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Mathura

Mathura (pronunciation ) is a city and the administrative headquarters of Mathura district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is located approximately 57.6 kilometres (35.8 mi) north of Agra, and 146 kilometres (91 mi) south-east of Delhi; about 14.5 kilometres (9.0 mi) from the town of Vrindavan, and 22 kilometres (14 mi) from Govardhan. In ancient times, Mathura was an economic hub, located at the junction of important caravan routes. The 2011 Census of India estimated the population of Mathura at 441,894.

Mathura
City
Clockwise from top: Vishram Ghat on banks of river Yamuna, Keshavdeva Temple, Radha Rani Temple in Barsana, Mathura Museum, Kans Quila, Sri Ranganathji Temple and Holi celebrations in Mathura
Nickname(s): 
Krishnanagri; The City of Lord Krishna
Mathura
Mathura
Coordinates: 27°29′33″N 77°40′25″E / 27.49250°N 77.67361°E / 27.49250; 77.67361
Country India
StateUttar Pradesh
DistrictMathura
Government
 • TypeMunicipal Corporation
 • BodyMathura-Vrindavan Municipal Corporation
 • Mayor[3]Mukesh Aryabandhu (BJP)
 • District Magistrate and CollectorPulkit Khare, IAS[1]
 • Senior Superintendent of PoliceShailesh Pandey IPS[2]
 • Member of Legislative AssemblyShrikant Sharma (BJP)
 • Member of ParliamentHema Malini (BJP)
Area
 • Total39 km2 (15 sq mi)
Population
 (2011)
 • Total441,894
 • Density11,000/km2 (29,000/sq mi)
Language
 • OfficialHindi[5]
 • Additional officialUrdu[5]
 • RegionalBraj Bhasha[6]
Time zoneUTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN
281001
Telephone code0565
Vehicle registrationUP-85
Websitemathura.nic.in

In Hinduism, Mathura is the birthplace of Krishna, which is located at the Krishna Janmasthan Temple Complex.[7] It is one of the Sapta Puri, the seven cities considered holy by Hindus, also is called Mokshyadayni Tirth. The Kesava Deo Temple was built in ancient times on the site of Krishna's birthplace (an underground prison). Mathura was the capital of the kingdom of Surasena, ruled by Kamsa, the maternal uncle of Krishna. Mathura is part of the Krishna circuit (Mathura, Vrindavan, Barsana, Govardhan, Kurukshetra, Dwarka and Bhalka). Janmashtami is grandly celebrated in Mathura every year.

Mathura has been chosen as one of the heritage cities for the Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana scheme of Government of India.[8]

History

Traditionally it is believed that it was founded by Satrughana after killing Yadava Lavana at the site of Madhuvana. According to Ramayana it was founded by Madhu (a man of the Yadu tribe). Later on Madhu's son Lavanasura was defeated by Satrughana.[9] Madhu says all the territory of Mathura belongs to Abhiras.[10]

 
Along the Ghats of Mathura (c. 1880)
 
General view of the excavations in January 1889 at Kankali Tila, Mathura
 
Gate of Shet Lukhmeechund's Temple, a photo by Eugene Clutterbuck Impey, 1860s.
 
Statue of Kanishka I, second century CE, Mathura Museum.
 
Sculpture of woman from ancient Braj-Mathura ca. second century CE.

Mathura, which lies at the centre of the cultural region of Braj[6] has an ancient history and is also believed to be the homeland and birthplace of Krishna, who belonged to the Yadu dynasty. According to the Archaeological Survey of India plaque at the Mathura Museum,[11] the city is mentioned in the oldest Indian epic, the Ramayana. In the epic, the Ikshwaku prince Shatrughna slays a demon called Lavanasura and claims the land. Afterwards, the place came to be known as Madhuvan as it was thickly wooded, then Madhupura and later Mathura.[12] The most important pilgrimage site in Mathura was Katra ('market place'), now referred to as Krishna Janmasthan ('the birthplace of Krishna'). Excavations at the site revealed pottery and terracotta dating to the sixth century BCE, the remains of a large Buddhist complex, including a monastery called Yasha Vihara of the Gupta period, as well as Jain sculptures of the same era.[13][14]

Ancient history

Archaeological excavations at Mathura show the gradual growth of a village into an important city during the Vedic age. The earliest period belonged to the Painted Grey Ware culture (1100–500 BCE), followed by the Northern Black Polished Ware culture (700–200 BCE). Mathura derived its importance as a center of trade due to its location where the northern trade route of the Indo-Gangetic Plain met with the routes to Malwa (central India) and the west coast.[15] Archaeologists have discovered a fragment of Mathura red sandstone from Rakhigarhi - a site of Indus Valley civilization dated to third millennium BCE - which was used as a grindstone; red sandstone was also a popular material for historic period sculptures.[16]

By the sixth century BCE Mathura became the capital of the Surasena Kingdom.[17] The city was later ruled by the Maurya empire (fourth to second centuries BCE). Megasthenes, writing in the early third century BCE, mentions Mathura as a great city under the name Μέθορα (Méthora).[18] It seems it never was under the direct control of the following Shunga dynasty (2nd century BCE) as not a single archaeological remain of a Shunga presence were ever found in Mathura.[19]

The Indo-Greeks may have taken control, direct or indirect, of Mathura some time between 180 BCE and 100 BCE, and remained so as late as 70 BCE according to the Yavanarajya inscription,[19] which was found in Maghera, a town 17 kilometres (11 mi) from Mathura.[20] The opening of the 3 line text of this inscription in Brahmi script translates as: "In the 116th year of the Yavana kingdom..."[21][22] or '"In the 116th year of Yavana hegemony" ("Yavanarajya")[19] However, this also corresponds to the presence of the native Mitra dynasty of local rulers in Mathura, in approximately the same time frame (150 BCE—50 BCE), possibly pointing to a vassalage relationship with the Indo-Greeks.[19]

Indo-Scythians

After a period of local rule, Mathura was conquered by the Indo-Scythians during the first century BCE. The Indo-Scythian satraps of Mathura are sometimes called the "Northern Satraps", as opposed to the "Western Satraps" ruling in Gujarat and Malwa. However, Indo-Scythian control proved to be short lived, following the reign of the Indo-Scythian Mahakshatrapa ("Great Satrap") Rajuvula, c. 10–25 CE. The Mora Well inscription of Mahakshatrapa Rajuvula, of the early decades of the first century CE, found in a village seven miles from Mathura, stated that images pratima(h) of the blessed (bhagavatam) five Vrishni heroes, were installed in a stone shrine of a person called Tosa.[23] The heroes were identified from a passage in the Vayu Purana as Samkarsana, Vasudev, Pradyumna, Samba, and Aniruddha.[24] The English translation of the inscription read:-

. . . of the son of mahakṣatrapa Rāṃjūvula, svāmi . . . The images of the holy paṃcavīras of the Vṛṣṇis is... the stone shrine... whom the magnificent matchless stone house of Toṣā was erected and maintained... five objects of adoration made of stone, radiant, as it were with highest beauty...[25]

The Mathura inscription of the time of Mahakshatrapa Rajuvula's son, Mahakshatrapa Sodasa recorded erection of a torana (gateway), vedika (terrace) and chatuhsala (quadrangle) at the Mahasthana (great place) of Bhagavat Vasudeva.[26] Several male torsos representing the Vrisni heroes were also found in a shrine in Mora dating to the time of Mahakshatrapa Sodasa.[23]

Kushan Empire

During the rule of the great Kushanas, art and culture flourished in the region and reached new heights and is now famously known as the Mathura School of Art. The Kushans took control of Mathura some time after Mahakshatrapa Sodasa, although several of his successors ruled as Kushans vassals, such as the Indo-Scythian "Great Satrap" Kharapallana and the "Satrap" Vanaspara, both of whom paid allegiance to the Kushans in an inscription at Sarnath, dating to the third year of the reign of the Kushan emperor Kanishka the Great c. 130 CE.[27] Mathuran art and culture reached its zenith under the Kushan dynasty which had Mathura as one of its capitals.[28] The preceding capitals of the Kushans included Kapisa (modern Bagram, Afghanistan), Purushapura (modern Peshawar, Pakistan) and Takshasila/Sirsukh/ (modern Taxila, Pakistan). Mathura ateliers were most active during the epoch of the great Kushan emperors Kanishka, Huvishka, Vasudeva whose reign represents the Golden Age of Mathura sculpture.[29] During the third century, Nagas ruled Mathura after decline of Kushan Empire.[30]

Gupta Empire

In the reign of Chandragupta Vikramaditya, a magnificent temple of Vishnu was built at the site of Katra Keshavadeva.[29] Kalidasa, hailed as the greatest poet and dramatist in Sanskrit, in the fourth-fifth century CE mentioned the groves of Vrindavan and Govardhan hill as:

"...the king of Mathura, whose fame was acknowledged in song even by the devatas... At that moment, though still in Mathura, it appears as if Ganga has merged with Yamuna at the Sangam... In a Vrindavan garden which is superior even to Kubera's garden, known as Chaitra-ratha... You can, as well, during rains, look at the dancing peacocks, while sitting in a pleasant cave of the Goverdhan Mountain"[31]

