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Pavan Sarovar is a sacred lake at Nandgaon (Krishna's village), in the Mathura district, just north of the Nandishwar hill, on the road towards Kamyavan (Kaman). Its name means 'the purifying lake' and a holy dip here is believed to cleanse all sins. Krishna watered his cows and played here as a child; and by legend, the King of Tirthas (Prayagraj) himself came here to be cleansed. On its bank stands the Pavana-Bihari temple and a baithak of Vallabhacharya. To visit Pavan Sarovar and Nandgaon, call or WhatsApp +91 7302265809.
Pavan Sarovar is a sacred, soul-purifying lake at Nandgaon, the village of Krishna, set below the Nandishwar hill on which the Nand Bhavan temple stands. Here, as a child, Krishna brought his cows to drink and played in the water with his cowherd friends and here, by a beautiful legend, the holy Prayagraj itself came to be cleansed. Its very name means the purifying lake. Here, from one born in Braj, is the complete guide to Pavan Sarovar: its story, its legends, its temple and how to visit. Plan your visit with our Mathura Vrindavan tour packages.
Key takeaways
Pavan Sarovar is a sacred lake at Nandgaon, below the Nandishwar hill.
'Pavan' means purifying or pure and 'Sarovar' means a lake; a dip here is held to cleanse all sins.
Krishna watered his cows and played water sports here with his cowherd friends.
By legend, Prayagraj (the King of Tirthas) himself came here to be cleansed of pilgrims' sins.
On its bank stands the Pavana-Bihari temple and a baithak of Vallabhacharya.
It lies on the road from Nandgaon towards Kamyavan (Kaman), about 50 km from Mathura.
I am Gurudutt, born in Gokul in the Mathura district, guiding pilgrims through Braj since 2018, more than 50,000 of them and I take devotees to Nandgaon and its sacred Pavan Sarovar. It is one of the lovely, less-crowded holy spots of Braj, rich in the leelas of Krishna's boyhood. Here is its story and how to see it.
Pavan Sarovar at a glance
Here are the key facts about Pavan Sarovar, before the detail below.
Detail | Information |
What it is | A sacred, sin-cleansing lake (sarovar) |
Where | Nandgaon, Mathura district, below the Nandishwar hill |
On the road to | Kamyavan (Kaman); about 50 km from Mathura |
Name means | 'The purifying lake' (Pavan = pure; Sarovar = lake) |
Linked to | Krishna watering his cows; the Prayagraj legend |
On its bank | The Pavana-Bihari temple and a baithak of Vallabhacharya |
Pavan Sarovar at a glance. The detail follows below.
The meaning and sanctity of Pavan Sarovar
The name says it all: 'Pavan' means purifying or pure and 'Sarovar' means a lake, so Pavan Sarovar is 'the purifying lake'. By tradition, taking a holy dip in its waters cleanses a person of all sins, which is why it is counted among the sacred kunds and sarovars of Braj. It is a quiet, deeply holy place, its sanctity drawn from the touch of Krishna himself, who played here as a boy.
The origin: Pavan Gopa's lake for the cows
Pavan Sarovar was constructed, tradition holds, by Pavan Gopa, the father of Visakha, one of the principal gopis and a close friend of Radha. He had it dug to provide ample water for the great herds of cattle of Nandgaon, for in the land of Krishna the cows were cherished above all. So the lake began as an act of care for the cattle and became holy through Krishna's own use of it.
Krishna's pastimes at Pavan Sarovar
As a cowherd boy, Krishna brought his cows here to drink each day and with his gopa friends he played and bathed and enjoyed water sports in the lake. It was also, the stories say, a discreet meeting place: the gopis would come to fetch water and under that pretext exchange loving glances with Krishna. So the quiet lake holds the memory of Krishna's boyhood, his cows, his friends and the tender beginnings of his love with the gopis. To sit by its waters is to be amid these leelas.
The legend of Prayagraj at Pavan Sarovar
The most beautiful story of Pavan Sarovar concerns the holy Prayagraj. By tradition, Nanda Baba, Krishna's foster father, once wished to travel to Prayag, to bathe at the Triveni Sangam, the meeting of the sacred rivers; but Krishna told him to wait until the auspicious day of Akshaya Tritiya. The next morning, at Pavan Sarovar, Nanda Maharaj met the personified King of Tirthas, Prayagraj himself, who had come to that very lake. Prayagraj explained that he had come to wash away the accumulated sins left behind by all the pilgrims who bathe in Pavan Sarovar, for so great is this lake's purifying power that even Prayag must come here to cleanse itself. Realising the supreme sanctity of Pavan Sarovar, Nanda Maharaj understood he need not travel to Prayag at all and bathed here instead. The legend tells, in the lovely way of Braj, that the holiest of tirthas comes to bathe in Krishna's own lake.
