Braj Chaurasi Kos Yatra: The Complete Guide to the 84 Kos Parikrama of Braj

Key takeaways

• The Braj Chaurasi Kos Yatra is the 84 kos parikrama of Braj, about 252 km.

• It is a circular pilgrimage around the whole land of Krishna.

• It covers 12 forests, many kunds and hundreds of sacred villages.

• On foot it takes about a month; by car about 7 to 12 days.

• It is believed to free the soul from the cycle of 84 lakh births.

• Traditionally it begins in March or April, or after Dussehra in October.

I am Gurudutt, born in Gokul in the Mathura district, in the very heart of Braj Bhoomi, guiding pilgrims through this holy land since 2018: more than 50,000 of them. Of all the pilgrimages of Braj, the greatest and the most complete is the Chaurasi Kos Yatra, the parikrama of the whole land of Krishna, a sacred circle of eighty four kos that encloses every place where the Lord was born and played and loved. It is the mother of all Braj pilgrimages, and to walk it, or to travel it, is the deepest journey a devotee of Krishna can make. Here is my complete guide: its meaning, its route, the days it takes, when to go and how to do it, told by one born within its circle. Plan it with our Mathura Vrindavan Tour Package, message on WhatsApp at +91 7302265809, any day from 8 AM to 9 PM.

What is the Braj Chaurasi Kos Yatra?

The Braj Chaurasi Kos Yatra, known also as the Braj Chaurasi Kos Parikrama or the 84 Kos Yatra, is the great circular pilgrimage that encircles the whole of Braj Bhoomi, the sacred land of Lord Krishna. Chaurasi kos means eighty four kos, the kos being the old measure of distance of India, and eighty four kos is reckoned as about two hundred and fifty two kilometres; so the yatra is a sacred circle of some two hundred and fifty two kilometres drawn around the entire holy land. Within this great circle lie all the places of Krishna’s life and leelas: the twelve forests, the vans, of Braj; its twenty four upvans or groves; its many sacred kunds, the holy ponds; and hundreds of villages, each with its temple and its story. To walk this circle is to touch every place where the Lord walked, and it is held to be the most virtuous of all the pilgrimages of Braj, the one that encloses all the others. The table gives the essentials at a glance.

The Braj Chaurasi Kos Yatra at a glance.

The meaning of the eighty four kos

There is a deep meaning in the number eighty four, and it is the heart of why the yatra is so revered. The scriptures teach that a soul must pass through eighty four lakh yonis, eighty four hundred thousand kinds of birth, the whole vast wheel of living forms, before it may be born as a human being and seek God; and it is devoutly believed that to complete the Chaurasi Kos Yatra, the circle of eighty four kos, with faith and devotion is to be freed from that whole cycle of eighty four lakh births, to have one’s sins washed away and to be drawn near to liberation and to the loving devotion of the Lord. So the eighty four kos of the earth answer to the eighty four lakh births of the soul, and to walk the one is to be freed from the other. It is told, too, that when Nanda Baba and Yashoda wished in their old age to make the pilgrimage of all the holy teerthas, Krishna lovingly called all the teerthas of the earth to reside here in Braj, so that the whole of them might be honoured within this one sacred circle; and it is believed that in the four holy months of Chaturmas all the teerthas dwell in Braj, so that the yatra done then is of the greatest merit of all.

The route: the circle of Braj

The yatra is a great circle drawn around the whole of Braj, and though pilgrims begin it at various points, most set out from Mathura, the birth city at the centre, and go round the whole land, returning at the last to where they began. The circle takes in all the four great centres and a multitude of lesser holy places between them. It passes through Mathura and its Madhuvan; through Gokul and Mahavan and Baldeo across the Yamuna; round by Govardhan with its sacred hill, its Radha Kund and Kusum Sarovar; on to Barsana, the village of Radha, and Nandgaon, the home of Nanda; through the far forests of Kamyavan and Kosi and Shergarh; by the many vans and kunds; and back through Vrindavan to Mathura. Along the whole way lie hundreds of temples, from the great ones such as the Banke Bihari and the Govind Dev to countless small village shrines, and the sacred forests and ponds of the leelas. The table gives the chief places of the circle.

The chief places of the Braj Chaurasi Kos circle. A guide plans the full route.

Our Mathura Vrindavan city map guide shows how the region fits together.

The twelve forests of Braj

At the heart of the yatra are the twelve forests, the Dwadash Van, the twelve sacred woods of Braj where Krishna played out his leelas, for the parikrama is in great part a pilgrimage of these forests. The twelve are traditionally named as Madhuvan, Talvan, Kumudvan, Bahulavan, Kamyavan, Khadirvan, Bhandirvan, Bhadravan, Bilvavan, Lauhavan, Mahavan and Vrindavan, the last and greatest, the forest of Vrindavan itself. Beside these twelve are twenty four lesser groves, the upvans, and a host of sacred kunds and ghats. To make the yatra is to pass through these ancient forests, or the places where they stood, honouring at each the leela that was played there. Our Bhandirvan guide covers one of these twelve sacred forests, the place of the divine marriage.

How long does the yatra take?

