Prem Sarovar, Barsana: The Lake of Love Formed from the Tears of Radha and Krishna

Key takeaways

• Prem Sarovar is the lake of love near Barsana, in the land of Radha.

• It formed, it is told, from the tears of love of Radha and Krishna.

• The tears were wept in the ecstasy of separation felt even while together.

• On its banks stand the Prem Vihari and Radha Govinda temples.

• It lies about 2 km from Barsana; darshan is free.

• It is said one who bathes here attains love for Radha and Krishna.

I am Gurudutt, born in Gokul in the Mathura district, guiding pilgrims through Braj since 2018: more than 50,000 of them. Near Barsana, the hill village of Radha Rani, lies one of the most tender and beautiful of all the sacred waters of Braj: the Prem Sarovar, the lake of love, whose still waters are held to have formed from the very tears of love of Radha and Krishna. Of all the many kunds and sarovars of the holy land, few carry a story so moving and few are so dear to those who love the divine couple. Here is everything you need: its beautiful story, its significance, the temples on its banks, its location and how to reach it, told by someone from this land. Plan it with our Mathura Vrindavan Tour Package, message on WhatsApp at +91 7302265809, any day from 8 AM to 9 PM.

What is Prem Sarovar?

Prem Sarovar, whose name means simply the lake, sarovar, of love, prem, is a sacred lake lying near Barsana, the village of Radha Rani, close by the hamlet of Gajipur, about two kilometres from the Barsana bus stand. It is a serene and lovely water, set in the gentle country of Barsana, once laden all about with kadamba trees and it is revered as one of the most tender of all the sacred sites of the divine love of Radha and Krishna. For it is held, in the tradition, that this very lake was formed from the tears of love that Radha and Krishna wept here, in one of the most beautiful and moving of all their leelas, their divine pastimes. To come to Prem Sarovar is to come to the very place of the tears of divine love and it is dear above all to those who cherish the love of Radha and Krishna. The table gives the essentials at a glance.

Prem Sarovar, Barsana, at a glance.

The story: the lake of tears of love

The story of Prem Sarovar is among the most beautiful and tender in all of Braj and it is this that gives the lake its sanctity. It is told that once the sakhi Lalita brought Radha to this place, then full of kadamba trees and Krishna came too, with his brahmana friend Madhumangala and the divine couple were seated together on a golden throne, lost in the sweetness of each other. As they sat, a honeybee, a madhu makkhi, began to trouble Radha, hovering at her ear and Krishna bade Madhumangala drive it away. When Madhumangala had chased it off, he called out gladly, Madhu had gone, meaning the bee; but Radha, in the depth of her love, heard the word Madhu as Madhusudana, a name of Krishna and understood that her beloved had gone from her.

At once Radha was overcome by the rarest and highest of all the moods of love, the Prema Vaichittya bhava, the ecstasy in which the lover, though in the very presence and even the arms of the beloved, is seized by the grief of separation, so overwhelming is the love. Though she lay upon Krishna’s own lap, Radha could no longer feel his presence and wept; and Krishna, caught in the same mood, could no longer feel Radha and wept too; and the two, crying out each other’s names though they were together, shed such torrents of tears of love that a lake was formed of them and this is the Prem Sarovar. At last the parrots in the trees, seeing the piteous state of the divine couple, began to sing aloud the names of Radha and Krishna and hearing them the two returned to themselves and lovingly embraced. This love in separation, the tradition holds, is the very highest reach of devotional love and Prem Sarovar is its sacred memorial.

The meaning of the tears

To understand why Prem Sarovar is so revered, one must understand the mood it enshrines, the Prema Vaichittya, for it is no ordinary grief. In the tradition of Braj, love in separation, the viraha, is held to be even higher and sweeter than love in union, for in separation the whole heart is filled with the beloved and longs with an intensity that union itself cannot hold; and the very highest form of this is the Prema Vaichittya, in which the lovers feel the anguish of separation even while they are together, so boundless is their love that no nearness can satisfy it. That Radha and Krishna wept these tears here, in this rarest ecstasy, is why Prem Sarovar is cherished as a supreme place of divine love and why it is said that one who bathes in its waters, with devotion, attains prema, pure love for Radha and Krishna, the highest of all gifts. It is a place not of sorrow but of the deepest sweetness of love. Our Gahvar Van, Barsana guide covers the sacred forest of Radha nearby.

The temples on the banks

On the banks of Prem Sarovar stand temples of the divine couple whose tears made the lake and they are part of a visit. Here is the Prem Vihari temple, of Krishna as the enjoyer of love, the prem vihari and the Radha Govinda temple, of Radha with Govinda, Krishna; and the devotees take darshan here, by the still waters of love and sit upon the banks in the peace of the place. The lake and its temples together make Prem Sarovar a serene and deeply devotional spot, one where pilgrims love to pause and dwell on the tender leela of the tears, away from the crowds of the great temples. It is a place to sit quietly by the water and feel the sweetness of the divine love that hallowed it.

