Nandagaon or Nanda Gaon is a village situated within the Vrajabhumi, near Vrindavana. It was the village of Lord Sri Krishna where He lived until He went to Mathura i.e, from the age of six years till He became 10 years old.
Nandagaon is specifically known as the heart of the Vrajabhumi because Krishna spent most of His life in this place and performed many prominent lilas.
Nandagaon is situated in the Indian State of Uttar Pradesh and is the most sought-after holy place after Vrindavana, Govardhana and Barsana. Nanda Maharaja’s palace or Krishna’s residence stood atop a hill known as Nandishwara Parvata in Nandagaon.
Nanda Maharaja shifts to Nandagaon
From Mathura, Krishna was shifted to Gokul. Due to the disturbance created by the demons sent by Kamsa, Nanda Maharaja shifted to Nandagaon from Gokul. Krishna was six years old when He moved to Nandagaon. Krishna’s kaishora-lila i.e, He began to take care of the cows and began the lilas with the gopis of Vraja, from Nandagaon.
Nanda Maharaja built his palace known as Nanda Bhavan, on top of the hill known as Nandishwara Parvata and the cowherd men built their houses around it. Nandagrama means the village established by Nanda Maharaja and the village built on the Nandishwara Parvata.
Nandishwara Parvata is Lord Shiva
Nandishwara Parvata is an expansion of Lord Shiva. This lila is mentioned in the Puranas as follows:
Once Lord Shiva, after having undergone tapasya for a very long time, prayed to Krishna to be allowed the opportunity to witness His transcendental lilas. He wanted the dust of Krishna and gopis’ lotus feet always on his head.
Having heard Shiva’s request, Lord Sri Krishna agreed to the proposal and told Lord Shiva to appear as a hill in Vrindavana, on top of which He would perform His kaishora-lila in the Dwapara-yuga. Therefore, Lord Shiva manifested himself as Nandishwara Parvata in Vrindavana.
nandishwaraaya devaayaabhirotpattihitaaya cha
yashodaa sukhadaayaiva mahaadevaaya te namah (Skanda Purana)
Srila Vishwanatha Chakravarti Thakura mentions in the Vraja-vilasa Stava
yatra shri-parito bhramaty aviratma taas taa maha-siddhayah
sphitaah srshtir alam gavaam udayani vaaso api goshtaukasaam
vaatsalyaat paripaalito viharate krishnah pitrbhyaam sukhais
tan nandishwaram aalayam braja-pater goshthottamaangam bhaje
I adore Sri Nanda’s house at Nandishwara Hill, which is near to the crest jewel among pasturing grounds. In Nandishwara, Lakshmi Devi is always present like a maidservant, and the eight mystic perfections are also always seen in their personal forms. They have specifically appeared for benefit of the cows. Nandishwara is the most blissful place of residence for the inhabitants of Vraja. Here, Sri Krishna always enjoys pastimes with great ecstasy while being affectionately served by his father and mother.
In the Vrajariti Chintamani, Srila Raghunath Dasa Goswami mentions:
tat-tach-chirobhutam apaara-shobham nandishwaram sadhu-ganaa vadanti
nandishwaram tam ca yadiya-rupam sri-nanda-raajaalaya-raajamaanam
The devotees declare that Nandishwara Hill, the form of Lord Shiva now shining as Nanda Maharaja’s capital, is an endlessly beautiful crown decorating Vrindavana.
History of Nandagaon from Krishna’s great grandfather
At the end of Dwapara-yuga, there lived a sage named Devamidha. He had two wives, one from a kshatriya family and the other from a gopa family. Shurasena was born from the kshatriya wife, and Parjanya from his gopa wife. Vasudeva and other kshatriya sons were born from Shurasena.
Parjanya maintained his life by agriculture and rearing cows. He lived near Nandishwara Hill with his wife Variyasi Gopi and became the king of the cowherd men.
Once Devarishi Narada came there, and Parjanya Maharaja pleased him by offering appropriate worship. He then requested Narada to bless him with excellent progeny. Narada initiated him into the Lakshmi-Narayana mantra and asked him to meditate on it to achieve the blessings.
Parjanya Maharaja would daily meditate upon it following the right process, after his first bath in the nearby Tadaaga Tirtha. One day while he was absorbed in the meditation, a divine voice from the sky announced that he would soon be blessed with five sons. Out of those, the middle son Nanda would be very fortunate because He would give birth to the Supreme Personality of Godhead Sri Hari.
In due course of time, five sons and two daughters were born to him. Parjanya Maharaja and his family stayed near Nandishwara Hill, but due to the disturbances created by the Keshi demon, they left for Gokula-Mahavana. There, the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna was born to the middle brother, Nanda Maharaja.
After some time, however, on account of the disturbances of Putana, Shakatasura, Trnavarta and other demons, Sri Nanda Maharaja, together with his son, family members, relatives, cows, gopas, and gopis, moved to Chattikara village and then to Kamyavana, Khelavana and other places before finally returning to live at Nandishwara Parvata.
Holy places in Nandagaon
There were fifty-six kundas or holy lakes in Nandagaon where Krishna had performed lilas. Many of them are still filled with water and remaining have disappeared. Some of the prominent places of darshan are as follows:
Nanda Bhavan – the site of Nanda Maharaja’ palace
Pavana Sarovara – the kunda where Mother Yashoda would bathe Krishna daily
Vrinda Kunda – the eternal place of Vrinda Devi (tulasi-devi). There is Gupta Kunda beside it
Charan Pahari – the impressions of Lord Krishna’s lotus feet on the stone
Ter Kadamba – the tree from where Krishna would begin go-charana lila
Javat – the village of Radharani’s husband
Ashleswara Mahadev Temple – the place where Parjanya Maharaja performed tapasya
Narasimha Temple – the Deity of Lord Narasimha and Lord Narayana worshiped by Nanda Maharaja
Yashoda Kunda – the lake in which Mother Yashoda used to take bath
Uddava Kyari – the garden in which Uddhava had conversation with gopis
Sanchauli – place where Krishna enacted as a Devi
How to reach Nandagaon?
The best to way to reach Nandagaon and have darshan at the holy places here is to travel with Tirtha Yatra on Vrajabhumi Yatra which is a once in a life time tour on the lilas of Lord Sri Krishna.
If you wish to travel on your own, you can take up the following means:
By Air: The nearest airport is New Delhi International Airport
By Train: The nearest railway station is Kosi Railway Station or Mathura Railway Station
By Roadways: Nandagaon is connected by National Highway too.
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