Chinese Buddhist Monk Faxian mentions the city as a centre of Buddhism about 400 CE. He found the people were very well off, there were no taxes other than for those on farmers who tilled the royal land. He found that people did not kill animals, no one consumed wine, and did not eat onion or garlic. He found that engraved title deeds were issued to land owners. Visiting priests were provided with accommodation, beds, mats, food, drinks and clothes to perform scholarly works.[32][page needed]

Harsha Empire

Xuanzang, who visited the city in 634 CE, mentions it as Mot'ulo, recording that it contained twenty Buddhist monasteries and five Hindu temples.[33] Later, he went east to Thanesar, Jalandhar in the eastern Punjab, before climbing up to visit predominantly Theravada monasteries in the Kulu valley and turning southward again to Bairat and then Mathura, on the Yamuna river.[34]

Medieval History and Islamic Invasions

Early Middle Ages

The famous female Alvar saint, Andal visualized going to a pilgrimage which began at Mathura, then proceeded to Gokul, the Yamuna, the pool of Kaliya, Vrindavan, Govardhan, and finished at Dwarka.[35] The eleventh century Kashmiri poet, Bilhana visited Mathura and Vrindavan after leaving Kashmir en route to Karnataka.[36]

High Middle Ages

The city was sacked and many of its temples destroyed by Mahmud of Ghazni in 1018 CE.[33] The capture of Mathura by Maḥmūd Ibn Sebüktegīn is described by the historian al-Utbi (Abu Nasr Muhammad ibn Muhammad al Jabbaru-l 'Utbi) in his work Tarikh Yamini as follows:

The wall of the city was constructed of hard stone, and two gates opened upon the river flowing under the city, which were erected upon strong and lofty foundations, to protect them against the floods of the river and rains. On both sides of the city there were a thousand houses, to which idol temples were attached, all strengthened from top to bottom by rivets of iron, and all made of masonry work; and opposite to them were other buildings, supported on broad wooden pillars, to give them strength.

In the middle of the city there was a temple larger and firmer than the rest, which can neither be described nor painted. The Sultan thus wrote respecting it :— “ If any should wish to construct a building equal to this, he would not be able to do it without expending an hundred thousand thousand red dinars, and it would occupy two hundred years, even though the most experienced and able workmen were employed.” Among the idols there were five made of red gold, each five yards high, fixed in the air without support. In the eyes of one of these idols there were two rubies, of such value, that if any one were to sell such as are like them, he would obtain fifty thousand dinars. On another, there was a sapphire purer than water, and more sparkling than crystal; the weight was four hundred and fifty miskals. The two feet of another idol weighed four thousand four hundred miskals, and the entire quantity of gold yielded by the bodies of these idols, was ninety-eight thousand three hundred miskals. The idols of silver amounted to two hundred, but they could not be weighed without breaking them to pieces and putting them into scales. The Sultan gave orders that all the temples should be burnt with naphtha and fire, and levelled with the ground.[37]

The temple at Katra was sacked by Maḥmūd Ibn Sebüktegīn. A temple was built to replace it in 1150 CE. The Mathura prasasti (Eulogistic Inscription) dated Samvat (V.S.) 1207 (1150 CE), said to have been found in 1889 CE at the Keshava mound by Anton Fuhrer, German Indologist who worked with the Archaeological Survey of India, recorded the foundations of a temple dedicated to Vishnu at the Katra site:

Jajja, who carried the burden of the varga, together with a committee of trustees (goshtijana), built a large temple of Vishnu, brilliantly white and touching the clouds.

Jajja was a vassal of the Gahadavalas in charge of Mathura, and the committee mentioned in the prasasti could have been of an earlier Vaishnava temple.[38] The temple built by Jajja at Katra was destroyed by the forces of Qutubuddin Aibak, though Feroz Tughlaq (r. 1351–88 CE) was also said to have attacked it.[39] It was repaired and survived till the reign of Sikandar Lodi (r. 1489–1517 CE).

In the twelfth century, Bhatta Lakshmidhara, chief minister of the Gahadavala king Govindachandra (r. 1114–1155 CE), wrote the earliest surviving collection of verses in praise of the sacred sites of Mathura in his work Krtyakalpataru, which has been described as "the first re-statement of the theory of Tirtha-yatra (pilgrimage)".[40] In his Krtyakalpataru, Bhatta Lakshmidhara devoted an entire section (9) to Mathura.[41]

Later on the city was sacked again by Sikandar Lodi, who ruled the Sultanate of Delhi from 1489 to 1517 CE.[42][43] Sikandar Lodi earned the epithet of 'Butt Shikan', the 'Destroyer of Idols'. Ferishta recorded that Sikandar Lodi was a staunch Muslim, with a passion for vandalizing heathen temples:

He was firmly attached to the Mahomedan religion, and made a point of destroying all Hindu temples. In the city of Mathura he caused masjids and bazaars to be built opposite the bathing-stairs leading to the river, and ordered that no Hindus should be allowed to bathe there. He forbade the barbers to shave the beards and heads of the inhabitants, in order to prevent the Hindus following their usual practices at such pilgrimages.[44]

In Tarikh-i Daudi, of 'Abdu-lla (written during the time of Jahangir) said of Sikandar Lodi:

He was so zealous a Musulman that he utterly destroyed divers places of worship of the infidels, and left not a vestige remaining of them. He entirely ruined the shrines of Mathura, the mine of heathenism, and turned their principal Hindu places of worship into caravanserais and colleges. Their stone images were given to the butchers to serve them as meat-weights, and all the Hindus in Mathura were strictly prohibited from shaving their heads and beards, and performing their ablutions. He thus put an end to all the idolatrous rites of the infidels there; and no Hindu, if he wished to have his head or beard shaved, could get a barber to do it. Every city thus conformed as he desired to the customs of Islam.[45]

Vallabhacharya and Chaitanya Mahaprabhu arrived in the Braj region, in search of sacred places that had been destroyed or lost. In Shrikrsnashrayah, that make up the Sodashagrantha, Vallabha said of his age:

The Malechchhas (non-Hindus in this context) have surrounded all the holy places with the result that they have become infected with evil. Besides, the holy people are full of sorrow. At such a time Krishna alone is my way.[46]

Late Middle Ages

The Portuguese, Father Antonio Monserrate (1536 CE-1600 CE), who was on a Jesuit mission at the Mughal Court during the times of Akbar, visited Mathura in 1580–82, and noted that all temples built at sites associated with the deeds of Krishna were in ruins:-

It (Mathura) used to be a great and well populated city, with splendid buildings and a great circuit of walls. The ruins plainly indicate how imposing its buildings were. For out of these forgotten ruins are dug up columns and very ancient statues, of skilful and cunning workmanship. Only one Hindu temple is left out of many; for the Musalmans have completely destroyed all except the pyramids. Huge crowds of pilgrims come from all over India to this temple, which is situated on the high bank of the Jomanis (Yamuna)...[47]

The Keshavadeva temple was rebuilt by the Bundela Rajput Rajah Vir Singh Deo at a cost of thirty-three lakh rupees when the gold was priced at around ₹ 10/- per tola.[48] And the grand structure of the temple in Mathura was regarded a "wonder of the age".[49]

The Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb, built the Shahi-Eidgah Mosque during his rule, which is adjacent to Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi believed to be over a Hindu temple.[50] He also changed the city's name to Islamabad.[51] In 1669, Aurangzeb issued a general order for the demolition of Hindu schools and temples, in 1670, specifically ordered the destruction of the Keshavadeva temple. Saqi Mustaid Khan recorded:

On Thursday, 27th January/15 Ramzan (27 January 1670)... the Emperor as the promoter of justice and overthrower of mischief, as a knower of truth and destroyer of oppression as the zephyr of the garden of victory and the reviver of the faith of the Prophet, issued orders for the demolition of the temple situated in Mathura, famous as the Dehra of Kesho Rai. In a short time by the great exertions of his officers, the destruction of this strong foundation of infidelity was accomplished and on its site a lofty mosque was built by the expenditure of a large sum... Praised be the august God of the faith of Islam, that in the auspicious reign of this destroyer of infidelity and turbulence, such a wonderful and seemingly impossible work was successfully accomplished.

