas of the Lord which are the ocean of bliss for devotees.

Remembering these lilas of Lord Sri Krishna, a devotee named Satyavrata Muni in Padma Purana mentions idam te vapur naatha gopaala baalam sadaa me manasyaaviraashtam kim anyaih – let this form of Bala Gopala be always in my heart, any other benediction is of no use to me.

Gokul means the residence of the cows. Parjanya Maharaja who was the father of Nanda Maharaja originally lived near Nanda Gaon. However due to the disturbances created by Keshi Rakshasa, Parjanya Maharaja shifted to this place. After Krishna was shifted to Gokul, Kamsa sent demons after demons to kill Krishna. To his misfortune, every demon was killed by Krishna. Due to the constant disturbances created by these demons, Nanda Maharaja decided to move back to Nanda Gaon and made his palace atop the Nandishwara Parvata. Krishna spent first three and half years of his life in Gokul.

Temples in Gokul

All the lila sthalis of Lord Sri Krishna are still well preserved here. Every holy place one visits, one remembers the lotus feet of Krishna and His transcendental exchanges with the residents of Mahavana. Varaha Purana states that anyone who visits Gokul becomes eligible to be worshiped in the Indraloka.

mahaavananchaashtaamanta sadaiva tu mama priyam
yatra gatva tu manuja indraloke mahiyate

Nanda Bhavan or Chaurasi Khamba

Danta Dhavana Tila

Putana Uddhara Sthala

Shakata Bhanjana Sthala

Trinavrta Uddhara Sthala

Birthplace of Balarama

Naming place of Krishna and Balarama

Okhal Bandhan

Chintaharan Mahadev Temple

Brahmanda Ghat

Patala Devi Mandir

Bhajana Kutir of Sanatana Goswami and many more holy places

How to reach Gokul?

If you want to visit each and every place in Gokul without any difficulty, then immediately book the Vrajabhumi Yatra. Without any hazzles or difficulties of arranging food, decent accommodation and transport, you can focus on hearing the lilas of Krishna as you explore the treasures of Vraja.

If you are brave enough to travel on your own and explore, then take up the following routes:

By Air: The nearest Airport is New Delhi International Airport and the Agra Airport. From there you can choose any mode of transport to reach here.

By Rail: The nearest Railway Station is Mathura which is well connected with major cities of India. From there reaching Gokula is easier.

By Roadways: The holy city is well connected by the Roadways. State Transport buses from New Delhi / Agra / Mathura can be taken. Private taxis could also be booked