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Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary (56 Km.)
Called Keoladeo Ghana National Park, it
is one of the finest water bird
sanctuaries in the world. Spread over 40
sqkm area of swampy, lightly wooded
terrain, the sanctuary attracts a great
variety of species of birds especially
the Siberian Cranes in the winter
months. Hence it is considered as the
ornithologist's paradise. It lies 57 km
from Agra on Delhi-Jaipur highway.
Season: October to February.
Mathura and Vrindavan (60 Km.)
Mathura, on the bank of river Yamuna, is
the birth place of Lord Krishna and is
just an hour's drive by car from Agra.
The land is replete with imposing
temples, each dedicated to the stage's
of the lord's life. The groves and ghats
of nearby Brindaban with its thousands
of temples still echo stories and songs
that recount the exploits of this
charming God. Among the important
temples at Mathura and Vrindavan are
Govind Dev Temple, Rangaji Temple,
Dwarkadhish Temple, Keshav Deo Temple,
Bankey Bihari Temple and the ISKON
temple. Gokul, Barsana and Goverdhan are
other townships associated with the
lord. Gokul, is the place, hideout
rather, where Krishna was brought up in
secrecy, far from the eyes of his
maternal uncle, Kansa. His consort,
Radha, hailed from Barsana. Goverdhan is
the place, where Krishna raised a mighty
mountain on his little finger, to
protect locals from the wrath of Indra.
The Government Museum here is a superb
repository of fine sculpture,
terra-cotta images, coins and bronze
objects that date back to 5th century
B.C to the 12th century A.D.
Bateshwar (70 Km.)
East of Agra on the west bank of Yamuna
lies Bateshwar, the abode of lord Shiva.
There are numerous ghats to be seen
along with numerous white painted
temples. The mural paintings at some of
the temples are worth seeing. An
important event is the annual fair of
October attracting thousands is said to
be the largest cattle fair of Uttar
Pradesh. |