On seeing this instance of the strength of the emperor's faith and the grandeur of his devotion to God, the proud Rajas were stifled, and in amazement they stood like images facing the wall. The idols, large and small, set with costly jewels, which had been set up in the temple, were brought to Agra, and buried under the step of the mosque of the Begum Shahib in order to be continuously trodden upon. The name of Mathura was changed to Islamabad.[52]

The Muslim conquest resulted in the destruction of all Buddhist, Jain, and Hindu temples and monuments in and around Mathura. Buddhism, already in decline, never revived, and for the next four hundred years the Jains and Hindus were unable to erect any temples that were not sooner or later demolished.[53] Many of the sites that had been places of religious importance were abandoned and gradually sank beneath the earth. But some of them were not forgotten, owing to the persistence of oral tradition, the refashioning of a temple into a mosque, or the presence of humble shrines, some of which housed sculptural fragments of earlier buildings. Several of them have survived as places of significance in the modern pilgrimage circuit.[53]

"The rebellion in Mathurá district seems to have gained ground. 'On the 14th Rajab, 1080, [28 November 1669], his Majesty left Dihlí for Akbarábád, and almost daily enjoyed the pleasures of the chase. On the 21st Rajab, whilst hunting, he received the report of a rebellion having broken out at Mauza' Rewarah, Chandarkah, and Surkhrú. Hasan 'Ali Khán was ordered to attack the rebels at night, which he did, and the firing lasted till 12 o'clock the next day. The rebels, unable longer to withstand, thinking of the honour of their families, now fought with short arms, and many imperial soldiers and companions of Hasan ’Alí were killed. Three hundred rebels were sent to perdition, and two hundred and fifty, men and women, caught. Hasan ’Alí, in the afternoon, reported personally the result of the fight, and was ordered to leave the prisoners and the cattle in charge of Sayyid Zain ul-'Abidin, the jágirdár of the place. Çaf Shikan Khán also (who after ’Abdunnabí's death had been appointed Faujdár of Mathura) waited on the emperor, and was ordered to tell off two hundred troopers to guard the fields attached to the villages, and prevent soldiers from plundering and kidnapping children. Námdár Khán, Faujdár of Murádábád, also came to pay his respects. Çafshikan Khán was removed from his office, and Hasan 'Ali Khán was appointed Faujdár of Mathura, with a command of Three Thousand and Five Hundred, 2000 troopers, and received a dress of honour, a sword, and a horse. * * * On the 18th Sha'bán [1st January, 1670), his Majesty entered Agrah. Kokilá Ját, the wicked ringleader of the rebels of District*......, who had been the cause of ’Abdunnabí's death and who had plundered Parganah Sa'dábád, was at last caught by Hasan ’Alí Khán and his zealous peshkár, Shaikh Razíuddin, and he was now sent with the Shaikh to Agrah, where by order of his Majesty he was executed. Kokila's son and daughter were given to Jawahir Khán Nazir [a eunuch]. The girl was later married to Shah Quli, the well-known Chelah; and his son, who was called Fázil, became in time so excellent a Hafiz [one who knows the Qorán by heart], that his Majesty preferred him to all others and even chaunted passages to him. Shaikh Razíuddin, who had captured Kokila, belonged to a respectable family in Bhagalpur, Bihár, and was an excellent soldier, administrator, and companion; he was at the same time so learned, that he was ordered to assist in the compilation of the Fatáwá i 'Alamgiri [the great code of Muhammadan laws]. He received a daily allowance of three rupees.'+ (Haásir i ’Alamgiri, pp. 92 to 91.) Hasan ’Alí Khán retained his office from 1080 to Sha'bán 1087 (October, 1676), when Sulțán Qulí Khán was appointed Faujdír of Mathurá.", Asiatic Society of Bengal, Proceedings[54]

Early Modern History

According the biographer of Raja Jai Singh, Atmaram, when Jai Singh was campaigning against the Jat Raja Churaman Singh, he bathed at Radha kund on the full moon of Kartik, went to Mathura in the month of Shravan in 1724, and performed the marriage of his daughter on Janmashtami. He then undertook a tour of the sacred forests of Braj, and, on his return to Mathura, founded religious establishments and celebrated Holi.[55]

Pilgrimage by the Family of Peshwa of Maratha Empire

During the period of the expansion of Maratha Empire, pilgrimage to the holy places in the north became quite frequent. Pilgrims required protection on the way and took advantage of the constant movement of troops that journeyed to and back from their homeland for military purposes. That is how the practice arose of ladies accompanying military expeditions. The mother of Peshwa Balaji Baji Rao, Kashitai performed her famous pilgrimage for four years in the north, visiting Mathura, Prayag, Ayodhya, Banaras, and other holy places.[56]

Religious heritage

 
Entrance to the Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi temple complex.

Mathura is a holy city in Hinduism and is considered the heart of Brij Bhoomi, the land of Krishna.[57][58] The twin-city to Mathura is Vrindavan.

There are many places of historic and religious importance in Mathura and its neighbouring towns.[8]

Krishna Janmasthan Temple Complex is an important group of temples built around what is considered to be the birthplace of Krishna.[59][60] The temple complex contains Keshav Deva temple, Garbha Griha shrine, Bhagavata Bhavan and the Rangabhoomi where the final battle between Krishna and Kamsa took place.[61][7][11][59]

The Dwarkadheesh Temple is one of the largest temples in Mathura.[7] Vishram Ghat at the bank of river Yamuna is said to be the place were Krishna had rested after killing Kamsa.[7]

Other notable Hindu religious sites and heritage locations includes the Gita Mandir,[62] Govind Dev temple,[62] ISKCON temple,[7] Kusum Sarovar,[62] Naam yog Sadhna Mandir, Peepleshwar Mahadeo Temple[63][64] and Yum Yamuna Temple[63]

Kankali Tila brought forth many treasures of Jain art. The archaeological findings testify the existence of two Jain temples and stupas. Numerous Jain sculptures, Ayagapatas (tablet of homage),[65] pillars, crossbeams and lintels were found during archaeological excavations.[66] Some of the sculptures are provided with inscriptions that report on the contemporary society and organization of the Jain community.

Most sculptures could be dated from the second century BC to the 12th century CE, thus representing a continuous period of about 14 centuries during which Jainism flourished at Mathura.[66] These sculptures are now housed in the Lucknow State Museum and in the Mathura Museum.

The Mathura Museum is notable for archaeological artefacts, especially those from the Kushan and Gupta empires. It has sculptures associated with Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism.[11][67]

Festivals

Krishna Janmashtami is grandly celebrated every year in Mathura. Every year 3 to 3.5 million devotees celebrate Janmashtami in Mathura, with the maximum number of devotees visiting the Keshav Deva temple and the Dwarkadheesh temple.[68][69] Devotees generally observe a fast and break it at midnight when Krishna was believed to have been born. Devotional songs, dance performances, bhog and aartis are observed across Mathura-Vrindavan.[70]

Geography

Mathura is located at 27°17′N 77°25′E / 27.28°N 77.41°E / 27.28; 77.41.[71] It has an average elevation of 174 metres (570 feet).

Climate

Climate data for Mathura (1981–2010, extremes 1974–1995)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 29.6
(85.3)
34.1
(93.4)
40.1
(104.2)
45.1
(113.2)
47.1
(116.8)
47.6
(117.7)
44.6
(112.3)
42.7
(108.9)
40.6
(105.1)
42.1
(107.8)
35.1
(95.2)
30.1
(86.2)
47.6
(117.7)
Average high °C (°F) 21.3
(70.3)
24.4
(75.9)
30.4
(86.7)
36.6
(97.9)
41.2
(106.2)
41.2
(106.2)
36.1
(97.0)
34.6
(94.3)
34.2
(93.6)
33.3
(91.9)
29.1
(84.4)
23.3
(73.9)
32.1
(89.8)
Average low °C (°F) 6.4
(43.5)
8.3
(46.9)
13.2
(55.8)
17.9
(64.2)
23.9
(75.0)
25.9
(78.6)
25.5
(77.9)
25.0
(77.0)
23.5
(74.3)
18.3
(64.9)
11.6
(52.9)
7.7
(45.9)
17.3
(63.1)
Record low °C (°F) 1.0
(33.8)
0.5
(32.9)
5.0
(41.0)
7.0
(44.6)
8.5
(47.3)
17.0
(62.6)
11.5
(52.7)
17.5
(63.5)
17.6
(63.7)
11.5
(52.7)
4.0
(39.2)
2.0
(35.6)
0.5
(32.9)
Average rainfall mm (inches) 10.4
(0.41)
13.6
(0.54)
6.8
(0.27)
10.1
(0.40)
17.8
(0.70)
35.5
(1.40)
164.7
(6.48)
205.2
(8.08)
105.0
(4.13)
18.0
(0.71)
3.9
(0.15)
9.0
(0.35)
600.1
(23.63)
Average rainy days 0.9 1.3 1.0 0.9 1.5 3.0 9.0 9.1 4.9 0.9 0.3 1.1 33.9
Average relative humidity (%) (at 17:30 IST) 65 59 53 48 39 43 67 72 71 63 56 60 58
Source: India Meteorological Department[72][73]

Demographics

Religions in Mathura City (2011)
Religion Percent
Hinduism
81.54%
Islam
17.22%
Others†
1.24%

The 2011 census of India estimates the population of Mathura to be 441,894, with a decadal growth rate of 22.53 per cent. Males account for 54% (268,445) and females for 46% (173,449) of this population. Sex ratio of Mathura is 858 females per 1000 males, which has increased from 840 (2001). However, national sex ratio is 940. Population density in 2011 has increased from 621 per km2 in 2001 to 761 per km2. Mathura has an average literacy rate of 72.65 per cent which has increased from 61.46 percent (2001) but still lower than the national average of 74.04 per cent. Male and female literacy rate are 84.39 and 58.93 per cent respectively. 15.61 percent of Mathura's population is under 6 years of age. This figure was 19.56 per cent in 2001 census.[74]

Languages

According to the 2011 census on Mathura NPP, 95.4% of the people identified as Hindi speakers, 2.6% as Urdu speakers and 1.4% as speakers of Braj Bhasha[75] (the local dialect).[6] The city also lies within the cultural region of Braj.[6]

Government and politics

Actress turned political leader, Hema Malini is the sitting MP of holy constituency Mathura in Uttar Pradesh.[76]

Transportation

Rail

 
Mathura Junction railway station lies on the Delhi-Mumbai rail route.

Mathura Junction railway station is situated on the major Delhi-Mumbai rail route. Both Central Railway and Western Railway routes pass through Mathura. Trains from NCR (north-central railway) to ER (eastern railway) also pass through the Mathura junction. Mathura Cantt railway station is a major route for eastern and central railway.