Prem Sarovar and the Barsana country

Prem Sarovar is best seen as part of the sacred country of Barsana, the village of Radha Rani, which lies only about two kilometres away, its Radha Rani temple crowning the Brahma hill. Around Barsana lie the many holy places of the love of Radha and Krishna: the sacred Gahvar Van, the forest made by Radha; the villages of the sakhis such as Chiksauli; the hills and passes such as the Sankari Khor; the Kirti Mandir of Radha’s mother; and the kunds and temples of the divine love. Prem Sarovar, the lake of the tears of love, is one of the tenderest of these and is naturally seen with Barsana and its country and with Nandgaon, the home of Krishna, close by. To include it in a pilgrimage of Barsana is to know that sacred land of love more deeply. Our Barsana tourist places guide covers the village of Radha and the three day Mathura Vrindavan pilgrimage tour takes in Barsana with the whole of Braj.

Location and how to reach Prem Sarovar

Prem Sarovar lies near Barsana, in the Nandgaon block of the Mathura district of Uttar Pradesh, close by the hamlet of Gajipur, about two kilometres from the Barsana bus stand, in the west of Braj near the border of Rajasthan. Barsana is about fifty kilometres from Mathura, the nearest railway junction, about an hour and a half by road; the nearest airport is Agra or Delhi further off. From Barsana it is only a short drive or walk to Prem Sarovar and one may park a car on the very bank of the lake. Being in the Barsana country, it is best reached by a private car, taking it in on a pilgrimage of Barsana and the western Braj. The table gives the distances.

Reaching Prem Sarovar, Barsana. Distances are approximate; verify on the day.

Our Mathura Vrindavan taxi service can take you to Prem Sarovar and Barsana and the Barsana parikrama guide covers the holy circuit of the country of Radha.

When to visit

The cool months of October to March are much the best for a visit to Prem Sarovar and the Barsana country, pleasant for the lake and its banks and the parikrama. The supreme time is the famous Lathmar Holi of Barsana and Nandgaon, in the spring before the great Holi, when the whole region is alive with the most joyful of all the festivals of Braj, though it is very crowded then; Radha Ashtami, the birthday of Radha Rani in the early autumn, is another great and beautiful time in the country of Radha. The peak summer of May and June is very hot in the open country, so the cool season is far kinder. On ordinary days Prem Sarovar is peaceful and still. Our best time to visit Mathura Vrindavan guide is the seasons.

The honest bit

Honest words of Prem Sarovar, from one born in Braj. Darshan is free and no official VIP pass exists here or anywhere in Braj. This is a serene and tender sacred lake, a place of the sweetness of divine love, rather than a grand temple or a spectacle, so come to it in a peaceful and unhurried spirit, sit a while on its banks and dwell on the beautiful story of the tears of love and it will move you more than a hurried glance can. The water of the lake, though revered and sacred, is an old still water and is not always clean, so honour it with respect rather than a careless bath; a devout touch is enough. Being in the open Barsana country, it is best seen by car and best joined with Barsana and Nandgaon and the western Braj rather than visited alone. Come softly to the lake of the tears of love and Prem Sarovar will give you one of the tenderest and most beautiful moments in all of the holy land of Radha.

Why Experience My India is the right choice

I was born in Gokul Mahaban Bangar and the whole of Braj, its famous towns and its tender hidden waters alike, is my own 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 a place like Prem Sarovar is the knowing of it and its beautiful story, the tale of the tears of love and the Prema Vaichittya told on the very banks, the pairing of it with Barsana and Nandgaon and the sacred country of Radha in the right order and a car to carry you to the quiet corners of the Barsana land that the crowds never reach. One clear fare and never a charge for free darshan.

Tip from Gurudutt: do not rush at Prem Sarovar, but sit a while on its banks in the quiet and let the beautiful story sink into your heart: that here Radha and Krishna, though in each other’s very arms, wept for love of one another, so boundless was their love that even nearness could not content it and their tears made this lake. To understand this, the Prema Vaichittya, the love that feels separation even in union, is to touch the very heart of the devotion of Braj, where love in longing is held higher than love in union. Come softly, dwell on the tears of love and Prem Sarovar will teach you something of the sweetness of divine love that no grand temple can. It is a tender jewel of the country of Radha.

Related guides

• Kirti Mandir, Barsana: the temple of Radha’s mother

• Chiksauli, Barsana: the village of Chitra Sakhi

• Sankari Khor, Barsana: the narrow pass of the Dana Leela

• Nandgaon, UP: the boyhood home of Krishna

• Braj Chaurasi Kos Yatra: the 84 kos parikrama guide 

Plan your Barsana pilgrimage

Tell me your dates and your group and I will build Prem Sarovar and the sacred country of Barsana into your Braj pilgrimage, the lake of the tears of love, the story told on the banks, paired with Barsana and Nandgaon in the right order, with a car and a guide born on this soil, 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.