Attraction
The temple complex at the believed birthplace of Lord Krishna in Mathura.
Attractions in Mathura & Vrindavan
4 places to see, with what each one is and how long it takes.
Attraction
Vrindavan's most beloved Krishna temple, famous for its lively darshan.
Experience
The curtain is drawn across the deity every minute or two rather than left open — the tradition holds that an unbroken gaze is too much to bear. There are no bells here either. Very crowded, and the Mangala aarti happens only once a year.
Attraction
A vast white-marble temple in Vrindavan, floodlit in colour after dark, which is when everyone comes. Built by a modern sect rather than an old one, and it looks it.
Elsewhere in Uttar Pradesh
Not in Mathura & Vrindavan — these are in other towns across the state.
Experience
Opened in January 2024 in pink Rajasthani sandstone, Nagara style, three storeys, with work still finishing around it. Phones and bags are not allowed in, so use the lockers before you join the queue.
Attraction
One of the tallest gateways in the world, marking the entrance to the Jama Masjid.
Attraction
A massive 5th-century stupa marking the site of the Buddha's first sermon.
Experience
The main ghat where the grand evening Ganga Aarti is performed daily.
Attraction
A grand 18th-century monument famous for its central hall and the Bhulbhulaiya maze.
Experience
The evening aarti is performed by priests on raised platforms with tiered brass lamps, every day at dusk. It is also the most crowded half hour in Varanasi, and half the audience watches from boats. If you want the ghat rather than the show, come at six in the morning.
Experience
The sacred confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati, reached by boat.
Attraction
The high-ceilinged marble chamber housing the cenotaphs of Mumtaz Mahal and Shah Jahan, enclosed by a finely carved lattice screen.
Attraction
India's oldest site museum gallery housing the original 3rd-century BCE Ashokan Lion Capital and masterfully carved sandstone Buddha statues.
Experience
Riverfront ghats famous for the evening aarti and the Deepotsav festival.
Attraction
One of the twelve Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva, at the heart of the new corridor.
Viewpoint
The four-part garden with the raised tank that gives the reflection everyone photographs. Worth knowing it was originally dense with fruit trees and flowers — the open lawns are a British replanting, which is why the Taj now reads as a monument in a park rather than a building in a garden.