Important trains that originate/terminate at Mathura are:

Road

Mathura is well-connected by road to the rest of India. National Highway NH-19(previously NH-2) from Delhi to Kolkata, with diversion for Chennai also passes through Mathura. Yamuna Expressway from Greater-Noida to Agra (165 km 6 lane access controlled express highway) also passes through, providing good connectivity to Noida, Agra, Kanpur and Lucknow.

Tram

A tram network has been proposed in the city, which would make Mathura the second only city in India (besides Kolkata) to have a functional tram transport. In 2017, the local MLA Shrikant Sharma announced that the trams will be operational in Mathura and Vrindavan by 2018.[78]

Air

Currently the city has no airport. The nearest airports are the Agra Airport (about 60 km away) and the Delhi Airport (about 160 km away) with major national and international air routes.The under-construction Jewar Airport in Greater Noida is approximately 75 km from Mathura and is expected to be country's largest airport when fully operational. Land has been earmarked, and construction is in progress near the Yamuna Expressway, with plans to open in the next five years with regular flights to major national and international air routes in future.[79][80][81]

In 2012, the then civil aviation minister Ajit Singh suggested Mathura's name for the site of a new greenfield international airport to the then chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, Akhilesh Yadav. Mathura's name came to note when a group of ministers terminated the plan of building Taj International Airport at Agra.[82]

Strategic importance

I Corps (Strike Formation)[83][84] within the Indian Army's Central Command is based in Mathura, hosting Strike I Corps headquarters in a large classified area in the outskirts of the city known as Mathura Cantonment (Central Command is headquartered in Lucknow). It hosts Strike Infantry units, air defence units, armoured divisions, engineer brigades, artillery Units, and classified units of Strategic Forces Command. The I Corps is primarily responsible for the western borders of India. In 2007 during Exercise Ashwamedha, all the armoured, artillery, and infantry divisions performed a simulation of an overall NBC (nuclear-chemical-biological) environment. The aim was to show operational ability in high intensity, short duration and 'sudden' battle[85]

Industries

Mathura Refinery located in the city is one of the biggest oil refineries of Asia with a refining capacity of 8.0 million tonnes per year.[86] This oil refinery of Indian Oil Corporation Ltd. is a technologically advanced oil refinery and provides local employment opportunities as well. Its main focus is to meet the demands from the NCR.[86] The refinery had undertaken projects to upgrade its diesel and gasoline units to bring Sulphur levels down by nearly 80 percent[87]

Media and communications

The city has a local station of the All India Radio.

Educational institutions

See also

References

Citations

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Sources

  • Mathura-The Cultural Heritage. Edited by Doris Meth Srinivasan, published in 1989 by AIIS/Manohar.
  • Konow, Sten. Editor. 1929. Kharoshthī Inscriptions with Exception of those of Ashoka. Corpus Inscriptionum Indicarum, Vol. II, Part I. Reprint: Indological Book House, Varanasi, 1969.
  • Mukherjee, B. N. 1981. Mathurā and its Society: The Śaka-Pahlava Phase. Firma K. L. M. Private Limited, Calcutta.
  • Sharma, R. C. 1976. Mathura Museum and Art. 2nd revised and enlarged edition. Government Museum, Mathura.
  • Growse, F. S. 1882. " Mathura A District Memoir.
  • Drake-Brockman, D. L. 1911. "Muttra A Gaztteer".
  • The Jain stûpa and other antiquities of Mathura, by Smith, Vincent Arthur, 1848–1920. (1901)
  • 1018: Mahmud Ghazni’s invasion of Mathura
  • Das, Kalyani (1980), Early Inscriptions of Mathurā
  • Vyas, Dr. R. T., ed. (1995), Studies in Jaina Art and Iconography and Allied Subjects, The Director, Oriental Institute, on behalf of the Registrar, M.S. University of Baroda, Vadodara, ISBN 81-7017-316-7

