Keshi Ghat, Vrindavan

Kamsa, the tyrant king of Mathura, knew he was destined to die at the hands of his sister's son, Krishna, and sent demon after demon to the cowherd villages of Braj to kill the child. One of them was Keshi, a monstrous horse whose neighing terrified the people and whose mane scattered the clouds. Krishna caught him by the legs and threw him; when Keshi charged again with open jaws, Krishna thrust his arm into the horse's mouth until the demon choked. The tale is told in the Bhagavata Purana, the Vishnu Purana and the Harivamsa, and it gives Krishna one of his names, Keshava, slayer of Keshi.

Tradition places that fight here, on the bank of the Yamuna, and the ghat carries the name. A ghat is simply a flight of steps down to a river, where people bathe, perform puja (worship), make offerings and light lamps.

Evening is the hour to be here. As the light goes, the Yamuna aarti is offered from the steps, mantras carry over the water, and pilgrims bend down to set flowers, petals and small lamps on the current. Many people simply sit on the steps in silence and watch; in Vrindavan that is counted as part of practice, not idle time.

Look around as well as at the river. Peepal trees grow out of the old masonry of the ghat, squirrels run the parapets, and monkeys gather on the steps where food is offered to the river (keep a hand on your glasses and phone, since Vrindavan's monkeys are famous for taking them). When the water drops after the rains, pale sand flats appear below the steps, and birds work the sand and the banks.

A minute away stands the Jugal Kishore temple, completed in 1627 in red sandstone, so close to the river that locals call it the Keshi Ghat temple. It is usually almost empty and worth a few minutes on the way down.

The parikrama path runs about 10 km around the old town, and most pilgrims start and finish it at Keshi Ghat. The walk goes clockwise, keeping the town on your right, past the Madan Mohan temple, Imli Tala, Shringar Vat and Kaliya Ghat. It is flat and paved most of the way and takes 2.5–4 hours at a normal pace with stops. Pilgrims walk it before dawn, and it is most crowded on Ekadashi, the eleventh day of each lunar fortnight.

October to March is the comfortable season in Vrindavan; May and June are very hot. The finest weeks are in the month of Kartik (usually October–November): lamps are offered every evening from the first day of the month to the full moon, the parikrama is walked all month, and the river at Keshi Ghat fills with light. Kartik is also the peak pilgrimage month in Braj, so book rooms early. In the monsoon the Yamuna can rise high (Vrindavan saw flooding in the 2023 monsoon), so check conditions before going down to the water.