The travels of Bengalis in the past
--- Sumana Dam
(Continued from the last part)
They reached from Sekandra rao to Beurgram (?), Bigraï’s Bazaar Sarai (Bighrai, Uttar Pradesh), Mithipur (Mithipur), Shakuabad (Shikohabad), Raja's Tal (Raja Ka Tal), Ushani (Indani), and then to Khadani (?) on the fifth day. There, two men from Vrindavan’s Kunjas (Kunjabasi) joined them. The writer had heard that Kashi's Keshal, Prayag's Prayagi, and Vrindavan’s Kunjabasis are equal; they nearly rob travelers and extort money. The writer told them that they would first go to Agra, collect money there, and then proceed to Vrindavan. They would not stay in the Kunjas of Vrindavan but would rent a house. Upon hearing this, they understood the writer's intention. They then said that while the story of the Kunjas dwellers’ greed was not false, the writer should test whether it is true for them too. Furthermore, they promised to arrange funds for the writer. As a result, they traveled together.
There are two routes from Khadani to Vrindavan and Mathura: one goes west via Agra, and the other goes via Baldev. The travelers chose the route via Baldev. They visited Baldev, where they found the local Pandas to be harsh and of scary look. After offering butter and sweetmeats, they received prasad (a religious offering) of puri and kachori and spent the night there. The next day, they visited Brahmand Ghat, where Lord Krishna had eaten mud. The writer noted that the mud there is tasty. They took a dip in the Yamuna and visited Gokul, the birthplace of Krishna, the delivery room, the sixth-day worship house, the churning place, the place of Putana’s killing, the playground, and other sites.
The following day, they visited New Gokul and crossed the Yamuna to reach Mathura. There, they bathed at the Vishram Ghat, viewed the Mukut (crown), and visited Mathura Mandal. They then traveled three krosh (units of distance) and entered the holy town of Vrindavan, where they visited the principal three temples: Govind, Gopinath, and Madan Mohan. In Mathura, there are many ghats on the Yamuna's banks, with numerous ghats having Shiva installed. The main ghats number twenty-four, with additional ones built by wealthy patrons.
In Mathura, the northern gate is Jay Singh Puri and the southern gate is Kogram. The city has around 100,000 houses, with six thousand being Muslim and the rest Hindu. Among the Hindus, the Choubey community is prominent. Travelers who come to Mathura and Vrindavan are guided by the Choubey community through Mathura’s circuit, bathing, donations, and rituals. They do not engage in education but eat four meals a day. Mathura houses wealthy Seths from various regions (Surat, Bombay, Gujarat, Jaipur, Bikaner, Marwar, Delhi, etc.).
The Dwarkadhish Temple's property is immense, with priceless treasures such as jewels, clothing, and swing sets. Daily, new clothes are donned three times. Visitors to the temples receive excellent meals daily. Nearby is the Kansa Tila, where Kansa Raja’s fort was located. Krishna’s birthplace is called Madhupuri, surrounded by four gates, each guarded by an eternal Shiva: Pipreshwar in the east, Rangeshwar in the south, Bhooteshwar in the west, and Gokarneshwar in the north. The western gate has the Maheshwari Devi’s great shrine, where Bhagwati’s body part fell. Noteworthy sites include Dhruva Tila, Saptarishi Tila, Ball Tila, Kansa Tila, and Mahavidya Devi. There is also the temple of Baldevjiu, with great wealth of gold and silver. Wealthy disciples abound, making it difficult for ordinary people to visit. Within the city are the temples of Kubjanath, Radha Govindjiu, and Radha Kantajiu.
These temples host a fifteen-day Jhulan festival, while the Dwarkadhish Temple hosts Jhulan for a month. Mathura has twenty-five ghats and pilgrimage sites. In the middle is the Vishram Ghat, where Krishna and Baldev rested after killing Kansa. There are twelve ghats to the north and twelve to the south. On the tenth day of the waxing moon in Agrahayan, the Kansa Vadha (Kansa Killing) festival takes place, accompanied by a grand fair.
In Mathura, there are markets at various places selling halwa, cloth, perfumed goods, and foreign products. On either side of the street are tall buildings with shops below. There is a good mosque where Muslims gather. The town has offices of collectors, magistrates, commissioners, and other officials, as well as barracks for soldiers and officers. Bengali settlement is at Bangali Ghat. There are about twenty-five British residents in Mathura. No one in Mathura is poor or destitute. The women are well-off, wearing ghagras, cholis, and odhanis. The women of Choubey community wear sarees and odhanis. The curd sold in Mathura is unmatched elsewhere, and various sweets like khaja, peda, pumpkin sweets, crisp kachori, and laddus from Magadh are also available. There are many shops selling woolen garments, as well as Kabulis offering almonds, raisins, pistachios, etc. Vrindavan hosts wealthy and ordinary people from various regions. Various temples, services, religious houses, food and water distribution to thirty pilgrims and distributions of food to even the monkeys, turtles, peacocks, etc., are ongoing. Dance and music festivals, and recitations of the Bhagavat, are continuous.
Vrindavan’s Yamuna has twelve ghats, including Kalidah, Gopal Ghat, Abir Ghat, and Singer Ghat, each associated with different pastimes of Krishna.
There are also many religious sites like Kebar Van or Ketki Van, Atul Van, Vishram Bagh, Radha Van, Bansi Vat, Gopishwar Mahadev, Pulin, Nidhubun, Nikunj Van, and Loton Van. The writer visited each place and described their significance beautifully. He also mentioned his observations about the customs at these sites, such as how offerings influence the benefits of entry to temples and getting prasad and head covering. He also noted how specially Bengali visitors face specific challenges more than the visitors of other parts of the country if they do not make offerings.
He stated that Shree Chaitanya Dev’s disciple, Sanatan Goswami, received the Madan Mohan deity through divine revelation, which was eventually installed in the current Madan Mohan Temple. Shree Chaitanya Dev had visited this area, and the divine footprints of Mahaprabhu remain in Sanatan Goswami’s bhajanagar (prayer room) here.
( To be continued)
In this episode, the time period of the diary is from 17th Jyestha 1261 (31st May 1854) to 6th Ashadha 1261 (20th June 1854).
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