External links

  • Entry on Mathura in the Dictionary on Pali Proper Names

mathura, this, article, about, municipality, uttar, pradesh, india, namesake, district, district, other, uses, disambiguation, pronunciation, help, info, city, administrative, headquarters, district, indian, state, uttar, pradesh, located, approximately, kilom. This article is about the municipality in Uttar Pradesh India For its namesake district see Mathura district For other uses see Mathura disambiguation Mathura pronunciation help info is a city and the administrative headquarters of Mathura district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh It is located approximately 57 6 kilometres 35 8 mi north of Agra and 146 kilometres 91 mi south east of Delhi about 14 5 kilometres 9 0 mi from the town of Vrindavan and 22 kilometres 14 mi from Govardhan In ancient times Mathura was an economic hub located at the junction of important caravan routes The 2011 Census of India estimated the population of Mathura at 441 894 MathuraCityClockwise from top Vishram Ghat on banks of river Yamuna Keshavdeva Temple Radha Rani Temple in Barsana Mathura Museum Kans Quila Sri Ranganathji Temple and Holi celebrations in MathuraNickname s Krishnanagri The City of Lord KrishnaMathuraShow map of Uttar PradeshMathuraShow map of IndiaCoordinates 27 29 33 N 77 40 25 E 27 49250 N 77 67361 E 27 49250 77 67361Country IndiaStateUttar PradeshDistrictMathuraGovernment TypeMunicipal Corporation BodyMathura Vrindavan Municipal Corporation Mayor 3 Mukesh Aryabandhu BJP District Magistrate and CollectorPulkit Khare IAS 1 Senior Superintendent of PoliceShailesh Pandey IPS 2 Member of Legislative AssemblyShrikant Sharma BJP Member of ParliamentHema Malini BJP Area 4 Total39 km2 15 sq mi Population 2011 Total441 894 Density11 000 km2 29 000 sq mi Language OfficialHindi 5 Additional officialUrdu 5 RegionalBraj Bhasha 6 Time zoneUTC 5 30 IST PIN281001Telephone code0565Vehicle registrationUP 85Websitemathura wbr nic wbr inIn Hinduism Mathura is the birthplace of Krishna which is located at the Krishna Janmasthan Temple Complex 7 It is one of the Sapta Puri the seven cities considered holy by Hindus also is called Mokshyadayni Tirth The Kesava Deo Temple was built in ancient times on the site of Krishna s birthplace an underground prison Mathura was the capital of the kingdom of Surasena ruled by Kamsa the maternal uncle of Krishna Mathura is part of the Krishna circuit Mathura Vrindavan Barsana Govardhan Kurukshetra Dwarka and Bhalka Janmashtami is grandly celebrated in Mathura every year Mathura has been chosen as one of the heritage cities for the Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana scheme of Government of India 8 Contents 1 History 1 1 Ancient history 1 1 1 Indo Scythians 1 1 2 Kushan Empire 1 1 3 Gupta Empire 1 1 4 Harsha Empire 1 2 Medieval History and Islamic Invasions 1 2 1 Early Middle Ages 1 2 2 High Middle Ages 1 2 3 Late Middle Ages 1 3 Early Modern History 1 3 1 Pilgrimage by the Family of Peshwa of Maratha Empire 2 Religious heritage 3 Festivals 4 Geography 4 1 Climate 5 Demographics 5 1 Languages 6 Government and politics 7 Transportation 7 1 Rail 7 2 Road 7 3 Tram 7 4 Air 8 Strategic importance 9 Industries 10 Media and communications 11 Educational institutions 12 See also 13 References 13 1 Citations 13 2 Sources 14 External linksHistory EditTraditionally it is believed that it was founded by Satrughana after killing Yadava Lavana at the site of Madhuvana According to Ramayana it was founded by Madhu a man of the Yadu tribe Later on Madhu s son Lavanasura was defeated by Satrughana 9 Madhu says all the territory of Mathura belongs to Abhiras 10 See also Mathura art Along the Ghats of Mathura c 1880 General view of the excavations in January 1889 at Kankali Tila Mathura Gate of Shet Lukhmeechund s Temple a photo by Eugene Clutterbuck Impey 1860s Statue of Kanishka I second century CE Mathura Museum Sculpture of woman from ancient Braj Mathura ca second century CE Mathura which lies at the centre of the cultural region of Braj 6 has an ancient history and is also believed to be the homeland and birthplace of Krishna who belonged to the Yadu dynasty According to the Archaeological Survey of India plaque at the Mathura Museum 11 the city is mentioned in the oldest Indian epic the Ramayana In the epic the Ikshwaku prince Shatrughna slays a demon called Lavanasura and claims the land Afterwards the place came to be known as Madhuvan as it was thickly wooded then Madhupura and later Mathura 12 The most important pilgrimage site in Mathura was Katra market place now referred to as Krishna Janmasthan the birthplace of Krishna Excavations at the site revealed pottery and terracotta dating to the sixth century BCE the remains of a large Buddhist complex including a monastery called Yasha Vihara of the Gupta period as well as Jain sculptures of the same era 13 14 Ancient history Edit Archaeological excavations at Mathura show the gradual growth of a village into an important city during the Vedic age The earliest period belonged to the Painted Grey Ware culture 1100 500 BCE followed by the Northern Black Polished Ware culture 700 200 BCE Mathura derived its importance as a center of trade due to its location where the northern trade route of the Indo Gangetic Plain met with the routes to Malwa central India and the west coast 15 Archaeologists have discovered a fragment of Mathura red sandstone from Rakhigarhi a site of Indus Valley civilization dated to third millennium BCE which was used as a grindstone red sandstone was also a popular material for historic period sculptures 16 By the sixth century BCE Mathura became the capital of the Surasena Kingdom 17 The city was later ruled by the Maurya empire fourth to second centuries BCE Megasthenes writing in the early third century BCE mentions Mathura as a great city under the name Me8ora Methora 18 It seems it never was under the direct control of the following Shunga dynasty 2nd century BCE as not a single archaeological remain of a Shunga presence were ever found in Mathura 19 The Indo Greeks may have taken control direct or indirect of Mathura some time between 180 BCE and 100 BCE and remained so as late as 70 BCE according to the Yavanarajya inscription 19 which was found in Maghera a town 17 kilometres 11 mi from Mathura 20 The opening of the 3 line text of this inscription in Brahmi script translates as In the 116th year of the Yavana kingdom 21 22 or In the 116th year of Yavana hegemony Yavanarajya 19 However this also corresponds to the presence of the native Mitra dynasty of local rulers in Mathura in approximately the same time frame 150 BCE 50 BCE possibly pointing to a vassalage relationship with the Indo Greeks 19 Indo Scythians Edit After a period of local rule Mathura was conquered by the Indo Scythians during the first century BCE The Indo Scythian satraps of Mathura are sometimes called the Northern Satraps as opposed to the Western Satraps ruling in Gujarat and Malwa However Indo Scythian control proved to be short lived following the reign of the Indo Scythian Mahakshatrapa Great Satrap Rajuvula c 10 25 CE The Mora Well inscription of Mahakshatrapa Rajuvula of the early decades of the first century CE found in a village seven miles from Mathura stated that images pratima h of the blessed bhagavatam five Vrishni heroes were installed in a stone shrine of a person called Tosa 23 The heroes were identified from a passage in the Vayu Purana as Samkarsana Vasudev Pradyumna Samba and Aniruddha 24 The English translation of the inscription read of the son of mahakṣatrapa Raṃjuvula svami The images of the holy paṃcaviras of the Vṛṣṇis is the stone shrine whom the magnificent matchless stone house of Toṣa was erected and maintained five objects of adoration made of stone radiant as it were with highest beauty 25 The Mathura inscription of the time of Mahakshatrapa Rajuvula s son Mahakshatrapa Sodasa recorded erection of a torana gateway vedika terrace and chatuhsala quadrangle at the Mahasthana great place of Bhagavat Vasudeva 26 Several male torsos representing the Vrisni heroes were also found in a shrine in Mora dating to the time of Mahakshatrapa Sodasa 23 Kushan Empire Edit During the rule of the great Kushanas art and culture flourished in the region and reached new heights and is now famously known as the Mathura School of Art The Kushans took control of Mathura some time after Mahakshatrapa Sodasa although several of his successors ruled as Kushans vassals such as the Indo Scythian Great Satrap Kharapallana and the Satrap Vanaspara both of whom paid allegiance to the Kushans in an inscription at Sarnath dating to the third year of the reign of the Kushan emperor Kanishka the Great c 130 CE 27 Mathuran art and culture reached its zenith under the Kushan dynasty which had Mathura as one of its capitals 28 The preceding capitals of the Kushans included Kapisa modern Bagram Afghanistan Purushapura modern Peshawar Pakistan and Takshasila Sirsukh modern Taxila Pakistan Mathura ateliers were most active during the epoch of the great Kushan emperors Kanishka Huvishka Vasudeva whose reign represents the Golden Age of Mathura sculpture 29 During the third century Nagas ruled Mathura after decline of Kushan Empire 30 Gupta Empire Edit In the reign of Chandragupta Vikramaditya a magnificent temple of Vishnu was built at the site of Katra Keshavadeva 29 Kalidasa hailed as the greatest poet and dramatist in Sanskrit in the fourth fifth century CE mentioned the groves of Vrindavan and Govardhan hill as the king of Mathura whose fame was acknowledged in song even by the devatas At that moment though still in Mathura it appears as if Ganga has merged with Yamuna at the Sangam In a Vrindavan garden which is superior even to Kubera s garden known as Chaitra ratha You can as well during rains look at the dancing peacocks while sitting in a pleasant cave of the Goverdhan Mountain 31 Chinese Buddhist Monk Faxian mentions the city as a centre of Buddhism about 400 CE He found the people were very well off there were no taxes other than for those on farmers who tilled the royal land He found that people did not kill animals no one consumed wine and did not eat onion or garlic He found that engraved title deeds were issued to land owners Visiting priests were provided with accommodation beds mats food drinks and clothes to perform scholarly works 32 page needed Harsha Empire Edit Xuanzang who visited the city in 634 CE mentions it as Mot ulo recording that it contained twenty Buddhist monasteries and five Hindu temples 33 Later he went east to Thanesar Jalandhar in the eastern Punjab before climbing up to visit predominantly Theravada monasteries in the Kulu valley and turning southward again to Bairat and then Mathura on the Yamuna river 34 Medieval History and Islamic Invasions Edit Early Middle Ages Edit The famous female Alvar saint Andal visualized going to a pilgrimage which