Today 14th Aug 2017 is a day of great significance, for we
Celebrate the ‘Birth of Bhagwan Sri Krishna’. Ithihasa Puranas are
the fundamentals to tenets of Vaishnava philosophy and one can learn everything
in Sri Ramayana and Mahabaratha.
Sri Krishna at Dusi
Mamandur
Sri Krishna at Mathura on
a tree
Sri Krishna janmasthan
gate at Mathura
The birth of Lord Sri
Krishna at Mathura to Vasudeva and Devaki is celebrated with gaiety
everywhere. While some celebrate the coming of Lord Krishna to this
Universe on Ashtami day as ‘Gokulashtami’ – in South India, it is more with the
star of ‘Rohini’ and the birth day is being celebrated as : Krishna Jayanthi,
Janmashtami, Gokulaashtami, Sri Jayanthi and more – all various names
celebrating the birth of Bhagwan Lord Sri Krishna in this Universe on the
Ashtami (8th day of dark half of Krishna paksha) on the Rohini
Nakshathiram. This year, Srijayanthi will be celebrated grandly at
Thiruvallikkeni and other divyadesams on Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2017.
ஆறு எனக்கு நின் பாதமே சரணாகத் தந்தொழிந்தாய் : தெய்நாயகப்
பெருமானே! அடியேனுக்கு உன் திருவடிகளே உபாயமாக அநுக்ரஹித்து விட்டாய் என
சுவாமி நம்மாழ்வார் அருளிச்செய்தபடியே கண்ணன் கழலிணைகளையே பற்றுவோமாக*
Thiruvallikkeni
Vennaithazhik kannan kazhalgal
Mathura is the holy place
where Lord Krishna was born…. ~ the centre of what is fondly referred as Braj
bhoomi. Remember Lord was born in a prison cell at Mathura, the capital
of Surasena kingdom ruled by Kamsa, the
maternal uncle of the Lord. This is a very old place dating back to
Ramayana days. According to the Archeologists, the Ikshwaku prince
Shatrughna slayed a demon called Lavanasura and claimed this land.
By some accounts this place was a densely wooded Madhuvan. This
place was closely associated with history too. Centuries later,
Mathura was one of the capitals of Kushan dynasty. Megasthenes, writing in the
early 3rd century BCE, mentions Mathura as a great city.
At the place where Lord
Krishna was born now exists a Temple popularly known as ‘Janmasthan
temple’ - Kesava Deo Temple considered most sacred for all
Hindus. There is a huge complex comprising of a small temple, the
Janmasthan, gallery, a huge temple later built by Dalmiyas – the prison cell –
the exact place where Lord
Krishna was born is under
a doom – all heavily fortified and guarded these days. At the Janmasthan
is the most beautiful Kehsav Dev(Krishna), the worshipped deity of
this temple. According to traditions the original deity was installed by the
great-grandson of Krishna.
This temple is considered
a monument of Gupta period (320 to 550 CE)which was destroyed in 1661 CE by
Aurangzeb. Vrindavan is the twin town of Mathura and there are other holy
places of Gokulam and Govardhana giri – all in the vicinity. Here some history ~~ of the plunder and ruins
that the place has withstood :
Here is
something on ‘Mathura’ as recorded in British history – which states that a few
centuries ago, the District was widely the two tracts differing in character. Varaha Mihira, writing in the latter half of
the fifth century to speak of Mathura as consisting at that time also of two
very dissimilar portions. For, in the 16th section of the Brihat Sanhita, he
includes its eastern half, with all river lands (such as is the Doab), the
western half, with the Bharatas and Purohits and other managers of religious
ceremonies. The Chinese pilgrim, Hwen
Thsang, describes the circumference of the kingdom of Mathura as 5,000 li, i.
e., 950 miles, taking the Chinese li as not quite one-fifth of an English mile.
The people, he says, are of a soft and easy nature and delight to perform meritorious
works with a view to a future life. The soil is rich and fertile and specially
adapted to the cultivaiion of grain. He mentions
of Cotton stuffs of fine texture; obtainable
gold ; while the mango trees are so abundant that they form complete
forests.
