Radha Kund

Getting there

• By air

  Agra airport is about 60 km from Mathura town, and Delhi airport about 160 km.

• By train

  Mathura Junction railway station lies on the Delhi-Mumbai rail route.

Why devotees come here

Radha Kund is a sacred tank in the town of the same name in Mathura district, Uttar Pradesh. Its waters are tied to a legend of Radha and Krishna, and pilgrims bathe here in a round that includes Shyam Kund.

Radha Kund is a tank in the town of the same name, in Mathura district of Uttar Pradesh. Many Vaishnavas consider it the supreme of all holy places, following Rupa Goswami. It is also one of the pilgrimage sites dedicated to Radha.

The legends tie the tank to Krishna. In one, Krishna slew a bull demon, and Radha asked him to wash away the sin by bathing in holy rivers. In another, Krishna bathed in the tank to please Radha. Radha and her friends dug out the ground, and Krishna filled it with the water of Shyam Kund. Each of the two tanks carries a promise for the bather: the intense love Radha has for Krishna, or the love Krishna has for Radha.

A biography of Raja Jai Singh, written by Atmaram, says the Raja bathed here on the full moon of Kartik. Mathura city is revered as the traditional birthplace of Krishna.

Tips for your visit

• Pilgrims bathe in Radha Kund, then Shyam Kund, then Radha Kund again, so the round covers two tanks.
• Radha Kund is the only pilgrimage place where an auspicious bath is taken at midnight.
• The district site lists hotels, guest houses and dharamshalas at Radha Kund.

Questions people ask