began at Mathura then proceeded to Gokul the Yamuna the pool of Kaliya Vrindavan Govardhan and finished at Dwarka 35 The eleventh century Kashmiri poet Bilhana visited Mathura and Vrindavan after leaving Kashmir en route to Karnataka 36 High Middle Ages Edit The city was sacked and many of its temples destroyed by Mahmud of Ghazni in 1018 CE 33 The capture of Mathura by Maḥmud Ibn Sebuktegin is described by the historian al Utbi Abu Nasr Muhammad ibn Muhammad al Jabbaru l Utbi in his work Tarikh Yamini as follows The wall of the city was constructed of hard stone and two gates opened upon the river flowing under the city which were erected upon strong and lofty foundations to protect them against the floods of the river and rains On both sides of the city there were a thousand houses to which idol temples were attached all strengthened from top to bottom by rivets of iron and all made of masonry work and opposite to them were other buildings supported on broad wooden pillars to give them strength In the middle of the city there was a temple larger and firmer than the rest which can neither be described nor painted The Sultan thus wrote respecting it If any should wish to construct a building equal to this he would not be able to do it without expending an hundred thousand thousand red dinars and it would occupy two hundred years even though the most experienced and able workmen were employed Among the idols there were five made of red gold each five yards high fixed in the air without support In the eyes of one of these idols there were two rubies of such value that if any one were to sell such as are like them he would obtain fifty thousand dinars On another there was a sapphire purer than water and more sparkling than crystal the weight was four hundred and fifty miskals The two feet of another idol weighed four thousand four hundred miskals and the entire quantity of gold yielded by the bodies of these idols was ninety eight thousand three hundred miskals The idols of silver amounted to two hundred but they could not be weighed without breaking them to pieces and putting them into scales The Sultan gave orders that all the temples should be burnt with naphtha and fire and levelled with the ground 37 The temple at Katra was sacked by Maḥmud Ibn Sebuktegin A temple was built to replace it in 1150 CE The Mathura prasasti Eulogistic Inscription dated Samvat V S 1207 1150 CE said to have been found in 1889 CE at the Keshava mound by Anton Fuhrer German Indologist who worked with the Archaeological Survey of India recorded the foundations of a temple dedicated to Vishnu at the Katra site Jajja who carried the burden of the varga together with a committee of trustees goshtijana built a large temple of Vishnu brilliantly white and touching the clouds Jajja was a vassal of the Gahadavalas in charge of Mathura and the committee mentioned in the prasasti could have been of an earlier Vaishnava temple 38 The temple built by Jajja at Katra was destroyed by the forces of Qutubuddin Aibak though Feroz Tughlaq r 1351 88 CE was also said to have attacked it 39 It was repaired and survived till the reign of Sikandar Lodi r 1489 1517 CE In the twelfth century Bhatta Lakshmidhara chief minister of the Gahadavala king Govindachandra r 1114 1155 CE wrote the earliest surviving collection of verses in praise of the sacred sites of Mathura in his work Krtyakalpataru which has been described as the first re statement of the theory of Tirtha yatra pilgrimage 40 In his Krtyakalpataru Bhatta Lakshmidhara devoted an entire section 9 to Mathura 41 Later on the city was sacked again by Sikandar Lodi who ruled the Sultanate of Delhi from 1489 to 1517 CE 42 43 Sikandar Lodi earned the epithet of Butt Shikan the Destroyer of Idols Ferishta recorded that Sikandar Lodi was a staunch Muslim with a passion for vandalizing heathen temples He was firmly attached to the Mahomedan religion and made a point of destroying all Hindu temples In the city of Mathura he caused masjids and bazaars to be built opposite the bathing stairs leading to the river and ordered that no Hindus should be allowed to bathe there He forbade the barbers to shave the beards and heads of the inhabitants in order to prevent the Hindus following their usual practices at such pilgrimages 44 In Tarikh i Daudi of Abdu lla written during the time of Jahangir said of Sikandar Lodi He was so zealous a Musulman that he utterly destroyed divers places of worship of the infidels and left not a vestige remaining of them He entirely ruined the shrines of Mathura the mine of heathenism and turned their principal Hindu places of worship into caravanserais and colleges Their stone images were given to the butchers to serve them as meat weights and all the Hindus in Mathura were strictly prohibited from shaving their heads and beards and performing their ablutions He thus put an end to all the idolatrous rites of the infidels there and no Hindu if he wished to have his head or beard shaved could get a barber to do it Every city thus conformed as he desired to the customs of Islam 45 Vallabhacharya and Chaitanya Mahaprabhu arrived in the Braj region in search of sacred places that had been destroyed or lost In Shrikrsnashrayah that make up the Sodashagrantha Vallabha said of his age The Malechchhas non Hindus in this context have surrounded all the holy places with the result that they have become infected with evil Besides the holy people are full of sorrow At such a time Krishna alone is my way 46 Late Middle Ages Edit The Portuguese Father Antonio Monserrate 1536 CE 1600 CE who was on a Jesuit mission at the Mughal Court during the times of Akbar visited Mathura in 1580 82 and noted that all temples built at sites associated with the deeds of Krishna were in ruins It Mathura used to be a great and well populated city with splendid buildings and a great circuit of walls The ruins plainly indicate how imposing its buildings were For out of these forgotten ruins are dug up columns and very ancient statues of skilful and cunning workmanship Only one Hindu temple is left out of many for the Musalmans have completely destroyed all except the pyramids Huge crowds of pilgrims come from all over India to this temple which is situated on the high bank of the Jomanis Yamuna 47 The Keshavadeva temple was rebuilt by the Bundela Rajput Rajah Vir Singh Deo at a cost of thirty three lakh rupees when the gold was priced at around 10 per tola 48 And the grand structure of the temple in Mathura was regarded a wonder of the age 49 The Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb built the Shahi Eidgah Mosque during his rule which is adjacent to Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi believed to be over a Hindu temple 50 He also changed the city s name to Islamabad 51 In 1669 Aurangzeb issued a general order for the demolition of Hindu schools and temples in 1670 specifically ordered the destruction of the Keshavadeva temple Saqi Mustaid Khan recorded On Thursday 27th January 15 Ramzan 27 January 1670 the Emperor as the promoter of justice and overthrower of mischief as a knower of truth and destroyer of oppression as the zephyr of the garden of victory and the reviver of the faith of the Prophet issued orders for the demolition of the temple situated in Mathura famous as the Dehra of Kesho Rai In a short time by the great exertions of his officers the destruction of this strong foundation of infidelity was accomplished and on its site a lofty mosque was built by the expenditure of a large sum Praised be the august God of the faith of Islam that in the auspicious reign of this destroyer of infidelity and turbulence such a wonderful and seemingly impossible work was successfully accomplished On seeing this instance of the strength of the emperor s faith and the grandeur of his devotion to God the proud Rajas were stifled and in amazement they stood like images facing the wall The idols large and small set with costly jewels which had been set up in the temple were brought to Agra and buried under the step of the mosque of the Begum Shahib in order to be continuously trodden upon The name of Mathura was changed to Islamabad 52 The Muslim conquest resulted in the destruction of all Buddhist Jain and Hindu temples and monuments in and around Mathura Buddhism already in decline never revived and for the next four hundred years the Jains and Hindus were unable to erect any temples that were not sooner or later demolished 53 Many of the sites that had been places of religious importance were abandoned and gradually sank beneath the earth But some of them were not forgotten owing to the persistence of oral tradition the refashioning of a temple into a mosque or the presence of humble shrines some of which housed sculptural fragments of earlier buildings Several of them have survived as places of significance in the modern pilgrimage circuit 53 The rebellion in Mathura district seems to have gained ground On the 14th Rajab 1080 28 November 1669 his Majesty left Dihli for Akbarabad and almost daily enjoyed the pleasures of the chase On the 21st Rajab whilst hunting he received the report of a rebellion having broken out at Mauza Rewarah Chandarkah and Surkhru Hasan Ali Khan was ordered to attack the rebels at night which he did and the firing lasted till 12 o clock the next day The rebels unable longer to withstand thinking of the honour of their families now fought with short arms and many imperial soldiers and companions of Hasan Ali were killed Three hundred rebels were sent to perdition and two hundred and fifty men and women caught Hasan Ali in the afternoon reported personally the result of the fight and was ordered to leave the prisoners and the cattle in charge of Sayyid Zain ul Abidin the jagirdar of the place Caf Shikan Khan also who after Abdunnabi s death had been appointed Faujdar of Mathura waited on the emperor and was ordered to tell off two hundred troopers to guard the fields attached to the villages and prevent soldiers from plundering and kidnapping children Namdar Khan Faujdar of Muradabad also came to pay his respects Cafshikan Khan was removed from his office and Hasan Ali Khan was appointed Faujdar of Mathura with a command of Three Thousand and Five Hundred 2000 troopers and received a dress of honour a sword and a horse On the 18th Sha ban 1st January 1670 his Majesty entered Agrah Kokila Jat the wicked ringleader of the rebels of District who had been the cause of Abdunnabi s death and who had plundered Parganah Sa dabad was at last caught by Hasan Ali Khan and his zealous peshkar Shaikh Raziuddin and he was now sent with the Shaikh to Agrah where by order of his Majesty he was executed Kokila s son and daughter were given to Jawahir Khan Nazir a eunuch The girl was later married to Shah Quli the well known Chelah and his son who was called Fazil became in time so excellent a Hafiz one who knows the Qoran by heart that his Majesty preferred him