Govardhan, Uttar Pradesh: Where It Is, the Sacred Hill Krishna Lifted and Why It Is Famous

Key takeaways

• Govardhan is a sacred town and hill in the Mathura district of Uttar Pradesh.

• It lies about 23 km west of Mathura, on the Mathura to Deeg road.

• The hill, Giriraj, is the one Krishna lifted to shelter Braj from the rains.

• It is worshipped as Krishna himself, circled but never climbed.

• The hill is low and ridge-like, about 8 km long and its 21 km parikrama circles it.

• It is one of the holiest pilgrimage places in all of Braj.

I am Gurudutt, born in Gokul in the Mathura district, guiding pilgrims through Braj since 2018: more than 50,000 of them. When people ask what Govardhan is, where it lies and why it is so holy, the answer is one of the most beautiful stories in the life of Krishna. Govardhan is not a temple or a monument but a sacred hill, worshipped as the Lord himself, in the heart of Braj. Here is what it is, exactly where it is, the story that makes it holy and why it is famous, told by someone from this district. See it on our Mathura Vrindavan Tour Package, message on WhatsApp at +91 7302265809, any day from 8 AM to 9 PM.

Where is Govardhan?

Govardhan is a town and a sacred hill in the Mathura district of the state of Uttar Pradesh, in northern India, in the region of Braj, the land of Krishna. It lies about twenty three kilometres west of the city of Mathura, on the road that runs from Mathura towards Deeg in Rajasthan and about a hundred and fifty kilometres south of Delhi. It is a municipal town, a nagar panchayat and a tehsil of the Mathura district, with a pin code of 281502. So when people ask, in Hindi, Govardhan parvat kahan hai, where is the Govardhan hill, the answer is simply this: in the Mathura district of Uttar Pradesh, in Braj, a short drive west of Mathura. The table gives the essentials.

Govardhan, Uttar Pradesh, at a glance.

What is Govardhan Hill?

Govardhan Hill, called Giriraj, the king of hills or Giriraj Parvat, is the sacred hill at the heart of the town and it is quite unlike what the word hill may bring to mind. It is a long, low ridge of sandstone rather than a towering mountain, running some eight kilometres in length and rising only modestly above the flat Braj plain around it. Yet it is among the very holiest places in all of Hinduism, for it is worshipped not as a place but as a person, as a direct form of Krishna himself. This is why pilgrims do not climb Govardhan as they might climb another hill, but walk reverently around it, circling its whole length on the twenty one kilometre parikrama. To understand why so modest a hill is so deeply revered, you must know its story.

The story: Krishna lifts Govardhan

The story of Govardhan is the most beloved of all Krishna’s deeds of protection. The people of Braj used to worship Indra, the god of rain, with a great annual sacrifice. But the young Krishna urged them instead to worship Govardhan Hill, the cows and the land that truly sustained them, for it was the hill that gave them grass and water and shelter. The villagers agreed and turned their worship to Govardhan. Indra, enraged at being denied his sacrifice, sent down a storm of terrible fury to drown all of Braj in flood.

Then Krishna, still only a boy of seven, lifted the entire Govardhan Hill upon the little finger of his left hand and held it aloft like a vast umbrella. Beneath it he sheltered all the people of Braj and all their cattle and there they stayed, dry and safe, for seven days and seven nights, while the storm raged in vain. At last Indra, his pride broken, understood that he faced the Supreme Lord himself and he relented and bowed before Krishna. Ever since that day, Govardhan has been worshipped as Krishna himself, as Giriraj, the king of hills and the lifting of Govardhan is celebrated across all of India as Govardhan Puja, the day after Diwali. This is why the hill is holy and why it is circled in devotion but never trodden upon.

Why is Govardhan famous?

Govardhan is famous, above all, as the hill that Krishna lifted, one of the defining miracles of his life and the origin of the great festival of Govardhan Puja kept across India. But its fame rests on more than one story. It is famous as a place of pilgrimage, for its twenty one kilometre parikrama, walked by millions each year, is one of the most beloved and merit giving of all the sacred walks of India. It is famous for its holy kunds and temples strung along that walk, the Daan Ghati, the Mukharvind at Jatipura, the twin tanks of Radha Kund and Shyam Kund, the lake of Mansi Ganga and the beautiful Kusum Sarovar. And it is famous as one of the four great pillars of a Braj pilgrimage, together with Mathura, Vrindavan and Barsana. For all these reasons Govardhan draws the devotees from across the world.

The hill that is shrinking

There is a tender tradition about Govardhan that pilgrims love and it is worth telling as part of what the place means. It is believed in Braj that the hill is slowly shrinking, sinking a little into the earth with the passing of the ages and the tradition explains it with a story: that the hill was cursed by the sage Pulastya Muni to diminish by a grain each day and so it grows gently smaller over the vast turning of time. Whether one takes this as fact or as sacred poetry, it is part of the devotion of the place and it adds to the tenderness with which the Brajwasis regard their beloved Giriraj, as a living being who shares in the passing of the world. I share it, as I share all such things, as the cherished belief of Braj rather than as a matter of proof.

