Mathura is a sacred city in Uttar Pradesh, northern India. The deity Lord Krishna is said to have been born on the site of Sri Krishna Janma Bhoomi, a Hindu temple. Dotting the Yamuna River are 25 ghats (flights of steps down to the water), of which Vishram Ghat is considered the holiest. Sati Burj is a 16th-century memorial tower. Dwarkadhish Temple has a carved entrance and a black-marble idol of Lord Krishna.
North of Mathura toward the twin holy town of Vrindavan is Birla Temple, with the sacred Hindu Gita texts inscribed on its walls. Farther north, Sri Krishna-Balaram Mandir, built in 1975, is an immense, ornate Hindu temple dedicated to the worship of Lord Krishna. To the northeast, on a bend in the Yamuna River, steps lead up to Madan Mohan Temple, one of Vrindavan’s oldest structures.
