QUEEN, MOTHER

In Mathura, the Yamuna becomes a goddess, revered as one of Lord Krishna's wives

- BY SHUBHANGI SHAH

STRIKINGLY COLOURFUL TEMPLES, most of them dedicated to Lord Krishna, dot the banks of Yamuna. Apart from devotees offering prayers along its bank and in temples, children play in its waters, visitors hop on for boat rides, sadhus sit on its steps, and priests go about doing business convincing, and often coercing, visitors to get puja done. Monkeys hop around, terrorising worshippers. One swiftly snatches an onlooker’s glasses only to return after being obliged with a fruit. It is noon, with a scorching summer sun blazing on top, but nothing subduing the vibrant activity on Mathura’s ghats.

There are 23 ghats in total. The main one is Vishram Ghat, with 11 ghats on each of its two sides. Lord Krishna is believed to have rested at Vishram Ghat after killing his demon uncle Kansa, whose humongous but glaringly non-striking abode stands in one corner. There are heaps of saris on the river's bank, and celebratory worship begins on an adjoining ghat. “We are adorning Yamuna ji with saris,” says priest Ajay Chaturvedi. “They say it makes your wishes come true.”