Govardhan in the geography of Braj

It helps to see where Govardhan sits among the holy places of Braj, for it is one of the four great centres of a Krishna pilgrimage. Mathura, the birthplace and Vrindavan, the town of his youth, lie to the east on the Yamuna; my own Gokul, of his infancy, is across the river from Mathura; and to the west and north west lie Govardhan, the hill he lifted and beyond it the hill villages of Barsana, the home of Radha and Nandgaon, the home of Nanda Baba. Govardhan is about twenty three kilometres from Mathura and about twenty six from Vrindavan and about twenty five from Barsana, so it is easily joined with them on a Braj tour. Our three day Mathura Vrindavan pilgrimage tour takes in Govardhan with the whole of Braj and our Mathura Vrindavan city map guide explains how the whole region fits together.

What to see and do at Govardhan

The heart of a visit to Govardhan is the parikrama, the walk of about twenty one kilometres around the whole sacred hill, along which lie almost all its holy places. The chief among these are the Daan Ghati temple and the Mukharvind at Jatipura, the sacred mouth of Giriraj; the holy tanks of Radha Kund and Shyam Kund; the lake of Mansi Ganga in the town centre with its evening aarti; and the beautiful sandstone Kusum Sarovar. Those who cannot walk the full parikrama see the chief temples and kunds by car. For the full guide to all these sacred places, their stories and how to see them, read our places to visit in Govardhan guide, which covers the parikrama and every site in detail.

Festivals at Govardhan

Two festivals above all fill Govardhan. Govardhan Puja, the day after Diwali in autumn, is the hill’s own great festival, the very day that commemorates Krishna’s lifting of the hill, when Giriraj is worshipped across all of India and vast crowds walk the parikrama at Govardhan itself. And Guru Purnima, known here as Mudia Poono, in the monsoon, is another of the greatest days, when hundreds of thousands come to circle the hill. On these days Govardhan is at its most joyful and most crowded; for a calm and reflective visit, a cool ordinary weekday is far gentler. Our festivals of Braj page has a calendar.

How to reach Govardhan

Govardhan is easily reached, for it lies close to Mathura at the heart of Braj. The nearest railway junction is Mathura, about twenty three kilometres away, well connected to Delhi, Agra and the whole country, from where a taxi reaches Govardhan in about forty five minutes. The nearest airport is Delhi, about a hundred and fifty kilometres away, on the Yamuna Expressway. Most pilgrims visit Govardhan as a day trip from Mathura or Vrindavan and a private car is much the easiest way, both to reach the town and to move around its sites, especially the parikrama and the kunds which lie apart. The table gives the distances.

Reaching Govardhan. Distances are approximate; verify on the day.

Our Mathura Vrindavan taxi service drives you to Govardhan and around its sacred sites.

When to visit

The cool months of October to March are much the best for Govardhan, for the parikrama is a long walk, punishing in the summer heat and pleasant in the cool. The early morning is the loveliest and coolest time to begin. The great festival days of Govardhan Puja and Guru Purnima are the most magnificent but the most crowded; for a calm walk around the hill, a cool ordinary weekday is ideal. Our best time to visit Mathura Vrindavan guide is the seasons.

The honest bit

Honest words on Govardhan. The most important thing, held dear by every Brajwasi: the hill is circled, never climbed. To set foot on Govardhan is, in the faith of Braj, to tread on Krishna himself, so however you see others behave, do not climb the hill. Darshan everywhere is free and no official VIP pass exists at any Govardhan temple or anywhere in Braj. The full parikrama is twenty one kilometres on foot, a real undertaking, so wear easy footwear or walk barefoot as the devout do, carry water, start early and pace yourself; the elderly may prefer to see the main temples by car. The tradition that the hill is shrinking and the stories of the sacred sites, I share as the cherished beliefs of Braj, not as matters of proof. Come in devotion and Govardhan gives one of the deepest experiences in all of Braj.

Why Experience My India is the right choice

I was born in Gokul Mahaban Bangar and Govardhan and its parikrama are part of my own devotional home ground. 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 local brings to Govardhan is the story of the hill told where it happened, the knowledge of where to begin the parikrama and how to pace its length, the sacred sites found and understood along the way, a car to reach the kunds that lie apart and the honest guidance to circle and never climb. One clear fare and never a charge for free darshan.

Tip from Gurudutt: understand before you go that Govardhan is not a hill to be climbed or a temple to be entered, but a form of Krishna to be walked around with love. See it that way, join the parikrama even for a stretch if you cannot walk it all, take darshan at the Daan Ghati and the Mukharvind and sit a while by Kusum Sarovar at sunset and you will have touched the soul of the place. The hill is the Lord; treat it so and Govardhan becomes the most moving of all the sacred places of Braj.

Related guides

• Where is Mathura Vrindavan located

• Barsana tourist places: a complete guide

• Mathura tourism: a complete travel guide

• Vrindavan parikrama: route, timings and distance

• Kirti Mandir, Barsana: timings and light show

Plan your Govardhan visit

Tell me your dates and your group and I will build Govardhan into your Braj trip, the parikrama begun at the right point and paced for your party, the temples and kunds seen in order, a car to reach the sites that lie apart, for one clear price. WhatsApp +91 7302265809, any day 8 AM to 9 PM. Packages from Rs 1,999 per person, 4.5 stars from 204 Google reviews. Born in Gokul, Mathura.