History of Mathura

The earliest references of Mathura are some 2,500 years old. The Buddha is said to have visited the city and established monasteries here. Mathura became a powerful principality under the Kushan empire, whose greatest king was Kanishka (78 AD). The Chinese traveller Fa Hien, who visited Mathura around 400 AD, refers to Buddhist monasteries flourishing here. Located on the trade route and being a prosperous state, Mathura fell to the sword of invading armies. Mahmud of Ghazni in 1017, Sikandar Lodi in 1500 and the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb plundered and looted the city. First Buddhist sites, and then Hindu temples and religious sites, were destroyed.

Mathura went into oblivion until the resurgent Hindu movement of the Bhakti cult. Since then, Hindu rulers, chieftains and rich merchants built temples, riverfront ghats and other structures to revive the Krishna legend. Under British rule, the city also got a cantonment called the Civil Lines. Today, Mathura has grown into a crowded town with pilgrim and tourism services as well as small industries. 140 kms from Delhi, and just 58 kms from Agra, the town sees heavy tourist inflow as part of the Agra - Mathura -Vrindavan circuit.

Climate of Mathura

Typical of all the North Indian towns, Mathura too witnesses a wild swing in temperature down the year. In summers the city witnesses a persistent rise in temperature and at mercury go beyond even 44°C. The humidity is unbearable and the relative humidity remains around 40-50%. During the summers, the daytime temperature hovers around 40-44°C. Nights are relatively cooler and mercury dips to a comfortable 28-30°C

It rains moderately during the monsoons in Mathura. The annual average rainfall never goes beyond 600 millimeters. Winters are bit chilly but are the best time to visit Mathura. The minimum temperature sometimes goes as low as 2-3°C but usually hovers in the range of 7-8°C. Days are pleasant and best to roam around.

How to Reach Mathura?

By Air: Nearest airport is Kheria (Agra),

By Rail: Mathura is on the main lines of the Central and Western Railways and is connected with all the important cities of the state and country such as Delhi, Agra, Mumbai, Jaipur, Gwalior, Calcutta, Hydrabad, Chennai, Lucknow etc.

By Road: Mathura is connected to all the major cities, by National Highways. It is linked by the regular state bus services of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Haryana

Shopping in Mathura

Mathura is a religious town and has a very little or no commercial activity besides religious tourism. Even most of the shops sell items that are primarily used either to perform rituals or as offerings. The city though offers a few items to shop for.

Mathura is famed as the city of cowherds and it stands true to its reputation. Milk products are something that can be brought from here. A sweetmeat called 'Peda' made of overly boiled milk is a must. Varieties of Peda are available in Mathura, we suggest, go for 'Kesharia Peda' that have generous dose of saffron in them. Another milk product called 'Khurchan' has a craze in Mathura. These are a semi-liquid variety of 'Peda' but are not made out of synthesized milk as 'Pedas' are.

Nowhere in India will you find 'Ghee' as pure and aromatic as Mathura. Buy a small can if you want to have the 'taste of India'. Other items such as sweetmeats, cheese and cheese-spreads can also be bought.

Mathura is basically a pilgrimage town; therefore it offers lots of ritual and religious paraphernalia to the visitors. Small 'Astadhatu' busts of Hindu deities are a must buy. They are costly but a treasure worth keeping. Other items such as Rosary beads, Brass statues and utensils for worship are available at Bengali Ghats, Chatta Bazaar and Chowk.

Culture of Mathura

Mathura culture occupies a distinguished place in the Indian history and culture. Mathura is an active center of Brahmanism, Buddhism and Jainism for several decades. The art, religion, festivals comprise the culture of Mathura, which is famous worldwide.

The culture in Mathura has culminated with all the major aspects such as history, society, epigraphy, religion, archeology, iconography, numismatics, art and sculpture. There are some cultural traditions in Mathura like the Sanjhee, which is the colorful art of decorating the ground with flowers. Raaslila is another predominant form of Mathura culture. The Bhagwat Purana says that Shri Krishna along with the gopis danced the Raas on the river bank of the Yamuna at Vrindavan. Since then this dance is famous as Raaslila, only young Brahmin boys of 13 to 14 years of age can perform the Raaslila.

The traditional folk dance of Braj is performed on the Dooj of Holi. A female dancer balances a row of lighted deepikas on her head while dancing. Usually the number of lamps ranges from 51 to108 in each performance. The Rasiya songs are the love songs of the divine couple Radha and Shri Krishna. These songs are compulsorily sung in Holi celebrations and all other festive occasions at Braj.

The Mathura culture is famous throughout India, particularly in the places, which consider Hinduism to be the main religion. Their rich tradition of folk songs are famous even in foreign lands.

Hotels in Mathura

Hotel Gaurav Hotel, Mathura
Hotel Madhuvan, Mathura
Hotel Sheetal Regency, Mathura

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Monuments, Fair and Festivals