to all others and even chaunted passages to him Shaikh Raziuddin who had captured Kokila belonged to a respectable family in Bhagalpur Bihar and was an excellent soldier administrator and companion he was at the same time so learned that he was ordered to assist in the compilation of the Fatawa i Alamgiri the great code of Muhammadan laws He received a daily allowance of three rupees Haasir i Alamgiri pp 92 to 91 Hasan Ali Khan retained his office from 1080 to Sha ban 1087 October 1676 when Sulțan Quli Khan was appointed Faujdir of Mathura Asiatic Society of Bengal Proceedings 54 Early Modern History Edit According the biographer of Raja Jai Singh Atmaram when Jai Singh was campaigning against the Jat Raja Churaman Singh he bathed at Radha kund on the full moon of Kartik went to Mathura in the month of Shravan in 1724 and performed the marriage of his daughter on Janmashtami He then undertook a tour of the sacred forests of Braj and on his return to Mathura founded religious establishments and celebrated Holi 55 Pilgrimage by the Family of Peshwa of Maratha Empire Edit During the period of the expansion of Maratha Empire pilgrimage to the holy places in the north became quite frequent Pilgrims required protection on the way and took advantage of the constant movement of troops that journeyed to and back from their homeland for military purposes That is how the practice arose of ladies accompanying military expeditions The mother of Peshwa Balaji Baji Rao Kashitai performed her famous pilgrimage for four years in the north visiting Mathura Prayag Ayodhya Banaras and other holy places 56 Religious heritage Edit Entrance to the Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi temple complex Mathura is a holy city in Hinduism and is considered the heart of Brij Bhoomi the land of Krishna 57 58 The twin city to Mathura is Vrindavan There are many places of historic and religious importance in Mathura and its neighbouring towns 8 Krishna Janmasthan Temple Complex is an important group of temples built around what is considered to be the birthplace of Krishna 59 60 The temple complex contains Keshav Deva temple Garbha Griha shrine Bhagavata Bhavan and the Rangabhoomi where the final battle between Krishna and Kamsa took place 61 7 11 59 The Dwarkadheesh Temple is one of the largest temples in Mathura 7 Vishram Ghat at the bank of river Yamuna is said to be the place were Krishna had rested after killing Kamsa 7 Other notable Hindu religious sites and heritage locations includes the Gita Mandir 62 Govind Dev temple 62 ISKCON temple 7 Kusum Sarovar 62 Naam yog Sadhna Mandir Peepleshwar Mahadeo Temple 63 64 and Yum Yamuna Temple 63 Kankali Tila brought forth many treasures of Jain art The archaeological findings testify the existence of two Jain temples and stupas Numerous Jain sculptures Ayagapatas tablet of homage 65 pillars crossbeams and lintels were found during archaeological excavations 66 Some of the sculptures are provided with inscriptions that report on the contemporary society and organization of the Jain community Most sculptures could be dated from the second century BC to the 12th century CE thus representing a continuous period of about 14 centuries during which Jainism flourished at Mathura 66 These sculptures are now housed in the Lucknow State Museum and in the Mathura Museum The Mathura Museum is notable for archaeological artefacts especially those from the Kushan and Gupta empires It has sculptures associated with Hinduism Buddhism and Jainism 11 67 Festivals EditMain article Krishna Janmashtami Krishna Janmashtami is grandly celebrated every year in Mathura Every year 3 to 3 5 million devotees celebrate Janmashtami in Mathura with the maximum number of devotees visiting the Keshav Deva temple and the Dwarkadheesh temple 68 69 Devotees generally observe a fast and break it at midnight when Krishna was believed to have been born Devotional songs dance performances bhog and aartis are observed across Mathura Vrindavan 70 Geography EditMathura is located at 27 17 N 77 25 E 27 28 N 77 41 E 27 28 77 41 71 It has an average elevation of 174 metres 570 feet Climate Edit Climate data for Mathura 1981 2010 extremes 1974 1995 Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec YearRecord high C F 29 6 85 3 34 1 93 4 40 1 104 2 45 1 113 2 47 1 116 8 47 6 117 7 44 6 112 3 42 7 108 9 40 6 105 1 42 1 107 8 35 1 95 2 30 1 86 2 47 6 117 7 Average high C F 21 3 70 3 24 4 75 9 30 4 86 7 36 6 97 9 41 2 106 2 41 2 106 2 36 1 97 0 34 6 94 3 34 2 93 6 33 3 91 9 29 1 84 4 23 3 73 9 32 1 89 8 Average low C F 6 4 43 5 8 3 46 9 13 2 55 8 17 9 64 2 23 9 75 0 25 9 78 6 25 5 77 9 25 0 77 0 23 5 74 3 18 3 64 9 11 6 52 9 7 7 45 9 17 3 63 1 Record low C F 1 0 33 8 0 5 32 9 5 0 41 0 7 0 44 6 8 5 47 3 17 0 62 6 11 5 52 7 17 5 63 5 17 6 63 7 11 5 52 7 4 0 39 2 2 0 35 6 0 5 32 9 Average rainfall mm inches 10 4 0 41 13 6 0 54 6 8 0 27 10 1 0 40 17 8 0 70 35 5 1 40 164 7 6 48 205 2 8 08 105 0 4 13 18 0 0 71 3 9 0 15 9 0 0 35 600 1 23 63 Average rainy days 0 9 1 3 1 0 0 9 1 5 3 0 9 0 9 1 4 9 0 9 0 3 1 1 33 9Average relative humidity at 17 30 IST 65 59 53 48 39 43 67 72 71 63 56 60 58Source India Meteorological Department 72 73 Demographics EditReligions in Mathura City 2011 Religion PercentHinduism 81 54 Islam 17 22 Others 1 24 The 2011 census of India estimates the population of Mathura to be 441 894 with a decadal growth rate of 22 53 per cent Males account for 54 268 445 and females for 46 173 449 of this population Sex ratio of Mathura is 858 females per 1000 males which has increased from 840 2001 However national sex ratio is 940 Population density in 2011 has increased from 621 per km2 in 2001 to 761 per km2 Mathura has an average literacy rate of 72 65 per cent which has increased from 61 46 percent 2001 but still lower than the national average of 74 04 per cent Male and female literacy rate are 84 39 and 58 93 per cent respectively 15 61 percent of Mathura s population is under 6 years of age This figure was 19 56 per cent in 2001 census 74 Languages Edit According to the 2011 census on Mathura NPP 95 4 of the people identified as Hindi speakers 2 6 as Urdu speakers and 1 4 as speakers of Braj Bhasha 75 the local dialect 6 The city also lies within the cultural region of Braj 6 Government and politics EditActress turned political leader Hema Malini is the sitting MP of holy constituency Mathura in Uttar Pradesh 76 Transportation EditRail Edit Mathura Junction railway station lies on the Delhi Mumbai rail route Mathura Junction railway station is situated on the major Delhi Mumbai rail route Both Central Railway and Western Railway routes pass through Mathura Trains from NCR north central railway to ER eastern railway also pass through the Mathura junction Mathura Cantt railway station is a major route for eastern and central railway Important trains that originate terminate at Mathura are 12177 Howrah Mathura Chambal Express 77 Road Edit Mathura is well connected by road to the rest of India National Highway NH 19 previously NH 2 from Delhi to Kolkata with diversion for Chennai also passes through Mathura Yamuna Expressway from Greater Noida to Agra 165 km 6 lane access controlled express highway also passes through providing good connectivity to Noida Agra Kanpur and Lucknow Tram Edit A tram network has been proposed in the city which would make Mathura the second only city in India besides Kolkata to have a functional tram transport In 2017 the local MLA Shrikant Sharma announced that the trams will be operational in Mathura and Vrindavan by 2018 78 Air Edit Currently the city has no airport The nearest airports are the Agra Airport about 60 km away and the Delhi Airport about 160 km away with major national and international air routes The under construction Jewar Airport in Greater Noida is approximately 75 km from Mathura and is expected to be country s largest airport when fully operational Land has been earmarked and construction is in progress near the Yamuna Expressway with plans to open in the next five years with regular flights to major national and international air routes in future 79 80 81 In 2012 the then civil aviation minister Ajit Singh suggested Mathura s name for the site of a new greenfield international airport to the then chief minister of Uttar Pradesh Akhilesh Yadav Mathura s name came to note when a group of ministers terminated the plan of building Taj International Airport at Agra 82 Strategic importance EditI Corps Strike Formation 83 84 within the Indian Army s Central Command is based in Mathura hosting Strike I Corps headquarters in a large classified area in the outskirts of the city known as Mathura Cantonment Central Command is headquartered in Lucknow It hosts Strike Infantry units air defence units armoured divisions engineer brigades artillery Units and classified units of Strategic Forces Command The I Corps is primarily responsible for the western borders of India In 2007 during Exercise Ashwamedha all the armoured artillery and infantry divisions performed a simulation of an overall NBC nuclear chemical biological environment The aim was to show operational ability in high intensity short duration and sudden battle 85 Industries EditMathura Refinery located in the city is one of the biggest oil refineries of Asia with a refining capacity of 8 0 million tonnes per year 86 This oil refinery of Indian Oil Corporation Ltd is a technologically advanced oil refinery and provides local employment opportunities as well Its main focus is to meet the demands from the NCR 86 The refinery had undertaken projects to upgrade its diesel and gasoline units to bring Sulphur levels down by nearly 80 percent 87 Media and communications EditThe city has a local station of the All India Radio Educational institutions EditGLA University Sachdeva Institute of Technology Sanskriti University U P Pt Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Veterinary Science University and Cattle Research Institute 88 See also EditMathur disambiguation Brij Bhoomi Gokul Kankali Tila Nandgaon Goverdhan SonkhReferences EditCitations Edit DM PROFILE District Mathura Government of Uttar Pradesh India Uttar Pradesh Police Officials uppolice gov in Retrieved 9 January 2020 Mathura Vrindavan Mayor Election Result 2017 Live Updates BJP candidate Mukesh Arya is new Mayor 1 December 2017 Mathura City PDF mohua gov in Retrieved 22 November 2020 a b 52nd Report of the Commissioner for Linguistic Minorities in India PDF nclm nic in Ministry of Minority Affairs Archived from the original PDF on 25 May 2017 Retrieved 7 December 2018 a b c d Lucia Michelutti 2002 Sons of Krishna the politics of Yadav community formation in a North Indian town PDF PhD Thesis Social Anthropology London School of Economics and Political Science University of London p 49 Retrieved 20 May 2015 a b c d e Prasad Dev 2015 Krishna A Journey through the Lands amp Legends of Krishna Jaico Publishing House p 22 ISBN 978 81 8495 170 