Trip to GOVARDHAN – Some inside things before your trip

If you have read it or if you have seen Ramanand Sagar’s ‘Sri Krishna’ you will remember a story when Lord Krishna held up a hill on his little finger. Yes, the same hill Govardhan is 22 km from Mathura, on the road link between Mathura and Deeg. Lord Krishna lifted the hill to protect the people and animals of the region from relentless rains, which rain god Indra invoked to punish the people for not worshiping him.

Govardhan also works as a base town to explore nearby places like Vrindavan or Mathura—all half to one hour away.  You will get this information on Google, but here are the other things that will enlighten you if you plan a weekend outing to this holy town.

1. You will enjoy the drive & Eat well if you spot a Dhaba

With a super smooth Taj Expressway, driving from Delhi to Govardhan becomes a joy ride. It was a pleasure driving our car touching almost 120 km/h. There are several food courts along the way to indulge your holiday appetite—from McDonald’s to Uduppi; but while on a highway, you would rather enjoy the authentic dhaba experience, right? But where are the dhabas?

Well, keep an eye on truckers' dhaba—those basic good old charpoy-wala outlets that serve no non-nonsense food at no-nonsense prices. Located beyond the fence along the Expressway on farmland, it isn't an easy job to spot these inconspicuous dhabas when the odometre needle is at 120 km/h plus. So how does one spot them? Just look out for the trucks. If a few of them are parked in a particular spot, there must be a dhaba! We get down from our car and bend our heads to enter a small opening on the security fence. Owned by a farmer, Sit cozy on a charpoy and enjoy a hearty breakfast of paranthas and white butter.

2. The hill is Nothing but a Hype

Fed on the tale, partly mythological, partly religious, believers from far and wide come to Govardhan to do a 21 km parikrama  around the 80 ft hill to sweat off their sins and acquire good karma. But where is the hill? Isn't it supposed to be right in front of our resort that we are now driving towards? Situated on the parikrama route, the resort brochure claims it is at the foothill of the hill; but, we see nothing. Until someone points to the sorry figure of a hill! Once massive, it is reduced to a sad mockery of a mountain that has been shrinking in size, not because of landslides or digging, but because of, as per folklore, a curse. About 8 km long, the brown, barren hillock is surrounded by a sparse woody forest. It is disappointing, but nevertheless.

3. Remember to Get your own Booze

If your trip has nothing to do with spirituality and everything to do with a fun weekend escape, make sure you buy your quota of alcohol from Delhi. We do spot several liquor shops in the town, but you may not get the brands you want if you are choosy. The hotels and resorts serve no alcohol. Aware of the fact, we took a crate of Bira White cans from Delhi. It's another story that you would be so sucked into the religious energy of the town that after the first day you may not feel like pouring yourselves a drink. Alcohol seems almost abusive.

And oh yes, don't forget, Govardhan is also a no non-veg town as with most holy places, but the vegetarian fare, served in our resort and elsewhere is so excellent that you will suffer no meat cravings.

4. The Fun Sport is ‘People –watching’

Take time out to observe the local—it becomes an interesting sport here. Every face is a character, and everyone is deep into divinity, all serving the God of the place, Giriraj ji. That includes Khandelwal, the chaiwalla, who we hunt down following everyone's recommendation. he reflects the town's collective sentiment when he responds to my “nice to meet the most famous chaiwalla in town” line. There is only one famous being here and that's Giriraj ji; he says, "we are all his sewaks."

Most men have a choti, most foreheads work like banners, Radhe Radhe stamped on them. Many would be found counting prayer beads, saffron sadhus smoking the chillum, as people greet each other with Radhe Radhe. Dressed in dhoti kurta, e-rickshaw pullers are well-versed with the entire legend of the place; even as beggars ask for alms in the name of Radhe.