How long the Chaurasi Kos Yatra takes depends on how you make it. In the traditional way, walked barefoot in penance and devotion, the full two hundred and fifty two kilometres take about a month, and some take forty days over it, giving each holy place its due; this is the way of the true parikrama, deeply austere and deeply blessed, and many saints and devotees have walked it so. On our own days, many pilgrims who cannot spare a month, or cannot walk so far, make the yatra by vehicle, by car or bus, stopping at the holy places along the circle, and this takes about seven to twelve days for the whole round. This is a gentler way, suited to families, to the elderly and to those with little time, and though it lacks the penance of the walk, it still takes the pilgrim to all the sacred places of the circle. Both ways are made; choose the one that suits your body, your time and your devotion. The table gives a sense of them.

How long the Braj Chaurasi Kos Yatra takes.

When to do the yatra

The yatra has its traditional seasons. Most auspiciously it is begun in the spring, around the full moon of Chaitra and into Baishakh, in the months of March and April, and this is the classic time of the great walking parikramas; others set out after Dussehra, in the cool of October, which is pleasant for the journey. Above all, the four holy months of Chaturmas, in the monsoon and early autumn, are held the most blessed time of all to make the yatra, for it is believed that in Chaturmas all the teerthas of the earth come to dwell in Braj, so that the pilgrimage then is of the highest merit. For those making the yatra by vehicle, the cool months of October to March are the most comfortable. The peak summer of May and June is punishingly hot for such a long journey, and the deep monsoon can flood the forest paths, so plan with care. Our best time to visit Mathura Vrindavan guide is the seasons.

The smaller parikramas of Braj

The great Chaurasi Kos Yatra is the circle of all Braj, but within it lie the smaller parikramas, the lesser circles that many pilgrims make when they cannot walk the whole, and which are holy in themselves. Chief among these are the Govardhan parikrama, the twenty one kilometre circle of the sacred hill; the Vrindavan parikrama, the circuit of the holy town; the Barsana parikrama of the hills of Radha; and the parikramas of Gokul, Nandgaon and the other centres. Many who cannot give a month to the full yatra make these smaller circles instead, and gather thereby much of its blessing. Our Vrindavan parikrama guide and Barsana parikrama guide cover two of these holy circles, and the three day Mathura Vrindavan pilgrimage tour takes in the great centres of the yatra.

The saints who walked the yatra

The Chaurasi Kos Yatra is no new thing but a pilgrimage of the deepest antiquity, walked, it is told, since the very ages of the gods: by the child devotee Dhruv in the Sat Yuga, by Shatrughna the brother of Rama in the Treta, and in the Dwapar by Uddhava among the gopis. In the flowering of devotion in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, the great saints who revealed the holy places of Braj all walked this circle: Shri Vallabhacharya and his son Vitthalnath, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, the Goswamis Rupa and Sanatana, Narayan Bhatt, Swami Haridas and the teachers of the sampradayas, tracing and re establishing the sacred sites along the way. To make the yatra is to walk in the very footsteps of these saints and of the ancient devotees, and it is this unbroken tradition of holiness that gives the parikrama its power. Our Gokul, Mathura and Vrindavan tour guide tells more of the saints and the sacred places.

The honest bit

Honest words on the Chaurasi Kos Yatra, from one born within its circle. This is a great and demanding pilgrimage, not a sightseeing tour; the full walk is two hundred and fifty two kilometres over rough village and forest paths, a true austerity, so undertake the walking yatra only if you are fit and prepared for it, with good footwear or the readiness to go barefoot as the devout do, and give yourself the full month it needs. Those who cannot should make it by vehicle, or make the smaller parikramas, and gather the blessing that way; there is no shame in it. Along the whole circle, darshan is free, and no official VIP pass exists anywhere in Braj. The Yamuna and the kunds are revered but many are polluted, so honour them but bathe with care. Above all, remember that Govardhan is circled and never climbed, for the hill is Krishna himself. Carry water, plan by the season, respect the village people who serve the yatris as a service to Krishna, and make the yatra in a spirit of devotion, and it will be the deepest journey of your life.

Why Experience My India is the right choice

I was born in Gokul Mahaban Bangar, within the very circle of the Chaurasi Kos, and the whole of Braj Bhoomi is my own home ground, its forests and villages and kunds known to me from childhood. Guiding since 2018, more than 50,000 pilgrims, 4.5 stars across 204 Google reviews, WhatsApp first, 8 AM to 9 PM daily. What a guide born within the circle brings to the yatra is the knowledge of the whole route and its hundreds of holy places, the planning of the days whether on foot or by vehicle, the arranging of stays and meals along the way, the honest word on the free darshan and the demands of the walk, and the stories of each forest and kund and village told on the very ground. One clear fare, and never a charge for free darshan.

Tip from Gurudutt: be honest with yourself about which form of the yatra suits you, for both are blessed. If you are fit and can give a month, the walking parikrama in the traditional season is the pilgrimage of a lifetime, austere and transforming. But if you cannot, do not grieve, and do not attempt the full walk unprepared; make the yatra by car over a week or ten days, or walk the smaller circles of Govardhan and Vrindavan, and you will still touch the holy places and gather the blessing. What matters is not the hardness of the road but the devotion of the heart that travels it. Come with love, and all of Braj will open to you.

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Plan your Braj Chaurasi Kos Yatra

Tell me your dates, your group and whether you wish to walk or travel by vehicle, and I will build you the Braj Chaurasi Kos Yatra, the route planned, the stays and meals arranged, the holy places seen in the right order, with a guide born within the circle, for one clear price. WhatsApp +91 7302265809, any day 8 AM to 9 PM. Packages from Rs 5,999 per person, 4.5 stars from 204 Google reviews. Born in Gokul, Mathura.