History of Vrindavana

Krishna Period

Prior to Krishna’s appearance in the world, Vraja (the greater area of Vrindavana) was revered as a place of pilgrimage. In Canto Four, for example, we hear the story of Dhruva Maharaja entering the Madhuvana forest to perform austerities, as did the saintly Maharaja Ambarish. Assisted by the power of the dhama, even Ravana, who performed austerities in Mahavana, conquered the three worlds. As Krishna prepared to appear in the mortal world, many of His associates descended to the land of Vrindavana to assist Him in His pastimes, along with the demigods who took birth in the Yadu dynasty. With Krishna’s appearance the dhama glistened with divine splendour and the trees, animals and scenery of Vrindavana all blossomed in spiritual ecstasy.

From Vrindavana, Krishna went to Mathura and killed the evil King Kamsa. He remained in Mathura for a further eighteen years, after which He transported all His associates to the fort of Dwaraka. The city of Mathura was repopulated, and remained under the able rule of Maharaja Ugrasena.

Vajranabha Period

One day, observing a series of inauspicious omens in Hastinapura, Maharaja Yuddhistira sensed that something terrible had happened. Just then, Arjuna returned to the palace from his pilgrimage looking utterly dejected. Arjuna then delivered the devastating news that Krishna had departed from the world and the Yadu dynasty had been practically obliterated. Feeling a deep sense of spiritual lamentation, the Pandavas installed Maharaja Pariksit on the throne of Hastinapura, Vajranabha (the great-grandson of Krishna) on the throne of Mathura, and proceeded to renounce the world.

Kali-yuga had now begun, and Maharaja Pariksit was touring the kingdom. When he came to Mathura, Vajranabha lamented that the dhama was now empty. When Krishna left, all His associates also left, and the tracts of Vrindavana became practically deserted. Urged by Sandilya Rishi, Vajranabha, with the help of Maharaja Pariksit, began to rebuild Vrindavana by colonising the villages, restoring the holy places, establishing temples and deities, and making it a vibrant epicentre of Krishna-bhakti which would inspire generations to come. Under the rule of Vajranabha, Mathura again flourished as an idyllic place of pilgrimage. Since Krishna’s pastimes are known as nitya-lila, they are not only going on eternally in the spiritual abode, but also perpetually enacted within the borders of Bhauma Vrindavana. Although the external appearance of the dhama may change, its transcendental and divine nature remains untouched.

Gaudiya Period

With the passage of time, the external situation in Vrindavana again began to decline. The effects of Kali-yuga took their toll and local deities were desecrated or driven out, holy sites were neglected, and landmarks disappeared into obscurity. A major contributing factor was the attacks of foreign invaders on the holy land. In Chaitanya-Charitamrita, for example, the author narrates how the Gopala deity appeared to Madhavendra Puri and requested his help: “My name is Gopala. I am the lifter of Govardhana Hill. I was installed by Vajranabha, and here I am the authority. When the Muslims attacked, the priest who was serving Me hid Me in this bush in the jungle. Then he ran away out of fear of the attack.” (CC Madhya 4.41-42). Kavi Karnapura explains, “In the course of time, the transcendental news of Krishna’s pastimes in Vrindavana was almost lost.”

After accepting sannyasa, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu toured Vrindavana and spent several months there. Travelling via Prayag, Sri Chaitanya approached the sacred land of Mathura. Upon arrival, He fell to the ground and offered obeisances in ecstatic love. In this incarnation it would be His first and last visit to the holy dhama; the appreciation He felt was indescribable. He continued walking, feeling increasing anticipation and excitement as he appraoched the sacred forest of Vrindavana. When He eventually arrived, Sri Chaitanya became immersed in an ocean of transcendental feeling as He recounted the divine pastimes that Sri Krishna had enacted 5,000 years ago. He had finally arrived home!

Though Sri Chaitanya rediscovered holy sites and landmarks, He knew there was much more work to do. He enlisted the help of Lokanatha Goswami, Bhugarbha Goswami and the Six Goswamis of Vrindavana, requesting them to excavate the pilgrimage landmarks and build vibrant temples in a bid to re-establish the pre-eminence of Vrindavana. They lived as ideal renunciates, sleeping under a different tree every night and adhering strictly to their vows of renunciation. Absorbed in hearing, singing and writing about Krishna, they renounced all forms of material enjoyment and reduced bodily demands to the bare minimum. All the residents of Vrindavana were conquered by their profound devotion, humility and concern for all. By their diligent endeavours, supported by wealthy kings and merchants, Vrindavana again flourished.

Narayana Bhatta Goswami was a disciple of Sri Krishna Dasa Brahmacari, coming in the line of Gadadhara Pandit Goswami. He further continued the work of uncovering holy places and establishing lost Deities. Through his well-known book Vrindavana-bhakti-vilasa, he offered the Vaisnava community a complete guide to Vrindavana dhama.

ISKCON Period

The Gaudiya practitioners are known as Rupanugas, faithful followers of Rupa Goswami, and they assiduously offer their prayers to the great saint: “When will Srila Rupa Goswami Prabhupada, who has established within this material world the mission to fulfill the desire of Lord Chaitanya, give me shelter under his lotus feet?” As an ideal Rupanuga, Srila Prabhupada, Founder-Acarya of ISKCON, spent six years reading, writing, praying and living at the Radha Damodara temple, where the meditation hut (bhajan kutir) and tomb (samadhi) of Rupa Goswami were established by his nephew, Jiva Goswami.

On the order of his spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada was preparing himself to transport the teachings of Sri Chaitanya to the western world. In 1965, he left the spiritual hub of Sri Vrindavana dhama, and travelled on a cargo ship bound for New York. After a life-threatening journey, his initial months in America were ones of great struggle, austerity and cultural re-adjustment. He was studying the local people and praying for a way and means to implant the message of Krishna consciousness within them. He soon met with success, founded the first temple, initiated some disciples, established a legal movement, published literature, and began scaling those activities all over the world. Soon enough, ‘Hare Krishna’ became a household name in the West, and Prabhupada began planning how to invite the whole world back to Vrindavana.

In December 1971, Srila Prabhupada came back to Vrindavana with a world sankirtana party of exuberant western disciples. The residents of Vrindavana were astonished, appreciating that Srila Prabhupada was indeed the ambassador of Vrindavana to the whole world. The Vrindavana municipality honoured Prabhupada and his disciples with a formal reception at the town hall, and eminent personalities from the locality eulogised ISKCON’s founder for his mammoth efforts. Later, Srila Prabhupada established the ISKCON Krishna- Balarama temple and Vrindavana now remains a source of inspiration and shelter for the worldwide community of devotees.