Varaha Ghat, Vrindavan: The Boar Avatar’s Ghat on the Yamuna, Its Story and How to Reach

Key takeaways

• Varaha Ghat is an ancient Yamuna ghat in Vrindavan.

• It lies on Parikrama Marg, near Keshi Ghat.

• It is named for Varaha, the boar avatar of Vishnu.

• Krishna is said to have shown his Varaha form to the gopis here.

• A rare deity of Lord Varaha is worshipped in the ghat temple.

• Darshan is free; it is a quiet stop on the Vrindavan parikrama.

I am Gurudutt, born in Gokul in the Mathura district, guiding pilgrims through Braj since 2018: more than 50,000 of them. Varaha Ghat is one of the quieter ghats of Vrindavan, passed by most who walk the parikrama and known well by few and yet it holds one of the loveliest stories on the Yamuna and a deity you will see almost nowhere else. Here is its story, its significance, its location and how to reach it, told honestly by someone from this district. Add it to your Braj trip with our Mathura Vrindavan Tour Package, message on WhatsApp at +91 7302265809, any day from 8 AM to 9 PM.

What is Varaha Ghat?

Varaha Ghat is one of the many sacred ghats along the Yamuna in Vrindavan, the stone steps leading down to the river where pilgrims bathe, pray and perform their rituals. It lies on the old southwestern bank of the river, on the Parikrama Marg, the path of the Vrindavan parikrama, close to the well known Keshi Ghat and near the old Goswami temples of Radha Raman and Radha Damodar. Unlike the crowded and famous Keshi Ghat nearby, Varaha Ghat is a quiet and ancient spot and its distinction is the small temple that stands at it, dedicated to Lord Varaha, with a deity of a kind seen almost nowhere else in Braj. The table gives the essentials at a glance.

Varaha Ghat, Vrindavan, at a glance.

Who is Lord Varaha?

To understand the ghat you must know Varaha, one of the great avatars of Vishnu. Varaha is the boar, the third of the ten principal incarnations, the form Vishnu took to rescue Bhudevi, the mother earth, when a demon had dragged her down into the depths of the cosmic ocean. As a mighty boar, Vishnu dived into the waters, slew the demon Hiranyaksha and lifted the earth up on his tusks back to her place, restoring the balance of the universe. He is therefore the Lord as protector and rescuer and the image of the boar headed god raising the earth on his tusks is one of the most powerful in all of Hindu sacred art. This is the deity for whom the ghat is named.

The story of Varaha Ghat

The ghat carries its own beloved Braj story. It is said that here, on this bank of the Yamuna, Krishna revealed his form as Lord Varaha, the boar, to the gopis, showing them that the playful boy of Vrindavan and the cosmic rescuer of the earth are one and the same. In this way the ghat joins the intimate world of Krishna’s Vrindavan leelas to the vast cosmic story of Vishnu’s avatars, which is what gives it its quiet depth. Because of this, a temple to Varaha stands at the ghat and within it is worshipped a rare deity of Lord Varaha carrying the earth, an unusual sight in Vrindavan, where almost every temple is to Krishna or Radha rather than to the boar avatar. To take darshan of Varaha here is to touch a different and older layer of the sacred.

An honest note on the sources

I will be honest, as I always am. Varaha Ghat is a lesser known site and the accounts of it vary: some sources place the emphasis on Krishna showing his Varaha form to the gopis, others on the cosmic rescue of the earth and a few even confuse this Vrindavan ghat with sites elsewhere. There is also, in the tradition, a separate place called Varaha Grama, some two kilometres to the north on the old bank, where Krishna is said to have shown the Varaha form to the cowherd boys, distinct from this ghat. I tell you this not to muddy the visit but so that you come with clear eyes: what is certain and well attested is that Varaha Ghat is an ancient Yamuna ghat on the Vrindavan parikrama marg near Keshi Ghat, named for Vishnu’s boar avatar, with a rare Varaha deity in its temple. That is enough to make it worth the pause.

What to see and do

At Varaha Ghat the pleasures are quiet ones. Take darshan of the rare Varaha deity in the small temple, a sight you will not easily find elsewhere. Sit on the steps by the Yamuna, away from the crowds of Keshi Ghat and watch the river and the light. If you are walking the parikrama, pause here as generations of pilgrims have. In the evening there is the Yamuna aarti along these banks, the lamps reflected on the water and in the month of Kartik and on Varaha Dwadashi the ghat comes alive with rituals and chanting. It is a place for stillness and for touching an older story, rather than for grandeur and that is its particular gift.

