The second day of our tour with the Akshay Patra Group took us to Gokul, where Lord Krishna spent his childhood. Gokul is a mesmerising place where stories of Krishna’s childhood adventures echo in the surroundings even today.
We started our visit by experiencing Raman Reti, where people showed their love for God by rolling on the soft mud. A priest shared that the mud became soft when Krishna arrived here over 5000 years back.
People believe that by tasting this mud and building homes here, they receive blessings from Lord Krishna. We then visited the temple, where everyone joyfully danced and sang Radhe Krishna bhajans. Next, we walked to Nand Ghar, where Krishna was brought as an infant by his father Vasudev. Krishna here was brought up by Yashodha and Nandlala. On the way, we saw the spot where Krishna killed the demoness Putna.
At Nand Ghar, also called Chaurasi Khamba Temple, we saw the place where Yashodha Mata tied Krishna with ‘aokhhli’ ( with pillars -in hindi called as Khamba) to stop him from stealing buttermilk from Gopis of town. We learned that waiting patiently, like Lord Shiva did, is important here while sitting out. We entered in this temple crawling on all four knees like newborns, as a humble gesture.
Our journey continued to Radha Damodar Temple, where Yashodha Mata tied Krishna with the mortar. Gokul is a special place, and my visit was an unforgettable experience.