So today in this post I am going to cover another two prime spots in Vrindavan - Nidhivan and the Yamuna Ghats situated nearby it.
Whenever anyone visits Vrindavan, he is bound to visit Nidhivan. Van in my native stands for forest. And this place has an amazingly mystical aura and something literally unbelievable that happens here. So let me take you on a bewildering ride and reveal the deep mystical side of this place.
Here’s the entry gate of Nidhivan.
It is more of a garden, and less of a forest. Altogether covered with wooden net.
It wasn’t always like this before, but there are so many monkeys that live here. And they used to steal your cellphone or sunglasses or whatever was exposed and only returned after you gave them something to eat. So the administration has now covered it. And it feels like you are moving inside some kind of a netted wooden cave.
This is a whole garden of tulsi plants. Never in my life had I seen tulsi plants that have turned into trees. Its hard to make them grow even as plants. But here you can see them in abundance everywhere.
Some of them had grown so thick and out of proportion that you'd find their trunks amid the pathway. Warnings are written not to touch them or break them.
After crossing almost half of the way, you come across this main temple of Krishna.
Every evening Prasad (offering) comes from the Bankey Bihari Temple and is locked overnight here. And every morning it is found eaten.
It is believed that all these tulsi plants turn into Sakhis at night and engage in the divine romance and holy dance with lord Krishna.
No one is allowed to be here in the evening. And those who have tried willingly were either found to be blind or dead next morning. This place is surely one of the most mystical I have ever seen.
The guide I hired told me that I can come here during the late evening when Prasad is offered and locked with the deity and then come again in the morning when doors are unlocked to witness the miracle by myself, in case I don't believe it.
Then comes this open area, though covered with netted iron memberanes but more spacious. Celebrations were going here and people were dancing and enjoying themselves. I seeped the experience in for some time. And clicked a couple shots keeping my hands and phones outside the net through some bigger openings.
Moving ahead the way again becomes narrower. And then there is a bigger temple. Some tombstones can be found along its sides. And when I enquired, the guide told me that those all were the graves of people who stayed here deliberately and lost their lives 😳.
Then I went inside the temple and took the blessings of lord Krishna
And moved out from the exit gate.
After coming out of Nidhivan I went to the nearby Yamuna River Ghats. These are the ghats built alongside the river Yamuna to carry out the various religious austerities by the people. And the evening Aarti takes place here everyday at one of the ghats known as Kesi Ghat
The ghats are this red stone structure you can see in the images above. Built alongside the river and must be like half a mile in length.
The river was full of boats that could be spotted everywhere throughout.
So yes, first I hopped on a boat to take the view of the whole ghats. It felt good as I went amidst the waters after a long time.
It wasn't the most stable as the boat was not mechanical but operated manually. But it was an experience of its kind.
The ghats seemed bigger and longer than before, and looked like a mammoth structure from far away.
Here I spotted this thatch at the opposite side. Must be some other temple or auspicious place. And also clicked these birds drinking water.
After deboarding the boat, I took a walk along the Yamuna Ghats to explore the gigantic structure and appreciate the centuries old architecture that is still standing tall.
Moving forward I met some snake owners, they had huge pythons wrapped around their neck. And they were charging a minimal amount to hand over them to you and get some photos clicked.
I chose to skip this adventure, lol. And was lost in the huge structure made up of red sandstone, comprised of countless staircases, pillars, arched gates sculpted with meticulous designs.
Hollow cabins were constructed inside the side walls and pillars of the ghats.
Here you can see the oldest kind of ceiling supported that we don't usually find anywhere in the modern construction.
I passed through countless arched gates that connected the gallery present behind the various ghats.
Boards could be seen pinned at every ghat describing their names. And crowds of people were present sitting at the roofs of walls and pillars.
So that was my experience visiting the Yamuna Ghats. I would advice to go there once if you ever happen to visit Vrindavan
