Mathura is a holy city situated at 150 KM south of Delhi and 50 KM north of Agra in Uttar Pradesh. Vrindavan town is 20 KM from Mathura. It is the administrative centre of Mathura District. Mathura was, in ancient times, an economic hub, located at the junction of important caravan routes of north India.
Mathura is reputed for the birthplace of Lord Krishna. It is called Braj-bhoomi, called Krishna-janma-bhoomi. The Keshav Dev temple was built in ancient times on the site of Krishna's legendary birthplace (an underground prison). As per the epic Mahabharata and Bhagavata Purana, Mathura was the capital of the Surasena Kingdom, ruled by Kamsa the maternal uncle of Krishna.

Mathura is also famous as one of the first two centers of production for images of the Buddha, the other being Gandhara in present-day Pakistan and Afghanistan.

As per the Archeological Survey of India (ASI) plaque at Mathura museum, the city is mentioned in the oldest epic Ramayana. In the epic, the Ikshwaku prince Shatrughna, slays a demon called Lavanasura and claims the land. Afterwards the place came to be known as Madhuvan as it was thickly wooded, Madhupura and later Mathura. The demon that Shatrughan killed in Ramayana, Lavanasura was the progeny of a devout king Madhu who gets Lord Shiva's Trident in a boon in the Puranas. The Puranas ascribe the founding of the city to Ayu, the son of Pururavas and the celestrial nymph Urvashi. The city might also have got its name from a famous Yadav king Madhu who reigned around 1600 BC.

In the 6th century BCE Mathura became the capital of the Surasena mahajanapada. The city was later ruled by the Maurya empire between 4th and 6th century BC) and the Sunga dynasty (2nd century BC). Archaeological evidence seems to indicate that, by 100 BC, there was a group of Jains living in Mathura. Mathuran art and culture reached its zenith under the Kushan dynasty which had Mathura as one of their capitals, the other being Purushapura (Peshawar). The headless statue of Kanishka is in the Mathura museum.

Megasthenes, writing in the early 3rd century BC, mentions Mathura as a great city under the name Methora. The main Krishna shrine is presently the Dwarkadeesh temple, built in 1815 by Seth Gokuldas Parikh, Treasurer of Gwalior.

Transport:

Rail - Mathura is well connected by train from major cities in India such as New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Varanasi, etc. City is served by three stations, Mathura Junction which connects West, North and Southern India. Mathura Cantonment connects eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bhooteshwar serves for local trains for Delhi, Agra and Alwar. Another station Krishnajanmabhoomi connects to Vrindavan via rail bus.
Road - Mathura is well connected by Road to rest of India. The NH-2 (Delhi-Howrah) Highway passes through city which connects to NH-3 (to Mumbai). There are several bus services to and from Mathura  and conveniently connects many cities in North India.
Air - City does not have an airport as of now.

Last Updated on Sunday, 22 August 2010 22:25