Ter Kadamba, Nandgaon: The Grove Where Krishna Called the Cows and Rupa Goswami’s Bhajan

Key takeaways

• Ter Kadamba is a sacred grove of kadamba trees near Nandgaon.

• Here Krishna climbed the kadamba to call his cows with his flute.

• Ter means to call; Krishna called the cows and the gopis from here.

• The great saint Rupa Goswami lived and did bhajan here.

• He wrote several of his most important books at Ter Kadamba.

• It lies between Nandgaon and Yavat; darshan is free.

I am Gurudutt, born in Gokul in the Mathura district, guiding pilgrims through Braj since 2018: more than 50,000 of them. Among the many sacred spots of the western villages of Braj, Ter Kadamba, near Nandgaon, is one of the most beloved of the devotees, for it is the grove where Krishna called his cows and his gopis with his flute and where the great saint Rupa Goswami sat in bhajan and wrote his immortal books. It is a peaceful, green and deeply sacred place, dear above all to the Gaudiya tradition. Here is its story, its meaning and how to reach it, told by someone from this land. See it on our Mathura Vrindavan Tour Package, message on WhatsApp at +91 7302265809, any day from 8 AM to 9 PM.

What is Ter Kadamba?

Ter Kadamba is a sacred grove of kadamba trees and a small temple among them, lying in the countryside between the villages of Nandgaon and Yavat in the western part of Braj, about fifty kilometres from Mathura and it is counted one of the most exalted sites of the whole Vraja Mandala. The kadamba, the burflower tree, is the tree most dear to Krishna and most linked with his pastimes and here at Ter Kadamba stood a grove of them where the young Krishna, herding the cows out from Nandgaon, would spend his days. A small temple has been built in the midst of the kadamba trees and a platform commemorates the rasa leela that took place here. It is a quiet, rural and profoundly peaceful spot, off the main pilgrim track and it is dear both for the pastimes of Krishna that happened here and for the great saint who later made it his place of bhajan. The table gives the essentials at a glance.

Ter Kadamba, Nandgaon, at a glance.

The meaning of the name: where Krishna called

The name Ter Kadamba holds the tender story of the place, for ter means to call and the kadamba is the tree, so Ter Kadamba is the kadamba tree from which Krishna called. When Krishna was a cowherd boy of Nandgaon, he would bring the cows out to graze at this grove through the day. And when it was time to return home in the evening, he would climb up into the great kadamba tree and play upon his flute and hearing that beloved music the cows, wherever they had wandered, would at once come back to him; and Krishna would count each one upon the jewels of his necklace before leading them home to Nandgaon. And sometimes, under the gentle light of the full moon, Krishna would climb this same tree and play his flute to call, to ter, not the cows but the gopis and Radha and her companions, hearing the flute, would leave their homes and come to him and here they would dance the rasa. So from this kadamba Krishna called both his cows and his beloveds with the sound of his flute and that is why the place is named Ter Kadamba, the kadamba of the calling.

Rupa Goswami and his bhajan at Ter Kadamba

Ter Kadamba is dear above all to the Gaudiya tradition of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu as the place of the bhajan of Srila Rupa Goswami, the greatest of the six Goswamis of Vrindavan whom Mahaprabhu sent to reveal the holy places of Braj and to write the books of devotion. Rupa Goswami lived here at Ter Kadamba for many years, absorbed day and night in meditation upon the pastimes of Radha and Krishna and it was here, in this quiet grove, that he composed several of his most important and immortal works: the Bhakti Rasamrita Sindhu, the great ocean of the science of devotion; the Ujjvala Nilamani; the Lalita Madhava; the Dana Keli Kaumudi; and the Padyavali, among others. These books are among the very foundations of Gaudiya Vaishnava devotion, studied and loved to this day across the world and they were written here, in the peace of Ter Kadamba. To sit in this grove is to sit where those sacred books were born.

The sweet rice of Radharani

There is a beautiful and famous pastime of Ter Kadamba that pilgrims love to hear and it is worth telling in full. Once Sanatana Goswami, the elder brother of Rupa, came to visit him here at Ter Kadamba. Rupa greeted his brother with great joy, but he had nothing to offer him to eat and he wished in his heart that he had some sweet rice to serve his beloved brother well. Just as he was thinking this, a beautiful young girl came, bringing milk and ghee and sugar and all that was needed and said that her mother had sent these to be given to the saints and asked that they be cooked and then she left. Rupa Goswami cooked the sweet rice, offered it to his deities and served it to Sanatana. But as soon as Sanatana tasted it, he almost fainted in devotional ecstasy, for he understood at once who the young girl had been: none other than Vrindavaneshwari, Radharani herself. He gently admonished his brother, saying that instead of serving Radha they had now made Radha serve them. This tender story, of Radha herself coming to serve her devotees, is one of the dearest of all the pastimes of Ter Kadamba.

