A Pilgrim's Guide to Kishor Van and Keshi Ghat

Most pilgrims to Vrindavan walk the same road: Banke Bihari, Nidhivan, Prem Mandir, ISKCON. All of them deserve a visit. But a quieter Vrindavan lies a few lanes away, and much of it belongs to the story of Yugal Kishor Juu. Here is how to spend a morning in it.

Begin at Sewa Kunj. Come early, before the lanes fill. Sewa Kunj is the grove where Shri Radha and Krishn are said to rest each night, and no one stays inside after dark. Its wall runs along the edge of Kishor Van.

Kishor Van and Vyas Ghera. Next to Sewa Kunj lies the grove where Swami Shri Hari Ram Ji Vyas lived and sang. The Kishor Koop, the well from which Yugal Kishor Juu was drawn in Samvat 1620, is here. So are Vyas Ji's bhajan kutir and his samadhi, and his padas are painted on the walls around it. Take darshan of Yugal Kishor Juu, sit for a while, and read a pada or two. This is where our temple is.

Shri Radha Vallabh. A short walk brings you to the temple of Hit Harivansh Mahaprabhu, Vyas Ji's guru, where the samaj gayan tradition of Braj is at its finest. Try to be there for an aarti.

Keshi Ghat. Walk down to the Yamuna, to the ghat where Shri Krishn bathed after subduing the horse demon Keshi. Beside it stands the old temple of Yugal Kishor: a red sandstone shikhara of 1627, raised in the reign of Jahangir, with an octagonal sanctum and a carving of Krishn lifting Govardhan above the door. In the time of Aurangzeb the deity was carried from here to Panna for safety, where he is still served, and for many years the building stood closed. It is cared for by the Archaeology Department and has lately begun to open again to visitors. Every evening devotees light lamps at its steps.

Then come home. Finish the morning back at Vyas Ghera for raj bhog darshan, and stay for prasad. If you would like someone to walk with you, message us on WhatsApp the day before and we will try to arrange it.