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India Tourism » Agra Travel Guide » Cities Near Agra » Vrindavan Vrindavan  Vrindavan is the land of kadamb groves, where Krishna courted his beloved Radha and played pranks on the gopis or milkmaids, a land immortalised by stories of Krishna's love games. Despite the decay that has set in, the town comes alive with major festivals like Janamashtami, Holi and Radhashtami. It is estimated that half a million pilgrims visit the town every year, mostly during the festivals. At a distance of 10 kms from Mathura, Vrindavan centres on Krishna and its major landmarks are temples, ghats and groves. Vrindavan is also the hub for Vaishnavite sects and their followers. In a centuries-old tradition, Hindu widows have been coming to live out the rest of their lives in Vrindavan. Shunned by their relatives, they are expected to shed all physical adornments, including long hair, wear only white cotton sarees, and lead a spartan lifestyle. This practice comes from the traditional Hindu custom of keeping widows away from all temptations. At Vrindavan, there are thousands of widows coming mostly from Bengal. They begin their day by bathing in the Yamuna and congregate at Ashrams (hostels) to sing bhajans or devotional songs. In return, they get a daily ration of rice and pulses and some cash. Subsisting on charitable donations made by wealthy traders, the widows pass their life in total devotion to Krishna, the supreme lord. The most popular temple in Vrindavan is the Banke Bihari Temple, built in 1864. There are curtains in front of the richly decorated idol. After the main prayers, the curtains are drawn apart to give darshan (viewing) to a long line of devotees. The idol was said to have been discovered by the musician-saint Swami Hari Das in Nidhi Van, a kadamb grove.  The Govinda Dev Temple was a grand seven-storied structure built by Raja Man Singh in 1590. It was said to have
cost ten million rupees and the Mughal emperor Akbar had donated the red sandstone for its construction. During the rule of a later Mughal king, Aurangzeb, it was plundered and destroyed leaving only three storeys of the original temple.
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