Mathura

Why it is one of the Sapta Puri

A verse of the Garuda Purana calls seven cities givers of liberation: "ayodhyā mathurā māyā kāśī kāñcī avantikā, purī dvāravatī jñeyā saptaitā mokṣadāyikāḥ". Meaning: Ayodhya, Mathura, Maya, Kashi, Kanchi, Avantika and the city of Dvaravati, know these seven as givers of liberation. Mathura is the second name in the list.

We read the verse in two places in the Uttara Khanda (Preta Kalpa) of the Garuda Purana: chapter 38 (verses 5-6) and chapter 49 (verse 114), in the Venkateshvara Press text. In both places the context is the tirthas where dying brings liberation. In the Kashi Khanda of the Skanda Purana (first half, chapter 7) Shivasharman, a brahmin of Mathura, resolves to visit the seven cities (verses 42-43) and goes to the other six.

Mathura in the texts

According to the Bhagavata Purana (10.1.27-28), Shurasena, chief of the Yadus, came to live in Mathura, after which it was the capital of all the Yadava kings, and Hari is ever present there. In the third chapter of the Bhagavata’s tenth book Krishna is born to Devaki and Vasudeva in Kamsa’s prison. In the Kashi Khanda of the Skanda Purana (first half 7.1) Shivasharman, who makes the pilgrimage to the seven cities, is himself a brahmin of Mathura.

The main temples and ghats

The Shri Krishna Janmasthan (Katra Keshav Dev) is held to be the place where Krishna appeared in Kamsa’s prison; by the cell stands a temple of Yogamaya (Ashtabhuja) (Mathura district). The Dwarkadhish temple was built in 1814 by Seth Gokul Das Parikh, treasurer of Gwalior State; it holds a black marble Dwarkanath with Radharani (Mathura district, UP Tourism).

According to UP Tourism, Vishram Ghat is where, the story says, Krishna rested after killing Kamsa; the evening Yamuna aarti is held here, the circuit of the city begins and ends here, and there are 12 ghats to its north and 11 to its south. The tourism department lists Bhuteshwar, Gokarneshwar, Rangeshwar and Pipaleshwar among the city’s Shiva temples.

How to reach Mathura

• Rail: Mathura Junction (MTJ) and Mathura Cantt (MRT) (Mathura district).
• Road: about 145 km south-east of Delhi; Agra is about 56-58 km away (Mathura district, UP Tourism). The nearest airport is Kheria, Agra.

Main festivals

Where the sources differ

• In popular recitation the second line is also heard as "purī dvāravatī caiva". The Garuda Purana text in which we checked it reads "purī dvāravatī jñeyā". The verse says "saptaitā" (these seven), so "purī dvāravatī" is one city, the city of Dwarka, not Jagannath Puri.
• Distances differ between sources: Kheria airport, Agra, is given as 46 and 57.9 km on the same Mathura district page, and 62 km by UP Tourism; Agra city as 50, 56 and 58 km.

Frequently asked questions