Mathura, most recognized for its immense religious significance, is the holy city of Lord Krishna. It is one of the seven most revered Hindu pilgrimages in the world and believed to be the place for attaining Moksha or salvation. It is set on the banks of holy river Yamuna and flourishes under the pious milieu of spirituality. It was originally called Braj or Brij Bhoomi which means the land of eternal love. It is in the streets of the city where Lord Krishna spent his childhood and grew up playing raas-leela with gopis. The city is filled with numerous temples with most of them housing the deity of Lord Krishna in his different avatars along with his consort Radha. The place remains flocked with tourists year long, especially the temples and the other spiritual places.
The city is well situated within the Golden Triangle of Indian tourism, basically including three popular cities, Delhi-Jaipur-Agra. The place is about 50 k.m. and 145 k.m. from Agra and Delhi, respectively. It is a district in the state of Uttar Pradesh and is located on the western borders of the state. It is well connected to all major Indian cities. National Highway number 2 passes through the city, connecting it to Delhi, Agra, Bikaner, Bareli, Ujjain, Bhopal, Gwalior, Udaipur, Chandigarh, Haridwar, and Lucknow. There are four railway stations that are served by frequent trains coming from all four corners of India. However, at present there is no airport in the city. Taking a flight to Delhi, then catching a bus or train is one of the highly preferred modes to reach Mathura. One can easily get taxis and buses from nearby cities. Plus, some hotels in Mathura also offer transportation and tour services to their guests.
Mathura is one of the most visited places in India. The city is a cradle of culture and perhaps the best place to explore and experience the religion dominated culture of India. Before the place became one of the most important Hindu cities, it was a major Buddhist centre with several monasteries and above 3000 monks serving the monasteries. However, the place is generally recognized as the Janma Bhoomi of Lord Krishna with most of the attractions having some connection with the lord in one way or another. Kesava Deo Temple, one of the most revered temples in India, is the prime attraction here. It is said that the temple has the room where the lord was born. There are always long queues of pilgrims and tourists in front of the temple who have immense respect to the deity and some wishes that they want to get fulfilled.
Dwarkadheesh Temple is one of the main temples. It is an ornate temple too housing the deity of the Lord Krishna. It is a beautiful temple and gets even more grandiose during the festivals of Holi and Janmashtami. Devotees gather from all around and worship the lord day-and-night singing religious chants and bhajans. Amongst the other significant places in and around the city, some are: Government Museum, Potara Kund, Kans Quila, Ghats of Mathura, Vishram Ghat, Vrindavan Dham, Goverdhan Hill, Nandgaon, and Gokul Village.
As the city is one of the most popular tourist destinations and sees large number of tourists, there is no shortage of hotels. The hotels in Mathura near railway station are highly popular as they are close to the railway station and thus are easily accessible. Plus, they also offer a satisfactory stay.