Festivals at the ghat

Two occasions bring Varaha Ghat especially to life. Varaha Dwadashi, the day dedicated to the boar avatar of Vishnu, is naturally the ghat’s own festival, when devotees of Varaha gather here for special worship. And the autumn month of Kartik, the most sacred and devotional season of the Braj year, fills all the Yamuna ghats, this one among them, with lamps, chanting and the daily aarti and is a beautiful time to sit by the river. On ordinary days, though, the ghat is quiet, which for many pilgrims is exactly its appeal. Our festivals of Braj page has a calendar.

Location and how to reach Varaha Ghat

Varaha Ghat lies in Vrindavan, in the Mathura district of Uttar Pradesh, pin code 281121, on the old southwestern bank of the Yamuna along the Parikrama Marg, near Keshi Ghat and close to the Radha Raman and Radha Damodar temples. Within Vrindavan it is reached on foot through the lanes of the old town or by e-rickshaw or auto to the nearest point on the parikrama marg and then a short walk, for the riverside lanes are narrow and no car can reach the ghat itself. Vrindavan lies about twelve to fifteen kilometres from Mathura and about a hundred and eighty from Delhi. The table gives the distances.

Reaching Varaha Ghat. Distances are approximate; verify on the day.

It sits naturally on the Vrindavan parikrama route and our Mathura Vrindavan taxi service handles pickups to the edge of the old town.

When to visit

The cool months of October to March are the most comfortable for walking the parikrama marg and sitting by the river and the month of Kartik in autumn is the most devotional and beautiful season of all along the Yamuna ghats. During the day, the early morning is quiet and lovely, with the light on the water and the parikrama walkers passing and the evening brings the Yamuna aarti. Avoid the harsh midday sun of summer on the open steps. A weekday visit outside festival time gives you the ghat at its most peaceful, which is when its quiet character is best felt. Our best time to visit Mathura Vrindavan guide is the seasons.

The honest bit

Honest words on Varaha Ghat. Darshan at the ghat and its temple is free and no official VIP pass exists here or anywhere in Braj. The Yamuna is revered and, honestly, polluted, so honour the river and take the aarti, but do not take a careless dip; a respectful touch of the water, aachman, is the wise course rather than a full bathe. The ghat steps can be slippery near the water, so tread carefully. This is a quiet, minor ghat, not a grand monument, so come for its story and its stillness and its rare deity, not for spectacle and you will not be disappointed. And do not confuse it with sites of similar name elsewhere; the one on the Vrindavan parikrama marg near Keshi Ghat is the one meant here.

Why Experience My India is the right choice

I was born in Gokul Mahaban Bangar and the quiet corners of Vrindavan, the lesser ghats and the rare deities, are the ones a local knows and a hurried visitor misses. Guiding since 2018, more than 50,000 pilgrims, 4.5 stars across 204 Google reviews, WhatsApp first, 8 AM to 9 PM daily. For a site like Varaha Ghat, a local is the whole difference: finding the ghat in the maze of riverside lanes, taking you to the rare Varaha deity, telling the story that joins the boy Krishna to the cosmic boar and setting it in the flow of the parikrama so it is not a lone stop but part of the greater walk. One clear fare and never a charge for free darshan.

Tip from Gurudutt: do not make a special separate trip only for Varaha Ghat; it is a quiet minor ghat and seen alone it may seem slight. Instead, fold it into the Vrindavan parikrama or a walk along the ghats from Keshi Ghat, take darshan of the rare Varaha deity, sit a while by the river and let it be one bead on the string of Vrindavan’s riverside sacred places. Seen that way, in its proper setting, it is a small quiet treasure.

Related guides

• Places to visit in Vrindavan: the full list

• Things to do in Vrindavan: the experiences

• Radha Damodar temple, Vrindavan: a complete guide

• Nidhivan and Seva Kunj, Vrindavan: timings and history

• Vrindavan trip planner: build your itinerary

Plan your Vrindavan ghats visit

Tell me your dates and your group and I will build Varaha Ghat and the Yamuna ghats of Vrindavan into your trip, on the parikrama marg in the right order and at the right hours, with a car that drives you to the old town and waits, 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.