VISHRAM GHAT AND GHAT DISTRICT
A not-to-be-missed area of Mathura, with the remains of superb facades, a tiny vegetable market, a colorful temple...
With its medieval ambience, the ghat district is definitely the place to be in Mathura.
Get dropped off at the entrance to the old city, and follow the main street lined with stores. If you look up, you'll see the remains of some beautiful facades. Walk down to the Yamuna River. As you walk along the river, you will come across a tiny vegetable market. On the way to the ghats, you will pass by the colorful 18th century Dwarkadhish temple dedicated to Krishna. You will notice its large bell gate overlooking the shore and an interior of mirrors and gilding. The Krishna statue is unveiled eight times a day. You will then reach Vishram Ghat, the most frequented. It is here that Krishna is said to have taken a purifying bath after killing King Kansa. At nightfall, candles are placed on the water by the inhabitants, the spectacle is magical... To have a little distance on the whole of the temples and the series of steps punctuating the banks, nothing better than a small turn in boat. Next to the Vishram Ghat, you will see the Sati Burj, a four-story tower built by the son of Behari Mal of Jaipur in the 16th century to commemorate the sati of his mother. This ritual of immolating a widow on her husband's funeral pyre is now banned in India. However, in some rural and conservative regions, this ritual takes today the form of disguised suicides: no comment!