7 a b Mathura Mathura gets five more teerth sthals The Times of India 24 May 2018 Retrieved 23 November 2021 Prasad Prakash Charan 1977 Foreign Trade and Commerce in Ancient India Abhinav Publications ISBN 978 81 7017 053 2 Institute Bhandarkar Oriental Research 1917 Annals of the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute Poona The Institute a b c Frederic Salmon Growse 1874 Mathura A District Memoir Government Press Pargiter F E 1972 Ancient Indian Historical Tradition Delhi Motilal Banarsidass p 170 Meenakshi Jain 2019 Flight of Deities and Rebirth of Temples Episodes from Indian History Aryan Books International p 66 ISBN 978 8173056192 History District Mathura Government of Uttar Pradesh India Retrieved 12 January 2021 Upinder Singh 2008 A History of Ancient and Early Medieval India From the Stone Age to the 12th Century Pearson Education India pp 281 336 ISBN 978 81 317 1120 0 S gautam Mantabya Law Randall Garge Tejas Initial Geologic Provenience Studies of Stone and Metal Artefacts from Rakhigarhi a href Template Cite journal html title Template Cite journal cite journal a Cite journal requires journal help Imperial Gazetteer of India v 18 Digital South Asia Library 1908 pp 63 74 Megasthenes fragment 23 The Surasenians an Indian tribe with two great cities Methora and Clisobora the navigable river Iomanes flows through their territory quoted in Arrian Indica 8 5 Also The river Jomanes Yamuna flows through the Palibothri into the Ganges between the towns Methora and Carisobora in FRAGM LVI Plin Hist Nat VI 21 8 23 11 Archived 10 December 2008 at the Wayback Machine a b c d History of Early Stone Sculpture at Mathura Ca 150 BCE 100 CE Sonya Rhie Quintanilla BRILL 2007 p 8 10 1 Bulletin of the Asia Institute Wayne State University Press 2002 p 70 B N Mukherjee 2004 Kushaṇa studies new perspectives Firma KLM p 13 ISBN 81 7102 109 3 Osmund Bopearachchi Wilfried Pieper 1998 Ancient Indian coins Brepols ISBN 2 503 50730 1 a b Meenakshi Jain 2019 Flight of Deities and Rebirth of Temples Episodes from Indian History Aryan Books International p 64 ISBN 978 8173056192 Jitendra Nath Banerjea 1968 Religion in Art and Archaeology Vaishnavism and Saivism University of Lucknow pp 12 13 Sonya Rhie Quintanilla 2007 History of Early Stone Sculpture at Mathura Ca 150 BCE 100 CE BRILL pp 260 261 ISBN 978 9004155374 Harihar Panda 2007 Prof H C Raychaudhuri as a Historian Northern Book Centre p 80 ISBN 978 8172112103 A Catalogue of the Indian Coins in the British Museum Andhras etc Rapson p ciii Singh Upinder 2008 A History of Ancient and Early Medieval India From the Stone Age to the 12th Century Pearson Education India ISBN 9788131716779 Retrieved 29 March 2017 a b Vasudeva S Agrawala 1965 Masterpieces of Mathura Sculpture Prithivi Prakashan Varanasi p 2 Ashvini Agrawal 1989 p 54 sfn error no target CITEREFAshvini Agrawal1989 help Rajendra Tandon 2010 Kalidasa Raghuvamsham Rupa Publication pp 45 51 ISBN 978 8129115867 Beal Samuel 1884 Si Yu Ki Buddhist Records of the Western World translated from chinese London Truebner amp Co a b Chisholm Hugh ed 1911 Muttra Encyclopaedia Britannica Vol 19 11th ed Cambridge University Press pp 101 102 Mathura Yule Henry Douglas Robert Kennaway 1911 Hsuan Tsang In Chisholm Hugh ed Encyclopaedia Britannica Vol 13 11th ed Cambridge University Press p 844 Friedhelm Hardy 2001 Viraha bhakti The Early History of Kṛṣṇa Devotion in South India Oxford University Press Varanasi p 424 ISBN 978 0195649161 trans Georg Buhler 1875 The Vikramankadevacharita a life of King Vikramaditya Tribhuvanamalla of Kalyana by Bilhana Bombay Government central book depot p 18 Sir Henry Miers Elliot amp John Dowson 1867 The History of India as told by its own Historians Volume 2 pp 44 45 Meenakshi Jain 2019 Flight of Deities and Rebirth of Temples Episodes from Indian History Aryan Books International p 67 ISBN 978 8173056192 Meenakshi Jain 2019 Flight of Deities and Rebirth of Temples Episodes from Indian History Aryan Books International p 68 ISBN 978 8173056192 K V Rangaswami Aiyangar 1942 Krtyakalpataru of Bhatta Lakshmidhara Vol 8 Oriental Institute Baroda p lxxxvii lxxxviii K V Rangaswami Aiyangar 1942 Krtyakalpataru of Bhatta Lakshmidhara Vol 8 Oriental Institute Baroda p १८६ १९४ 186 194 Sultan Sikandar Lodi Archived 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine The Muntakhabu rukh by Al Badaoni 16th century historian Packard Humanities Institute Lodi Kings Chart The Imperial Gazetteer of India 1909 v 2 p 369 John Briggs 1908 History of the rise of the Mahomedan power in India till the year A D 1612 Volume 1 p 586 Sir H M Elliot amp John Dowson 1873 History of India as told by its own Historians the Muhammadan period Vol 4 p 447 Richard Barz 1992 Bhakti Sect Of Vallabhacarya Motilal UK Books of India p 16 ISBN 978 8121505765 J S Hoyland trans S N Banerjee annotator 1922 Commentary of Father Monserrate Oxford University Press p 93 Historical Gold Prices sdbullion com Retrieved 2 February 2021 Jadunath Sarkar 1928 History Of Aurangzib Vol 3 p 266 Asher Catherine B 24 September 1992 Architecture of Mughal India ISBN 9780521267281 Fisher Michael H 2018 An Environmental History of India From Earliest Times to the Twenty First Century Cambridge University Press p 109 ISBN 978 1 107 11162 2 Jadunath Sarkar 1947 Maasir i Alamgiri A History Of Emperor Aurangzeb by Saqi Mustaid Khan p 60 a b A W Entwistle 1987 Braj Centre of Krishna Pilgrimage PDF Egbert Forsten Publishing pp 122 124 ISBN 978 9069800165 Asiatic Society of Bengal 1873 Proceedings Government Press North western Provinces and Oudh p 14 Ashim Kumar Roy 2006 History of the Jaipur City Manohar Publishing p 228 ISBN 978 8173046971 Govind Sakharam Sardesai 1946 New History of the Marathas Vol 2 Phoenix Publication p 243 Prasad Dev 2015 Krishna A Journey through the Lands amp Legends of Krishna Jaico Publishing House p 16 ISBN 978 81 8495 170 7 Lucia Michelutti 2002 Sons of Krishna the politics of Yadav community formation in a North Indian town PDF PhD Thesis Social Anthropology London School of Economics and Political Science University of London p 46 Retrieved 14 September 2019 a b Krishna Nanditha 2018 The Book of Avatars and Divinities Penguin Random House India ISBN 9780143446880 Vemsani Lavanya 2016 Krishna in History Thought and Culture An Encyclopedia of the Hindu Lord of Many Names An Encyclopedia of the Hindu Lord of Many Names ABC CLIO pp 140 141 ISBN 978 1 61069 211 3 Aug 2019 ANI 24 Ist 07 07 Pm Devotees throng Krishna Janmbhumi in UP s Mathura on occasion of Janmashtami via economictimes indiatimes com a b c Gupta Sonam 15 May 2017 Mathura Temple The Famous Temples of Mathura The Times of India Retrieved 20 April 2021 a b Shah Arti Shaharti Exploring 5 ancient temples of Mathura The Times of India Lal Kanwar 1961 Holy Cities of India Delhi Asia Press p 285 Das 1980 p 171 a b Vyas 1995 p 16 Adhikari Shona 18 August 2002 Priceless artefacts hidden away from tourists eyes Tribune Retrieved 13 September 2019 Jaiswal Anuja 3 September 2018 Over 30 lakh devotees assemble in Mathura to celebrate Krishna Janmashtami The Times of India Retrieved 14 September 2019 One million devotees celebrate Janmashtami in Mathura Deccan Herald 28 August 2013 Retrieved 12 September 2019 Janmashtami 2019 23rd or 24th Aug when Mathura is celebrating Lord krishna s birth DNA India 22 August 2019 Retrieved 14 September 2019 Maps Weather and Airports for Mathura India Retrieved 3 June 2016 Station Mathura Climatological Table 1981 2010 PDF Climatological Normals 1981 2010 India Meteorological Department January 2015 pp 481 482 Archived from the original PDF on 5 February 2020 Retrieved 22 September 2020 Extremes of Temperature amp Rainfall for Indian Stations Up to 2012 PDF India Meteorological Department December 2016 p M220 Archived from the original PDF on 5 February 2020 Retrieved 22 September 2020 Provisional Population Totals Paper 1 of 2011 Uttar Pradesh 2011 Census of India Ministry of Home Affairs Government of India Retrieved 10 February 2013 C 16 Population By Mother Tongue Town level censusindia gov in Retrieved 2 April 2021 UP Lok Sabha Election Poll harvest season Hema Malini starts campaigning from wheat farms in Mathura with sickle in hand The Economic Times Retrieved 1 June 2021 Ahmad F 12177 Howrah Mathura Chambal Express Howrah to Mathura NCR North Central Zone Railway Enquiry indiarailinfo com Mathura to get tram network by 2018 The Times of India 9 June 2017 Retrieved 20 April 2021 International airport now at Mathura Deccan Herald 22 May 2012 Retrieved 3 June 2016 Srivsatava Piyush 20 December 2012 Akhilesh s plan of an international airport in Agra may not take off India Today Retrieved 30 January 2020 Centre invites proposal from UP for airport near Mathura Times of India The Times of India 12 June 2012 Retrieved 3 June 2016 Ajit Singh asks Akhilesh Yadav to send proposal for airport at Mathura The Economic Times 11 June 2012 Retrieved 16 March 2021 Pike John India Army Central Command Order of Battle Retrieved 3 June 2016 ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE Archived from the original on 19 February 2009 Retrieved 3 June 2016 www india defence com reports 3115 Archived from the original on 5 February 2012 Retrieved 3 June 2016 a b IndianOil Corporation Mathura Refinery Iocl com Retrieved 17 November 2013 Mathura refinery Latest News amp Videos Photos about Mathura refinery The Economic Times Page 1 The Economic Times Retrieved 1 June 2021 Mathura University Upvetuniv edu in 25 October 2001 Archived from the original on 11 December 2013 Retrieved 17 November 2013 Sources Edit Mathura The Cultural Heritage Edited by Doris Meth Srinivasan published in 1989 by AIIS Manohar Konow Sten Editor 1929 Kharoshthi Inscriptions with Exception of those of Ashoka Corpus Inscriptionum Indicarum Vol II Part I Reprint Indological Book House Varanasi 1969 Mukherjee B N 1981 Mathura and its Society The Saka Pahlava Phase Firma K L M Private Limited Calcutta Sharma R C 1976 Mathura Museum and Art 2nd revised and enlarged edition Government Museum Mathura Growse F S 1882 Mathura A District Memoir Drake Brockman D L 1911 Muttra A Gaztteer The Jain stupa and other antiquities of Mathura by Smith Vincent Arthur 1848 1920 1901 1018 Mahmud Ghazni s invasion of Mathura Das Kalyani 1980 Early Inscriptions of Mathura Vyas Dr R T ed 1995 Studies in Jaina Art and Iconography and Allied Subjects The Director Oriental Institute on behalf of the Registrar M S University of Baroda Vadodara ISBN 81 7017 316 7External links Edit Wikiquote has quotations related to Mathura Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mathura Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Mathura Entry on Mathura in the Dictionary on Pali Proper Names Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Mathura amp oldid 1155853055, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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