Vrindavan, Barsana and Gokul 2026

                                        Vrindavan - The land of Shri Krishan                                                         

Radhe Radhe !!!

I was fortunate to visit the holy land of Vrindavan, Barsana, and Gokul once again in July 2026, thanks to my brother who took me along. We had the privilege of staying at Chandrodaya Mandir. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay in the company of senior devotees from Hare Krishna Temple. 

The temple is extremely beautiful and made in a large compound. The campus itself has an Akshayapatra kitchen running which serves food to the needy school children. 

I even got the honor of witnessing the Jaganath Rath Yatra during our stay at the campus. We could see the devotees chanting "hare rama, hare krishan" and dancing and praying. It was a magical view. 

Day 1 - We started from Delhi after breakfast and reached Vrindavan post lunch. Since most of the temples are closed in Vrindavan during lunch hours, we decided to go to Govardhan. And it was the right decision. We took a dip in Radha Kund and Shyam Kund, after which we decided to do Parikrama. There are two rounds - Inner and Outer Parikrama. Inner one is 9 kms while outer one is 12 Kms. 

Captured at Kusum Sarovar, Govardhan

We hired a e-rickshaw and went for the parikrama. It was a perfect decision as the weather was turning pleasant in the evening and we could see so many temples on the way. 

Main Govardhan Temple 

Mansi Ganga Temple which lies in the inner Parikrama route of Govardhan Parikrama. Here one can also take a dip in the holy water.

It took us almost two hours for the entire Parikrama as we went down at various temples and visiting them. It was great to see so many different temples and the stories behind each of them was equally fascinating. 

Post that, we decided to visit Barsana as it was just 30-minute drive from Govardhan. After reaching there, we took the stairs and quickly reached the top. Since we had been there on a weekday, it was a pleasure to be at the temple premises, and we could stand by the holy shrine for as long as we want. It was peaceful to spend time in the temple premises. 

We spent around half an-hour before we started to make our move back to Vrindavan. 

The day was too tiring and hectic for us as we drove from Delhi < Vrindavan, then went from Vrindavan < Giridhar, Parikrama of 21 Kms at Giridhar, Giridhar < Barsana, and Barsana < Vrindavan. 

The following picture describes our best state where we are tired but satisfied with the darshan that we had during the day. 

Day 2 - Next day, we had planned to get up early around 4 am to attend the mangal aarti at 4:30 am in the temple premises but we could not. We could get up only around 6:30 am but that was also good as we could attend the Darshan Aarti at 7:15 am, followed by chanting till 8:00 am. It was such a great start to the day. We were fresh and ready for the day. 

After having our breakfast (kichdi and upma), we decided to do the local temples in Vrindavan. 

We visiting Radha Mohan Temple, followed by Banke Bihari temple, and Radha Vallabh Temple as they were all in the vicinity. 

Radha Mohan Temple which is situation on the top of the hill. There are some 50-80 steps to be climbed to reach here. It is said that Lord Krishna felt cold and there were 22 versions of Sun appearing on this top hill to make him feel normal. We can see Yamuna river from one end and entire Vrindavan town from the other. 

Picture captured at Banke Bihari Temple premises

Taken at Radha Vallabh Temple 

Next was the Radha Damodar Temple which we dropped by around 1 pm fearing that it might be closed. To our surprise, priest announced that there will be aarti followed by Raj Bhog. Also, taking four rounds of this temple premises gives same positivity as taking seven rounds of Govardhan. 

We spent an hour in Radha Damodar temple, enjoyed the aarti, and the lovely bhoj that they served in the temple premises. 

If you think this was all, that is not the case. We came back to the hotel and were in same situation as Day 1 that the temples would be closed in Vrindavan, we decided not to waste even a single minute and move to Gokul - the birth place of Lord Krishna. 

Once again it was the right decision as we could see places of interest and great significance like Okhli Bandhan, 84 Khamba Temple, Raman Reti, and Brahmand Ghat. Each of these places have a history related to Lord Krishna. 

Raman Reti has a beautiful deer park just opposite to it. 

There is an elephant in the Raman Reti compound who gives blessings and can click a photo with the elephant holding his trunk in the hand. I was too scared to do this adventure and stayed away from the elephant. It is said that this elephant performs Aarti as well. 

All the above pictures have been captured at Raman Reti. We first feed the deer, then went to the temple and had darshan, took a roll in the mud where Shri Krishna used to play and then took a dip in the holy water kund at Raman Reti. 

Brahmand Ghat - This was the place where Lord Krishna had taken the mud in his mouth and when his mother Yashodha asked him to open his mouth, she was shocked to see the entire universe in his mouth. Even till today the prasad that is distributed is the mud balls found at this place and people eat this remembering Lord Krishna. 

This place had Ookhli with which Lord Krishna was tied with by his mother due to the complaints made by the neighbors for eating their makhan (butter) and breaking their mud pots. 

It was heart-warming to see all these places in person as I have read about them multiple times, but it is a different experience to see them in person. 

By the time we completed these places and came back to the temple premises, it was already late. We quicked had dinner and went to sleep as we had to wake up at 1:30 am to visit Premanand ji Maharaj. 

Day 3: We got up early and started to the ashram for meeting Sh. Premanand ji Maharaj. No where could we feel that it was night time as we could see thousands of devotees who wanted to meet him. We were fortunate that we could have his darshan at around 6:00 am. On the way back, we went to Lakhmi Mata temple which is also quite famous. 

It is believed that Goddess Lakshmi wanted to be a part of Raasleela. The gopis were pure soul and had sacrificed everything for Lord Krishna. It is said that Goddess Lakshmi even burned her chunni to cook food for Lord Krishna. Lord was happy to see her devotion and allowed her to be a part of the Raasleela. 

Vrindavan had Mata Vaishno Devi Dham which is a great tourist attraction. It has a cave, idols, and a big statue of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi herself. 

Now, Vrindavan boasts of having Char Dham Mandir. Due to limited time, we could not visit these places but would recommend these places for anyone visiting Vrindavan with family and especially kids. 

The trip was extremely comforting, and we had a very nice feeling after spending almost three days in the pious land of Lord Krishna.

Do not miss a change to visit the holy place if you ever get a chance. It might not seem to be a big or touristy place, but once you go there you will find yourself immersed in the holy and pious environment. 

Radhe Radhe !!!

You can also access link to my previous blog here . 

P.S If you need any help with planning such trips, I would be happy to help or advise. I am passionate about travelling and want to make your journey enjoyable as much as I can using my travel experiences. Please feel free to contact for any assistance +91-9880433006.