Gopashtami at Ter Kadamba

Because Ter Kadamba is above all the place where Krishna grazed and called his cows, the festival dearest to it is Gopashtami, the day that celebrates Krishna becoming a cowherd and going out with the cows for the first time. On Gopashtami the local Vrajavasis, the people of Braj, hold programs here at Ter Kadamba to commemorate the pastimes of Radha and Krishna and above all they honour the cows, decorating them beautifully and feeding them sumptuously, as Krishna himself loved and served them. It is a joyful and tender day at the grove, full of the love of Braj for its cows and it is the loveliest time to understand the heart of Ter Kadamba. Our festivals of Braj page has a calendar.

Location and how to reach Ter Kadamba

Ter Kadamba lies in the countryside between the villages of Nandgaon and Yavat, in the Mathura district of Uttar Pradesh, about two kilometres from the Nand Bhavan of Nandgaon and about fifty kilometres from Mathura city, roughly an hour away by road. It is well connected by road and a car may be parked outside the temple gates. Reaching Nandgaon or Yavat, one may hire a cab to come directly to the grove. Being off the main pilgrim track, it is most easily reached by a private car, usually as part of a visit to Nandgaon and the western villages of Braj, with Barsana only a little beyond. The nearest railway junction is Mathura and the nearest airport Delhi. The table gives the distances.

Reaching Ter Kadamba. Distances are approximate; verify on the day.

It pairs naturally with the sights of Nandgaon and our Mathura Vrindavan taxi service drives you to Nandgaon and around its sites.

Nearby places in Nandgaon and the western villages

Ter Kadamba is best seen within a day of Nandgaon and the western villages of Braj, for the holy places lie close together. Nearby stand the great Nand Bhavan of Nandgaon, the home of Nanda Baba on its hill; the Pavan Sarovar, the lovely lake below it; the Vrinda Devi temple and Vrinda Kunda; and at neighbouring Yavat the home of Radha’s married household. Barsana, the village of Radha with its Radha Rani temple and the Kirti Mandir, lies only about ten kilometres away and Govardhan a little beyond. Seen together, these make the western villages a profound day of the pastimes of Radha and Krishna and Ter Kadamba, with its calling flute and its saint’s bhajan, is among the tenderest of them. Our places to visit in Nandgaon guide covers them and the three day Mathura Vrindavan pilgrimage tour takes in Nandgaon with the whole of Braj.

When to visit

The cool months of October to March are the most comfortable for a visit and within the day the morning is the loveliest and most peaceful time in the green quiet of the grove. Gopashtima, in the autumn, is the dearest festival here, when the cows are honoured and the days of Radha and Krishna, Radha Ashtami and Janmashtami and the month of Kartik, are wonderful too. The peak summer of May and June is very hot in the open country, so the cool season and the morning hours are kindest. Our best time to visit Mathura Vrindavan guide is the seasons.

The honest bit

Honest words on Ter Kadamba. Darshan is free and no official VIP pass exists here or anywhere in Braj. This is a quiet rural grove of deep devotion, the place of Krishna’s calling flute and of Rupa Goswami’s bhajan, not a grand monument or a spectacle, so come in reverence and an unhurried spirit and its stillness will bless you. It lies off the main pilgrim track, between Nandgaon and Yavat, so a car or hired cab is really needed to reach it; you may park outside the temple gates. It is said that the old kadamba trees have mostly gone, lost to standing rainwater over the years, so come for the sacred ground and its story rather than expecting a great forest. Come with a quiet, loving heart, remembering the flute that called the cows and the gopis and the saint who wrote his books here and Ter Kadamba will move you as few places can.

Why Experience My India is the right choice

I was born in Gokul Mahaban Bangar and the western villages of Braj, Nandgaon and its sacred places among them, 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 Ter Kadamba is the way to this grove that lies off the main track, a car to reach it, the story of the calling flute and of Rupa Goswami’s bhajan and books told on the very ground, the tender pastime of Radha’s sweet rice and the pairing of Ter Kadamba with Nandgaon and the western villages in the right order. One clear fare and never a charge for free darshan.

Tip from Gurudutt: do not rush past Ter Kadamba as a minor stop, for it is one of the tenderest places in all of Braj. Stand a while in the quiet of the grove and remember that from a kadamba here Krishna called his cows and his gopis home with his flute and that here the great Rupa Goswami sat and wrote the very books of devotion that the world still loves. Sit, be still and let the sweetness of this hidden place reach you; those who come here slowly, with a loving heart, carry away a peace the great temples cannot give.

Related guides

• Barsana tourist places: a complete guide

• Gahvar Van, Barsana: the sacred forest of Radha

• Kirti Mandir, Barsana: timings and light show

• Govardhan to Barsana distance and how to reach

• Asheshwar Mahadev, Nandgaon: story and timings

Plan your Nandgaon visit

Tell me your dates and your group and I will build Ter Kadamba and the sacred places of Nandgaon and the western villages into your Braj trip, reached and walked in the right order, paired with Barsana and Govardhan, with a car and a guide, 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.