Vrindavan: Pieces of evidence for Krishna spread over 3,000 sq km

Padasevana Bhakta Das

I am writing this article right after a short trip to Sri Vrindavan, and a few smaller towns close to it. Vrindavan is located about 80 miles southeast of Gurugram. Millions of people reverentially believe it to be the place where Lord Krishna lived and performed supernatural activities 5,000 years ago.

But, contrary to this, there are others who think Krishna and His activities are works of fiction, mere stories cropped up to inspire a man to be righteous. Let’s weigh both of these views and see which one has greater strength.

Vrindavan area, popularly called Braja, or literally the place where Lord Krishna and His devotees walked, is presently an area of about 3,000 sq km. It is spread over the following districts of North India- Mathura, Bharatpur, and Palwal located in states of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Haryana respectively. There are scores of towns and villages, hundreds of sacred kundas or lakes and temples, and thousands of spots spread throughout Braja, each related to some or the other activity of Lord Krishna or His devotees.

All of these places are located in relation to each other exactly as they should as per the description of scriptures. For instance, Gokul, where Krishna’s foster parents lived is just across the Yamuna, opposite to Mathura, where He was born in a prison house. Govardhan, the mountain lifted by Krishna is still standing strong. River Yamuna in which Krishna sported with friends is still flowing through Vrindavan. The home palace of Sri Radha’s parents is still standing gracefully atop Brahma Giri hill in Barsana, so is Lord Krishna’s home atop Nandishwar Hill in Nandgaon.

These are just some of the evidences from one group of sites in North India. There are innumerable such cities in India in addition to these which have a strong relationship with Krishna. Some of these are Dwarka, Hastinapur, and Kurukshetra. So, one can simply imagine the volume of geographical evidence that amasses this way.

Someone out of skepticism thinks these places may have been included in mythological stories to make them appear real. Even if this is considered true for the sake of argument, what monetary benefit would someone derive by crafting a story intertwined with multiple geographical locations separated by hundreds of miles. There were no royalties to be received back then, as there were no publishing houses or audible books to pay the author for creative story writing.

In fact, many of these are sites have been declared protected monuments of the Archaeological Survey of India. Dr B B Lal, former Director- General of Archelogical Survey of India, has done extensive research on many sites related to Lord Krishna. He states

“The evidence clearly establishes that the Purana Quila and its southern neighbourhood represent Indraprastha of the Mahabharat times..”

But it is shocking that most people, thinking of themselves as rational and logical, fail to acknowledge these pieces of evidence. But these same people would instead take for granted the existence of personalities like Hitler and Stalin, just because they have been taught that in school books.

If one even theoretically believes Sri Krishna once walked on this Earth, he would derive immense benefit. For then we would also accept His teachings, the Bhagavad Gita, which is essentially a summary of the incredibly voluminous Vedic library of scriptures. It talks not about religious rituals but about the inter-relationship of soul, Supersoul and nature, and about the way one could live life as per that inter-relation.

So, let's open up our minds and give a rethought to the fiction that we have been presented as a fact. That would be real rationality, and not accepting something that is without supporting facts and logic. Do take up the opportunity to visit Vrindavan, and try figuring out what is factual and what is fiction.