Apart
from inscriptions and other fragmentary archseological vestiges of its ancient
glory, the first authentic contemporary record of Mathura that we find in
existing literature is dated the year 1017 A.D., when it was sacked by Mahmud
of Ghazni in his ninth invasion of India. The original source of information recording
Mahmud’s campaigns is the Tarikh Yamini of A1 Utbi, who was himself secretary
to the Sultan, though he did not accompany him in his expeditions. The place
supposed to be Maha-ban he calls the Fort of Kulchand,” a Raja, who (he writes)
“ was, not without good reason, confident in his strength, for no one had
fought against him and not been defeated. He had vast territories, enormous
wealth, a numerous and brave army, huge elephants, and strong forts that no
enemy had been able to reduce. When he saw that the Sultan advanced against
him, he drew up his army and elephants ready for action. But finding every attempt to
repulse the invaders fail, the beleaguered infidels at last quitted the fort
and tried to cross the broad river which flowed in its rear. When some 50,000
men had been killed or drowned, Kulchand took a dagger, with which he first
slew his wife and then drove it into his own body. In the
neighbouring holy city, identified as Mathura, he saw a building of exquisite
structure, which the inhabitants declared to be the handiwork not of men but of
Genii. The town wall was constructed of
solid stone, and had opening on to the river two gates, raised on high and
massive basements to protect them from the floods. On the two sides of the city
were thousands of houses with idol temples attached, all of masonry and
strengthened with bars of iron ; and opposite them were other buildings supported
on stout wooden pillars. In the middle of the city was a temple, larger and
finer than the rest, to which neither painting nor description. The Sultan thus wrote respecting it:— If any
one wished to construct a building equal to it, he would not be able to do so
without expending a hundred million dinars, and the work would occupy two
hundred years, even though the most able and experienced workmen were
employed.’ Orders were given that all the temples should be burnt with naphtha
and fire and levelled with the ground.” The city was given up to plunder for twenty
days.
Among
the spoils are said to have been five great idols of pure gold with eyes of
rubies and adornments of other precious stones, together with a vast number of smaller silver images, which, when broken
up, formed a load for more than a hundred camels. The total value of the spoil
has been estimated at three millions of rupees ; wliile the number of Hindus
carried away into captivity exceeded 5,000.
Years later,
after reign of Shahjahan, Murshid Ali
Khan, in the year 1636, made a commander of 2,000 horse, and appointed by the
Emperor Governor of Mathura and Maha-ban, with express instructions to bo
zealous in stamping out all rebellion and idolatry. The climax of wanton
destruction was, however, attained by Aurangzeb, the Oliver Cromwell of India,
who, not content with demolishing the most sacred of its shrines, thought also
to destroy even the ancient name of the city by substituting for Islamabad. Mathura
was casually connected important events in his life as born here in 1639, his eldest son, Muhammad Sultan, who expiated
the sin of primogeniture in the Oriental fashion by ending his days in a
dungeon, as one of the first acts of his father, on his accession to the
throne, was to confine him in the fortress of Gwaliar fortress of Gwaliar, where he died in 1665. . [Excerpted from Mathura ~ a District Memoir “ by FS
Growse & MA Oxon, Magistrate and
Collector of Bulandshahr in 1883]
In 1944, Madan Mohan
Malviya was distressed at plight of the site and arranged for purchase of land
from Raja Krishna Das of Benaras; then Jugal Kishore Birla of Birla group
took the leading role to fulfill the wishes of Malviyaji and formed a
private trust in 1951 to which the rights of land were later transferred.
Jaidayal Dalmia of Dalmia Group was another leading personality, who took
untiring efforts and the temple was finally constructed over the site. The
trust which runs the temple has a glorious list of Trustees besides Birla and
Dalmia family members.
Though this modern temple
attracts pilgrims, the original place of birth lies within the complex -
a small room of a prison cell, where it is fully
believed that Lord Krishna was born. There is a mosque overlooking this
place. Here are some photos of Sri Janmasthan of Sri Krishna at Mathura ~
photos of the entrance only as the temple premises is heavily guarded and
cameras are not allowed these days. On the day of Gokulashtami huge crowds
would gather and sing paeans in praise of our Great Lord Krishna
Jai Sri Krishna
Adiyen Srinivasadhasan.
14th Aug 2017
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