5. The whole town is ‘Double standards’

The entire town, punctuated with a temple every hundred metres, is into the Radhe Krishna living. Cows have always been worshiped here, much before the government lobby became active, while pigs, meat for the lower class, are left wandering in the drains, their tummies blackened by dirty water. This is the look of this town: If the aroma of sandalwood floats in the air, so does the stench from the drains and garbage lying everywhere; if the bells and ghantas and drums vibrate in the ears, so does the loud horns from bikes, trucks and cars. There are e-rickshaw drivers, who are honest enough to give us a ride for INR 30 (one actually spent extra time with us to narrate the Govardhan story), while there are others who would charge you INR 200 for the same route.

6. Pilgrims' progress in Blind faith

The pilgrims, on their part, huff-puff their way in bare feet around the Govardhan hill. Chanting Hare Krishna, they come in singles, doubles, family with babies and in large groups of relatives. The most difficult to watch are those who attempt to do the 7-day parikrama, 3 km a day, not on foot or on wheels, but on the length of their bodies, propelled by faith; never minding the dust and dirt of the road. The well-healed pilgrims stay in resorts like the one we are in, not in an INR 350 a night ashrams as they emerge out of their rooms in the morning in freshly ironed kurtas and crisp sarees. "I have been coming here for the last 30 years," says a middle-aged woman from Lucknow staying adjacent to our cottage. "It started after my father's death. I was very upset, but soon I could distinctly feel the change in me. I have become very positive," she says.

You will also fine a sizeable population of white-skinned foreigners, who in glittery sarees, bindis and maang tikkas in place, stand out and go about their daily job of serving the Krishna.

7. Crowded temples and Greedy priests all over

If you are looking for peace and quiet to pray, well, the town's most famous Giriraj temple may not be the place. Very crowded, it also reflects the other side of it. A large board inside the shrine lists the prices for the various prayer services. INR 71,000—that's how much you have to shell out for one particular puja ritual. What kind of a puja is that, I can't resist asking the pujari. Before his reply, comes a receipt book. "How much should I write?" he asks.
It's also advisable to avoid visiting Govardhan on important days like Guru Poornima (also called Mudia Poono) when millions of devotees flood the place.

8. Visit small temples, they are better

If you must pray or meditate, visit the smaller temples. "I don't think I can pray here," my companion says, as we go looking again for a smaller temple free from tourists. Driving in the dusk, slowly along the parikrama route, we hear drums and bells. The sounds seem to have been coming from an inconspicuous ashram, one among many on the route, run on the generosity of the rich. We peep through the gate to find no one but the pujari and his assistant playing the brass ghanta. We walk in and sit down in front of the little temple where they are doing the evening aarti, the sloka chants coming straight from their hearts. No show-sha here as the two simple souls continue their dedicated rituals. The experience stirs our soul, calming our agitated minds and the chaos of the town.

9. Shopping is interesting

Small town local markets can throw pleasant surprises. Rows and rows of shops on either side of the market road selling colourful things will lift up your spirits. There are the prayer beads and there are tiny digital metres that keep a tab on the number of counts. Bargain and buy, as you walk the narrow road, honking motor bikes wheezing past. We pause to take a look at ancient houses, delaperate and reduced in size by time. We hang around till the shops start downing the shutters and by the end of it all we have four lungis in different colours (INR 80 per piece), oil lanterns, tiny brass idols of Bal Krishna, badminton rackets, agarbattis, a panting piece for INR 350; a readymade dhoti for INR 350, and even an aluminum tasla for INR 200 in our bags. Along the way, drop by at Bhagwan Singh's famous mithai shop that offers mind-altering kachoris made in pure ghee for INR 18 a piece. We buy a few for friends back home.

So we ended our Govardhan trip without visiting Vrindavan or Mathura, if you have read our article on Vrindavan, you will know exactly why we did this. Summing up, Govardhan was Kind-of-fun as we only wanted to chill at a place touched by real India and is not Fabricated by hi end resorts. We headed to Agra hereafter and had Kind-of-nice-time too. Which is covered in the following articles. Keep Reading Folks, Share your experience too.