"Bustling Hindu Temple Town Betwe ..." a Mathura Travel Page by atufft

Our driver proceded from Delhi along the nation's busiest highway to Agra, where the Taj Mahal and Red Fort of Agra are located. But, we were persuaded that given available time, stops in Vrindavan and Mathura would be worthwhile. Vrindavan is a sleepy hamlet compared to busy Mathura, particularly downtown. Our driver honked his horn continuously to push his way through the traffic, and we were surprised by how narrow the road down to the water front really was.

We visited during the dry season, so the river was not high. We walked across the sand of the riverbed and observed a ferryman transporting people back and forth across the river in a tiny boat with a pole. Also along the riverbank, local people doing laundry and drying it on the sand. It was interesting watching the Hindu laundry workers skillfully fold large sheets. The river is not clean, but I did see a snake swimming in the dirty water.

The town has it's own attractions for those on pilgrimage along the Yumana River. There is a very unusual red and yellow painted Hindu temple with "swatiska" symbols on it, and there's a mosque quite near the river, crowded in among the compact part of central Mathura.