The Pavana-Bihari temple and Vallabhacharya's baithak
On the northern bank of Pavan Sarovar stands its chief shrines. The Pavana-Bihari temple is dedicated to Radha and Krishna, the presiding deities of the lake; and nearby is a historic baithak, a sacred sitting-place, of Mahaprabhu Vallabhacharya, the great founder of the Pushtimarg tradition, who honoured this holy spot. Nearby too, by tradition, Vrishabhanu, Radha's father, built a palace for Radha, where she and her friends enjoyed water sports, linking the lake to Radha as well as Krishna. These shrines make the bank of Pavan Sarovar a place of worship as well as beauty.
Where is Pavan Sarovar and how to visit
Pavan Sarovar lies at Nandgaon, Krishna's village, in the western part of Braj, about 50 km from Mathura and 8 to 10 km from Radha's Barsana. It sits just north of and below the Nandishwar hill, on which the famous Nand Bhavan (Nand Rai) temple stands, along the road leading on towards Kamyavan (Kaman). It is naturally visited together with the Nand Bhavan temple at the top of the hill and with Barsana nearby, as part of a tour of the villages of Radha and Krishna. See our Barsana and Nandgaon guide for the two villages and we can arrange your pooja and seva.
The best time and tips for visiting
Visit Pavan Sarovar together with the Nand Bhavan temple on the hill above it.
Pair it with Barsana (8 to 10 km), Radha's village, on the same trip.
Come October to March for pleasant weather; the villages are quiet and lovely then.
It is at its most spectacular and crowded, during the Lathmar Holi and Nandotsav.
See the Pavana-Bihari temple and the Vallabhacharya baithak on the northern bank.
A local guide links the lake, the temple and the legends seamlessly.
The honest bit
Honest words from one born in Braj. Pavan Sarovar is a lovely, holy and relatively quiet spot, one of the gentler treasures of Braj, rich in the leelas of Krishna's boyhood and the beautiful legend of Prayagraj. Come for its sanctity and its stories, not for grandeur: it is a village lake with its shrines, not a great temple complex and its beauty is in its peace and its history. The legends told here, of Pavan Gopa, of Prayagraj, of Radha's palace, come from the devotional tradition of Braj and there are small variations in the telling; the devotion is the same. Visited with its stories known and together with Nandgaon's hill temple and Barsana nearby, Pavan Sarovar is a peaceful, deeply moving stop on a tour of Radha and Krishna's villages.
Why Experience My India is the right choice
I was born in Gokul in the Mathura district and I take pilgrims to Nandgaon and its Pavan Sarovar, the quieter holy places of Braj that many miss. Guiding since 2018, more than 50,000 pilgrims, 4.5 stars on Google, WhatsApp first, 8 AM to 9 PM daily. We bring you to the lake and the Pavana-Bihari temple, up to the Nand Bhavan temple on the hill, on to Barsana nearby, tell you the legends on the very bank and arrange your seva, with no touts. One clear fare and never a charge for free darshan.
Tip from Gurudutt: when you come to Nandgaon, do not only climb the hill to the Nand Bhavan temple; come down to the quiet waters of Pavan Sarovar below and sit a while on its bank. Here Krishna brought his cows, played with his friends and met the gopis' glances; here, they say, even Prayagraj came to be cleansed. In the peace of this village lake, away from the crowds, with its lovely legends in your heart, you may feel the boyhood of Krishna closer than at any grand temple. It is one of the hidden jewels of Braj.
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Tell me your dates and I will plan your visit to Nandgaon, Pavan Sarovar and the villages of Radha and Krishna, with a car, a guide born on this soil and your seva arranged, for one clear price. Our Barsana tour packages take in Radha's and Krishna's villages and our Mathura Vrindavan tour packages from Delhi cover the heart of Braj. WhatsApp +91 7302265809, any day 8 AM to 9 PM. Packages from ₹1,999 per person, 4.5 stars on Google. Born in Gokul, Mathura.
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Gurudutt — Born & Raised in Braj Bhoomi
Guiding pilgrims through Mathura & Vrindavan since 2018 · 50,000+ pilgrims served
